(UW ATHLETICS) MADISON – The Wisconsin football team earned a 24-7 upset victory over No. 16 USC under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday night.
The victory marked Wisconsin’s (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) first regular-season win over USC (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) in program history and highest-ranked win since beating No. 15 Nebraska on Nov. 20, 2021. It also marked UW’s third-straight home win over a ranked opponent.
The Badgers made a statement early when CB Bryce West picked the ball out of the air after CB Javan Robinson broke up a pass on USC’s second drive of the game. West’s ensuing 23-yard return set up K Gavin Lahm for a 33-yard field goal.
Up 3-0, S Cairo Skanes followed suit with Wisconsin’s second interception of the quarter, returning the pick for an explosive 27 yards. The pair of interceptions were career firsts for both West and Skanes.
USC earned its first points in the second quarter, going up 7-3 on a 4-yard touchdown pass.
Inside the two-minute warning, Wisconsin capped off the first half with a 75-yard touchdown drive completed by a 5-yard rushing score by RB Bryan Jackson. Jackson, a USC transfer, earned his first touchdown as a Badger and gave UW a 10-7 lead at half.
Wisconsin’s OLB Sebastian Cheeks and DL Hammond Russell each logged a sack in the first half, helping the Badgers hold the Trojans to 2 rushing yards and 90 passing yards through the first 30 minutes.
After the break, Wisconsin received the ball and immediately found its way down the field. A fourth-and-2 throw in the opening drive by QB Colton Joseph found WR Chris Brooks Jr. and triggered a 16-yard dash to the endzone to give the Badgers a 10-point advantage.
Wisconsin’s defense did not allow a response. The Trojans’ next possession was shut down entirely when a sack on third-and-9 by LB Mason Posa pushed them back an additional 15 yards. USC’s 44-yard field goal kick was blocked by DL Junior Poyser to keep the score at 17-7.
Wisconsin charged their way back down the field in the fourth quarter and TE Ryan Schwendeman found the endzone on a 1-yard rush for the Badgers’ third touchdown of the game, extending the lead to 24-7.
In total, Wisconsin’s defense recorded two interceptions, five sacks and held USC to -17 yards on the ground. LB Cooper Catalano’s 10 tackles were a game high. This stifling effort comes against a Trojan team that entered the contest with the number two offense in the Big Ten, averaging 152.3 rushing yards and 36.4 points per game. USC’s seven points was its fewest in a contest since a 17-3 loss to Stanford on Sept. 8, 2018.
Joseph was 12-for-14 with a passing touchdown and 32 rushing yards. RB Abu Sama III led the game on the ground with 71 rushing yards.
Up Next: Wisconsin hits the road to take on No. 15 Iowa on Halloween in Iowa City. Kickoff is set for Saturday, October 31 at 11 a.m. CT inside Kinnick Stadium. The game will air live on FOX. The Badgers are back at Camp Randall on Saturday, November 7 to host Rutgers.
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