The teams both came with a strong running game and an equally strong commitment to using it. One of the two, however, also knew how to pass.
The UW football team flew past West Virginia 34-17 Saturday in front of 76,320 at Camp Randall. UW (3-0) piled up 336 yards and 34 points by halftime, and the defense continued its strong play in shutting down the Mountaineers until garbage time.
\I really liked the way our guys played, particularly in the first half-all three phases,"" Head Coach Barry Alvarez said.
For the second week in a row, the Badgers faced a defense determined to contain tailback Anthony Davis. The Mountaineers' complex ""3-3 stack,"" designed to load up against the run, succeeded in holding Davis to the lowest rushing total of his career'75 yards on 19 carries'but did not account for UW's revitalized passing attack. Quarterbacks Brooks Bollinger and Jim Sorgi, who relieved Bollinger on a second quarter touchdown drive, combined for 291 yards to six different receivers.
""I was really pleased with the quarterbacks,"" offensive coordinator Brian White said. ""I thought both quarterbacks played very well, very efficiently and gave us a chance to score a lot of points in the first half.""
After scoring one touchdown in the first quarter, the Badgers found the endzone on each of their four possessions in the second quarter.
""I liked the way our offense exploded when they had opportunities in the second quarter,"" Alvarez said.
In what is becoming a theme this season, the Badgers turned to their young players to provide important play. Freshman flanker Jonathon Orr cemented his go-to status with two touchdown catches from Bollinger, but true freshman wideout Brandon Williams stole the spotlight with six catches for 125 yards.
Filling in for the injured sophomore wideout Darrin Charles, the pint-sized Williams is generously listed at 165 pounds on the roster. Williams darted around the Mountaineer secondary all afternoon, producing first downs on each of his receptions and opening up the Badgers' offense.
""It was nice to see Brandon come back and have a nice football game tonight,"" White said. ""He had some critical third-down catches and execute when we really needed him to.""
Williams said he felt good just to be a part of the offensive plans.
""I'm very excited that I'm just able to grasp the scheme of the offense, and I'll try to get better every week,"" Williams said. ""In this offense, every receiver can have a great game.""
In addition to Williams and Orr, true freshmen tailback Dwayne Smith and Donovan Raiola filled in well for the Badgers. Smith's barreling style continues to be a good change of pace from the shifty Davis, and he was rewarded through his second touchdown in as many games. With left guard Dan Buenning's surgically repaired shoulder requiring rest, the coaching staff was able to plug Raiola in at both guard spots. Even freshman fullback Matt Bernstein delivered, smashing his way in from two yards and picking up a key first down.
While overshadowed by the offensive big plays, the defense and special teams also shined for Wisconsin. The defense lacks the big names of previous years, but this year's unit has been just that: a unit. Against West Virginia's highly touted offense, the UW consistently collapsed the pocket and swarmed all over tailback Avon Cobourne and sophomore quarterback Rasheed Marshall.
Cobourne ended up with 79 yards, but 39 of them came on one run in the fourth quarter. Other than that, Cobourne never got into the open field.
Helping Cobourne see red were sophomore strong safety Jim Leonhard and senior end Erasmus James, each with seven tackles. Leonhard also returned seven punts for a total of 98 yards and came close to breaking one in the second quarter.
Although UW improved in nearly every facet since last week, the players are not ready to celebrate yet.
""I feel as though we dominated, but in the second half we've got to finish it,"" junior linebacker Alex Lewis said.
