Take USC lightly? Not likely for Badgers' top-ranked defense
December 28, 2015 | Football, Andy Baggot
Players pleased with opportunity to face challenging, athletic offense in Holiday Bowl
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
SAN DIEGO — Looking back over its regular-season resume, it's clear the Wisconsin football team faced its toughest test right out of the chute.
The Badgers faced third-ranked Alabama in the AdvoCare Classic in Arlington, Texas, and endured a 35-17 setback.
The Crimson Tide promptly rode the No. 2 defense in the land and the explosiveness of Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry to an overall record of 12-1, the Southeastern Conference championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, won nine of its remaining 11 games, finished second in the Big Ten Conference West Division and will face Southern California in the Holiday Bowl here on Wednesday night at Qualcomm Stadium.
The Trojans come into the matchup with an 8-5 record overall and a somewhat chaotic appearance — multiple coaching changes and a series off-the-field distractions have dominated the headlines for most of the season — but dismiss them at your peril.
In terms of a supreme challenge, it's not a stretch to say the Badgers will finish the season the way they started it.
USC is especially dynamic on offense. It has enough layers of speed and skill that members of Wisconsin's elite defense — ranked first nationally in scoring, fourth in rushing, sixth in passing and third in total defense — are alert and wary.
"We've faced a lot of teams that have been a test for us, but this one is equivalent to Alabama," junior cornerback Sojourn Shelton said.
"A lot of skill guys," senior captain and strong safety Michael Caputo said of the Trojans. "They're really good. We're going to have to be on top of our game. Right now I think we're preparing the right way."
USC features a three-year starter at quarterback in Cody Kessler, a game-breaking wide receiver in JuJu Smith-Schuster, a stable of fleet tailbacks and one of the most versatile talents in the country in Adoree' Jackson, who serves as a lock-down corner, wide receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner.
"Turning on film and watching it from a football perspective — being able to see the formations and everything — they're a very explosive team," Shelton said. "Their receivers are athletic, their running backs are athletic and their quarterback, he's pretty good.
"He's a good QB. He can stand down the gun barrel and take those hits and put the pass on the money in all types of situations. He's somebody we're going to have to keep trying to get after."
If the Trojans are vulnerable on offense, it might be the line. They allowed 35 sacks, ranking 107th nationally out of 128 Football Bowl Subdivision programs, and word came down Sunday that left tackle Chad Wheeler, a three-year starter, won't play following an incident with police that took place on Dec. 19.
USC coach Clay Helton made that call, the latest in a string of major personnel decisions that figure to affect this game.
Helton was named interim coach in early October after Steve Sarkisian was fired following allegations of substance abuse. Sarkisian subsequently filed a lawsuit against the school.
Helton went 6-2 as the interim and was elevated to the job full time. That's when he fired three defensive coaches — including coordinator Justin Wilcox — as well as offensive line coach Bob Connelly.
Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is known for devising and disguising schemes that put pressure on the quarterback. He has one of the best pass-rushing combos in the nation in outside linebackers Vince Biegel and Joe Schobert.
Biegel, a junior, has eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss. Schobert, a senior who earned first-team All-America honors, has 9.5 sacks and 18.5 TFLs. They have the most combined sacks of any linebacker duo in the nation.
It's imperative that the Badgers get pressure on Kessler, who completes 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,315 yards and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 28-6.
His favorite target is Smith-Schuster, a big, rangy resource who has 85 receptions for 1,389 yards and 10 TDs.
The Trojans are intent on creating mismatches to free Smith-Schuster and let his size (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) and speed dictate, so it's reasonable to expect Shelton and senior cornerback Darius Hillary will have their moments of isolation.
"We want to come out and do the best we can on the defensive side and get the ball back to the offense," Hillary said. "That's the plan.
"They're an explosive offense. They're going to make some plays. We're going to make some plays. It's going to be a four-quarter game."
Hillary smiled at the suggestion that there's a void in speed and athleticism between the Badgers and USC.
"They've got athletes. We've got athletes," he said.
Aranda said Hillary isn't the type to buy into any hype.
"This is not to say anything negative about whoever we're playing, whether it's this game or the first game next year (LSU) or it's the teams from the (Big Ten) East that we're playing next year," Aranda said, referring to Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. "There's always going to be so much hype that comes with these types of teams. I think there's a certain person that doesn't buy into the hype and believes in what they've got and who they're with and go with that."
That's Hillary.
"We just want to come out here and play the best game we can defensively," he said.
The Trojans keep defenses honest by employing a fleet, one-two running back punch of Ronald Jones (145 attempts, 940 yards, 6.5 per carry, eight TDs) and Justin Davis (157, 875, 5.56, five TDs).
Caputo said major points of emphasis during bowl practices have been assignments, fundamentals, containment and tackling. During the last three regular-season games the Badgers reached double-digits in missed tackles, which Aranda deems unacceptable.
"Really bad," Caputo said. "We emphasized this bowl prep, and really emphasized this week … being in position to make a tackle and then just following through."
You can make a case that games vs. Alabama and USC serve as seasonal bookends for the Badgers, especially their defense.
"For our team to leave (the season) the way we want to, this will be a good one to capitalize on," Shelton said.
"It is one of the biggest tests, that being it is the last game of our 2015 season," Caputo said.
"USC is a great opponent. They come out on all cylinders, they fire on all cylinders. That's what you like to see in an opponent because it makes you compete more. It makes you want to come out faster, harder, stronger, all that stuff.
"They're a great opponent. We just have to come out on (defense) and play our A game," the captain said.
