USC loses 23-13 to No. 23 Wisconsin in Holiday Bowl

Kessler opting to throw a sideline route on fourth down and ten, with seven seconds left, in Hail Mary territory, was just the cherry on top. "Honestly it was not on [Rogers]". Allowing Erickson to have cushion against Isaiah Langley, Adoree Jackson, and Marvell Tell, Stave and Erickson was able to play pass and catch and get what the Trojans would give them. However, we all know Wisconsin as a running, punch in the mouth team so it's worth keeping an eye on RB Dare Ogunbowale who has rushed for 769 yards and seven TDs along with 278 reception yards as well. Helton became head coach at USC on November 30, when Athletic Director Pat Haden dropped the interim tag.... They were 14-34 when Chryst coached under Mike Riley. Since defense was dominating on the field someone had to get offensive, and we thank SB Nation for stepping up and setting the clip of this Wisconsin fan dancing to Ginuwine's Pony. The Trojans went three and out on their first third-quarter possession, then allowed Wisconsin to drive 64 yards for a touchdown. On the ground, the USC Trojans average 176.1 yards per game in which Ronald Jones II tops with 940 yards and three touchdowns.

While USC failed to work across midfield time and again, Wisconsin capitalized on Wheelwright's catch with a field goal before stringing together an efficient six-play, 74-yard drive punctuated by a six-yard touchdown run by Clement.

"Very sad for them", he said. "It was a competitive game".

Wisconsin was ranked fourth nationally in rushing defense.

Wisconsin's defense did a tremendous job getting the ball right back, though, and Stave re-entered, throwing a pair of darts for back-to-back 17-yard gains to get the Badgers in the red zone. Clement led the Badgers with 66 rushing yards on 19 carries, though he missed most of the second half after suffering an injury ahead of Wisconsin's final touchdown.

However, the Trojans chipped away little by little as the Badgers offense stalled in the second half and failed to replicate the success it found throughout the first two quarters. It might have been a step up in competition, some lapses on the offensive line or the injuries to star receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Gaglianone kicked a 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in the first half.

The first quarter was scoreless and featured just 107 yards of total offense from each team.

If USC can figure out a way to score consistently on the Wisconsin defense, the Badgers will be in some trouble.

Tailback Justin Davis, who is 60 yards short of breaking the 1,000-yard barrier, admitted Sunday he briefly considered whether he should leave school early and enter the National Football League draft.

Player of the game: The honor has to go to the entire Wisconsin defense, but one player is worth highlighting in particular. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, Wednesday, December 30, 7:30 PST, Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego.

Two of the Badger losses came to Iowa (10-6) and Northwestern (13-7), a pair of one-score defeats where Wisconsin had a legitimate chance to win. An intriguing matchup of teams in many different ways. "Last year was fun", Helton said.

"When I came out, I wanted to let the game come to me", Cichy said. Kessler was hit from behind by Jack Cichy.

"We went through the darkest times so that there could be a bright future", Kessler said. "I sure appreciate this group and it's up to us to make it be a positive where the momentum is in our favor", Chryst said.

Being behind Vince [Biegel], Joe [Schobert] and even my freshman year Army [Ethan Armstrong] and Chris Borland, I think it's only helped me.

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