Trojans, No. 23 Badgers meet in Holiday Bowl

With 2:27 left on the clock and two timeouts in their back pocket, Cody Kessler and the Trojan offense had the ideal opportunity to manufacture a game-winning drive.

Justin Davis #22 of the USC Trojans catches the ball during the second quarter of a game against the Wisconsin Badgers during the National University Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium on December 30, 2015 in San Diego, California.

All that happened by the middle of October.

The Trojans will have their work cut out for them as the defensive play of the Badgers is top-notch and will prove challenging for the Men of Troy.

USC (8-5) is seeking to rebound from a 41-22 loss to Stanford in the 2015 Pac-12 Football Championship Dec. 5. They were ranked eighth in the nation and felt momentum was on their side. After sitting out the first half because of the targeting ejection in the regular-season finale, Cichy recorded a team-high nine tackles. The Badgers didn't play Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, or IN this season. The defense is there, Corey Clement is returning and the offensive line has four returning starters from the Holiday Bowl.

The Trojans end the season with an 8-6 record, finishing 5-4 under Helton, who took over midway through the year after Steve Sarkisian's dismissal.

A loss, however, just a day after the Philadelphia Eagles fired Chip Kelly, only fuels fan discontent that athletic director Pat Haden's coaching search did not cast a wider net.

Conference Supremacy: The PAC-12 conference is 4-1 in bowl games this year, while the Big Ten is 1-1.

Kessler was 18 of 32 for 221 yards.

Wisconsin, which beat Auburn in last season's Outback Bowl, has not won bowl games in consecutive seasons since the 2006 campaign-Bret Bielema's first in Madison-when a win over Arkansas gave the Badgers their second straight Capital One Bowl victory. The first quarter was a bit of a quiet one as both defenses were up to the task early on, but in the second quarter, things got going on the scoreboard.

Down one in the fourth quarter and in need of a score, Tanner McEvoy took the ball out of the backfield and headed toward to sideline.

USC had 11 rushes for 42 yards, and 24 of those yards came on one run by Ronald Jones.

"Turning on film and watching it from a football perspective - being able to see the formations and everything - they're a very explosive team", Wisconsin junior cornerback Sojourn Shelton told the team's official website. The Badgers rank third nationally in total defense (267.1 yards per game), fourth against the run (97.9), and sixth against the pass (169.2). That one position can make or break an entire season, so it's going to be decision time once spring practices begin before we know it. "The Badgers have an unbelievable defense...so we will have to be on our game".

Helton wished the seniors could have gone out with a victory.

Wisconsin's defense - which entered the game with the country's No. 1 scoring defense, allowing just 13.1 points per game - did a generally great job bottling up USC, allowing just 286 total yards of offense. Joel Stave was the offensive MVP, finishing with an 18-27 mark for 217 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers.

But Greg Townsend Jr. brought the first meaningful pressure all night on Stave and sacked him on third down. A triumph against USC would also give Chryst his second bowl win as a head coach; he picked up his first at Pittsburgh to cap the 2013 season. But just because you play a tougher schedule than your opponent doesn't always make you the better team.

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