No. 23 Wisconsin Fights Past Troy
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MADISON, Wisconsin – No. 23 Wisconsin got all it wanted from Troy and more, but the Badgers were able to hold off the upset-minded Trojans and win the non-conference contest 28-3 Saturday afternoon in Camp Randall Stadium.
Troy (1-2) had a quality chance to take the lead right before the half with a first down on the Wisconsin (2-1) 30-yard line. However, an offensive pass interference call put the Trojans 15 yards behind the sticks and they couldn’t recover.
Following a Troy punt, Wisconsin took over on its own 10-yard line and Joel Stave marched his team 90 yards in just under three minutes to complete the swing of momentum. Stave completed 4-of-5 pass attempts on the drive before scoring on a 4-yard run with just 34 seconds remaining before the half, which gave the Badgers a 14-3 lead.
The Trojans marched right down the field on the opening possession of the second half and had a first down on the Badger 25-yard line. On the next play, Wisconsin linebacker Joe Schobert got loose around the edge and stripped the ball from Brandon Silvers. The Badgers recovered and went down the field in seven plays capped by a 32-yard touchdown run from Tanner McEvoy.
Silvers finished 23-of-34 for 174 yards for the Trojans. The sophomore quarterback extended his streak without an interception to 189 straight attempts. Silvers also extended his NCAA-best streak of consecutive quarters without an interception to 33 straight.
Jarvis Bentley caught a career-high six passes for a career-best 58 yards, while John Johnson finished with a career-high five catches for 51 yards. Brandon Burks rushed for 62 yards on 19 carries. Montres Kitchens led the Trojans with six tackles and Rashad Dillard added an 11-yard tackle for loss.
Stave finished the game 13-of-17 for 202 yards and a touchdown, while Taiwan Deal led the Badgers on the ground with 16 carries for 84 yards. Alex Erickson had three catches for 87 yards to pace the Wisconsin receivers.
After both teams traded punts to open the game, Wisconsin got on the board first as Dare Ogunbowale capped a six-play drive with a 17-yard touchdown run. The Trojans answered right back as Ryan Kay booted a 32-yard field goal on the ensuing possession to pull Troy within four, 7-3.
Wisconsin tacked on a late touchdown after Troy turned the ball over on downs on its own 39-yard line. Stave threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Austin Traylor to cap the scoring.
Troy will take next weekend off before opening Sun Belt Conference play with in-state rival South Alabama on Oct. 3 in Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kickoff between the Trojans and Jaguars is scheduled for 6 p.m.
