No. 19 Wisconsin’s bid at a bounce-back campaign in 2019 is off to a good start thanks to their star running back and a handful of plays from their stout defense.
As a result, the Badgers biggest opponent might have been the weather in the Tampa area as they needed to wait out an early weather delay in taking a convincing 28-0 lead over USF at the halfway mark of both teams season opener.
Jonathan Taylor picked up where he left off last season in rushing for 80 yards in the first half on just 14 carries, scoring a touchdown on the ground and showcasing his added versatility in catching not one but two touchdowns through the air. The big effort comes as part of a concerted effort to get him the ball in space out of the backfield and mark his first two scoring receptions in his college career.
As a result, starting quarterback Jack Coan was able to pick apart the Bulls defense in throwing for 165 yards and a pair of touchdowns -- really working the middle of the field. Not surprisingly, Wisconsin won the time of possession battle by nearly seven minutes in the first half and ran 40 plays to the home team’s 25.
UW’s defense was also a big early storyline, picking off a Blake Barnett pass and also taking one of his fumbles into the end zone for a score. The Bulls managed just -4 yards on the ground and, even when you take two sacks out of the equation, only had 1.7 yards per rush.
Some may have expected the heat and humidity of South Florida to favor Charlie Strong’s side in this one but that hasn’t been the case in the first half as Wisconsin looks much more like the team that was winning Big Ten West titles with regularity than last season’s more mediocre edition.