While Wisconsin’s pedestrian 27-13 victory over South Dakota didn’t include many fireworks, its Week 3 opponent struggled mightily against the University of South Florida on Saturday.
The Alabama Crimson Tide, who entered their match with USF ranked No. 4 in the nation behind No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Texas, couldn’t generate much of anything until the tail end of the fourth quarter.
By simply glancing at the box score, one could assume Alabama glided to its 42-16 win in a landslide. The exact opposite transpired in Tuscaloosa.
Up until 10:04 to go in the fourth quarter, the Bulls trailed the Crimson Tide by 14-13. Alabama’s Kobe Prentice snagged a touchdown pass from quarterback Jalen Milroe to push his crew ahead 21-13, but USF responded a few minutes later with a 22-yard field goal.
With 6:45 to spare, Alabama held just a five-point advantage, 21-16.
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The Crimson Tide would eventually put together a flurry of scoring sequences in the final six minutes to pull ahead 42-16. The fact it was that close, that late, suggests Alabama isn’t the juggernaut fans have become accustomed to watching with former head coach Nick Saban manning the sidelines.
“We had to learn some lessons the hard way tonight,” head coach Kalen DeBoer told reporters following the victory.
For Wisconsin fans, the game flow is of utmost importance. The Badgers trailed Week 1 opponent Western Michigan in the fourth quarter at home and won unsparingly against South Dakota, but Alabama certainly didn’t look like a world-beater.
The Crimson Tide will play the Badgers at Camp Randall on Sept. 14. Despite the inevitable line favoring Alabama, Wisconsin may have an outside shot at a win.