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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
MADISON, WISC., SEPT. 27, 2014 – Behind a solid defensive effort, USF headed into halftime tied 3-3 with No. 19/17 Wisconsin before the Badgers pulled out a 27-10 victory in front of 78,111 at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Senior Marvin Kloss' 26-yard field goal gave the Bulls a 3-0 lead in the first quarter and sophomore receiver Rodney Adams cut the USF deficit to 17-10 with a 26-yard reverse run for a score with 6:05 remaining in the third quarter.
The Bulls defense limited the nation's top rushing team to 60 yards on the ground in the first half before the Badgers got going after halftime. Melvin Gordon posted 131 of his 181 total rushing yards in the second half and scored twice in the third quarter to help give Wisconsin a 17-3 lead before Adams' highlight-reel touchdown run for the Bulls (2-3, 1-0 in American).
Wisconsin (3-1) extended its home winning streak against non-conference teams to 32 games, a streak that dates back to 2003.
USF's upset bid was stymied by an 11-4 disparity in penalties and key turnovers that turned momentum.
USF's defense was powered by safeties Jamie Byrd (Dade City, Fla.) and Nate Godwin (Tampa), who both finished with a career-high 14 tackles including each with 11 solo tackles. Godwin also recovered a fumble that was forced by senior Elkino Watson (Miami), who finished with six tackles and one of USF's six tackles for loss.
The first meeting between the programs saw the Bulls jump out to a lead after a solid start by the defense. Wisconsin went three-and-out on its first drive after Watson tackled Gordon for 2-yard loss on a third-and-1 at the Badgers' 27-yard line.
The Bulls got into the Wisconsin red zone, something UW had allowed only five times previously this season, when sophomore quarterback Mike White (Fort Lauderdale) connected with redshirt freshman fullback Kennard Swanson (Lakeland) for a 22-yard strike down to the Wisconsin 9-yard line. Kloss (Naples, Fla.) gave the Bulls the lead four plays later with a 26-yard field goal with 6:49 remaining in the opening quarter. Kloss, a Groza Award watch list member, has made a field goal in seven consecutive games.
Wisconsin got all the way down to the USF 6 on its second drive but another stand by the defense resulted in the Badgers only coming away with a 24-yard field goal by Rafael Gaglianone with 52 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Badgers got into a position to take the lead on their third drive following a USF turnover, but again the Bulls came up with a big stop on third down. Senior linebacker Reshard Cliett (Thomasville, Ga.) sacked Tanner McEvoy for a 10-yard loss that moved UW out of field goal range at the USF 40 and forced the Badgers to punt.
The Bulls entered the game as heavy underdogs but kept the score at 3-3 going into halftime thanks to another huge stand by the defense. The Badgers were 5 yards away from the end zone when Gordon fumbled hit by Watson. The ball was recovered by Godwin with 25 seconds remaining in the half. It marked 12th takeaway for the Bulls defense that was without starting tackle Todd Chandler, who suffered an eye injury in practice Thursday.
Wisconsin headed into Saturday leading the nation with 359.7 rushing yards per game but managed only 60 yards on 23 carries in the first half. Gordon was up to 50 yards on 17 carries a week after rushing for 253 yards on 13 carries against Bowling Green.
The Bulls also defended the pass well in the opening half with McEvoy completing 4-of-9 passes for 79 yards while the Badgers went 1-for-7 on third down. McEvoy finished 11-for-18 against the Bulls for 160 yards and a touchdown.
The Badgers were back in the red zone on the opening drive of the second half and they took a 10-3 lead on a 7-yard touchdown run by Gordon with 10:43 remaining in the third quarter. Gordon rushed five times for 41 yards on the drive and the junior added a 43-yard touchdown run with 8:04 remaining in the third quarter.
The Bulls used two explosive plays of their own to bounce back on the ensuing drive. White stood patiently in the pocket and found senior tight end Mike McFarland (Tampa) for a 35-yard connection, a career-long for McFarland, which set up USF at the Wisconsin 26-yard line.
One play later, Adams (St. Petersburg) took a handoff and went the distance to help cut the deficit to 17-10 with 6:05 to go in the third quarter. Adams' first-career touchdown run capped off a four-play, 75-yard drive.
Wisconsin responded with a 19-yard field goal by Gaglianone with 1:04 left in the third quarter after getting denied by the Bulls near the end zone. Wisconsin had a third-and-goal at the USF 1 when Corey Clement was stopped for no gain by Nigel Harris.
USF put itself in a position to cut into the lead with another explosive play that ended up in a turnover. White hit Swanson on a wheel route out of the backfield for 52 yards, but Swanson was hit and lost a fumble at the Wisconsin 10 with 14:50 remaining in the game. Swanson finished with two catches for a team team-high 74 yards. White went 8 of 19 through the air for 173 yards.
The Badgers capped off the scoring with McEvoy's 1-yard touchdown pass to Sam Arenson with 5:17 remaining in the game.
Next up for the Bulls is a bye week before they'll look to improve to 2-0 in American play on Saturday, Oct. 11 against No. 23/24 East Carolina at Raymond James Stadium. The start time for USF's homecoming game has yet to be announced.
USF football season ticket renewals are available. Members may renew their tickets today online, by calling 1-800-GoBulls, or in person at the Ticket Sales and Service Center in the Sun Dome administrative offices (Gate B).
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