Polzin likes, dislikes from Wisconsin football vs. USC

No. 13 Southern Cal woke up at halftime and delivered a knockout blow to Wisconsin in the second half.

Here are some of my thoughts on the Trojans’ 38-21 victory over the Badgers.

One play doesn’t turn a win into a loss, but I wonder how this game would have played out if Will Pauling had caught a pass from Braedyn Locke over the middle late in the first half.

It wasn’t a great ball on Locke’s part, but it’s one Pauling absolutely has to catch. A completion would have moved the chains. It would have given the Badgers a realistic chance to get some points before the break and take something bigger than a 21-10 lead into halftime.

Pauling is Wisconsin’s best receiver. Bottom line: He can’t drop that ball.

** Tyrell Henry has yet to crack the wide receiver rotation since transferring from Michigan State.

He essentially has one job to do on this team: Field punts cleanly. Henry’s inability to do that resulted in a critical turnover early in the third quarter that helped flip the momentum in this game.

Henry’s muff following a three-and-out by the Southern Cal offense allowed the Trojans to regain possession at the Wisconsin 30. Nine plays later, they’d scored a touchdown to cut the Badgers’ lead to 21-17.

Just an awful time for an error like that from Henry.

** It’s easy to rip a play call after you see what transpires. I get that.

So let me approach Phil Longo’s fourth-and-short call in the third quarter in a different manner: I had zero faith that the Badgers would convert when they lined up for that play. That’s what it’s come to with this offense.

Wisconsin predictably lined up in a shotgun formation while needing less than 1 yard to move the chains. Locke predictably handed off the ball to Walker. And Walker predictably got stuffed for no gain at the Southern Cal 33.

It was a huge play in this game. But it was a completely predictable result because the Badgers have no answers in short-yardage situations.

Take a bow Vinny Anthony Jr. because you had a heck of a game.

Anthony scored on a 63-yard pass from Locke on Wisconsin’s opening possession. It was the Badgers’ longest pass play since Graham Mertz and Chimere Dike connected for a 74-yard gain in the 2022 opener against Illinois State.

Anthony also recovered a muffed punt in the second quarter and returned a kickoff 72 yards in the fourth quarter.

He did his part Saturday.

** Wisconsin punter Atticus Bertrams may have been in line for a game ball if Wisconsin would have won this game.

Bertrams averaged 49.8 yards on six punts. He had two downed inside the Southern Cal 10, including a 74-yarder that rolled to the 1.

This one is going to hurt the Badgers more than a blowout loss to Alabama two weeks ago because it appeared for a half that they were on their way to their first signature victory of the Luke Fickell era.

Instead, the wait continues for that defining moment.