There’s still 30 minutes of football left to be played, but the Big Ten is well on its way to making a resounding Week 1 statement.
Through two quarters of play, and entering the game as roughly a seven-point underdog, the No. 14 Badgers have essentially controlled every aspect of the game in jumping out to a 17-7 lead on No. 13 LSU. The Tigers lone score of the half came on an 80-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Jennings to Travin Dural; aside from that, they totaled just 57 yards of total offense on 29 other plays.
LSU’s offense managed just six first downs and converted only one of their eight third downs. Additionally, their vaunted rushing attack managed a meager 1.1 yards on its 15 attempts
The Badgers, meanwhile, have “rolled up” 208 yards of offense. Obviously, most of that damage came on the ground as UW pounded out 173 first-half yards on the ground. The badgers averaged 6.9 yards per carry.
Also just as obviously, Melvin Gordon keyed that attack, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. LSU’s lone turnover of the game, the only turnover for either team, preceded Gordon’s 14-yard scoring jaunt in the middle of the second quarter.
The Badgers also scored on a perfectly-executed 45-yard end-around by wide receiver Reggie Love for the first points of the game.
One more plus in UW’s favorite: they will receive the ball to open the second half.