While many people may say that junior fullback Matt Bernstein was the player of the game Saturday, there was one player who made a bigger impact. Senior defensive end Erasmus James was a menace on defense and was the most important player in the Badgers 16-3 win over Penn State.
Bernstein had as many yards in the second half of Saturday's game (120) as he did all of last season. His 27 rushing attempts in Saturday's game eclipsed his previous game-high six rushes, which he had in the first game of the season.
However, whether the Badgers could have won without Bernstein is debatable. The Badgers were already up 13-0 at halftime and the stingy defense has not given up more than seven points in a game yet this season.
The UW defense was going to make it tough enough for Penn State to score, but James made it even more difficult by taking out their top two offensive threats in the first quarter.
James' presence was felt from the first play to the final minutes of Saturday's game. On the first snap, a 49-yard pass from senior quarterback Zack Mills to junior quarterback/wide receiver Michael Robinson, James dropped Mills after he threw the pass.
Asked if he could ever sense when a quarterback was scared, James replied, \Sometimes when they see me come off the edge they look at me and their eyes open up wide and they kind of curl up. That's when I get them.""
Mills got up slowly, holding his throwing arm, but stayed in for one more play. Unfortunately for Penn State, Mills was picked off by junior defensive back Brett Bell. Mills suffered a separated shoulder and did not return after that first possession, forcing Robinson, Penn State's biggest offensive weapon, to take over behind center.
With 5:21 left in the first quarter, James sparked what would be UW's only touchdown drive. Senior defensive back Robert Brooks forced PSU sophomore tailback Tony Hunt to fumble. James pounced on the ball, allowing the offense to begin its drive on the PSU 44-yard line.
James continued to expose the weak Nittany Lion offensive line, and later in the first quarter imposed the same fate upon Robinson as he had upon Mills.
Robinson dropped back to pass and turned to avoid senior defensive tackle Jason Jefferson, but turned right into James who laid a monster hit on Robinson. Robinson left the field by way of an ambulance and was diagnosed with a concussion.
""It was [a picture-perfect hit], but I'm just happy he's OK and everything worked out,"" James said.
James single-handedly took out Penn State's top two quarterbacks, sucking the life out of the Nittany Lions offense before it had time to get things going. But he didn't stop there.
He continued pressuring third-string quarterback junior Chris Ganter and finally sacked him late in the fourth quarter. James finished the game with five tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble.
""We just take what they give us, and whatever they give us we try to build on that,"" James said.
The defense has now given up just 19 points in the first four games and has not allowed a team to score more than seven points in four straight games, something the Badgers have not accomplished since 1951.
