Joe Schobert
The Wisconsin Badgers success in the Holiday Bowl tonight will defend on a number of factors, perhaps none bigger than their defensive performance against the USC Trojans tonight in San Diego.
Wisconsin enters tonight’s game ranked No. 1 in the nation in points allowed (13.1 ppg), No. 3 in total yards allowed (267.1 ypg), No. 4 in rushing yards allowed (97.9 ypg) and No. 6 in passing yards allowed (169.2 ypg).
What the Badgers haven’t seen is a lot of quality opponents on their schedule. They’ve faced just three teams ranked in the top 50 nationally in points per game before the start of the bowl season.
The Badger defense will face a USC offense that has 24 rushing touchdowns and 29 passing touchdowns this season.
The Trojans are led by quarterback Cody Kessler, but they have struggled in protecting him. Wisconsin’s top pass rushers, Joe Schobert (9 1/2 sacks) and Vince Biegel (8 sacks) have formed the nations top linebacker pass rushing duo. It’ll be up to them to keep Kessler from getting comfortable in the pocket.
The Badgers have never beaten the Trojans. They enter tonight’s Holiday Bowl matchup with an 0-6 mark in this series. The Badges also haven’t beaten a team with a winning record this season.
Kickoff time tonight is set for 9:30 p.m. CT.