MADISON — Confusion washed over running back Bryan Jackson as the clock signaled that just two minutes stood between Wisconsin and an upset of then-No. 16 USC. Why was everyone leaving? Why does the student section look so empty?
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A teammate told him to shift his gaze lower, where fans were pushing up against the railing, waiting to storm the field.
“I was like, oh, they coming,” Jackson said.
He grabbed his helmet and gear, knowing he might not get them back and braced himself as the Wisconsin faithful swarmed onto the field, squeezing out the Trojans and forcing them into the locker room after embarrassing them, 24-7.
The moment was especially validating for Jackson, who chose to transfer to Wisconsin after playing his freshman and sophomore seasons at USC.
“Feels great, man, no other way to describe it,” Jackson said. “A moment I’ll remember forever, for sure, especially against your old team. You always want to get the one-up on those guys. They’re a great football team, got respect for those guys.”
Jackson was part of a three-pronged rushing attack that also involved Abu Sama III and quarterback Colton Joseph. Jackson averaged a team-best 5.4 yards per rush and carried the ball seven times for 38 yards and his first touchdown as a Badger.
“He hasn’t played a ton, but you love who he is and what he’s brought and what he’s done,” head coach Luke Fickell said.
“To have his opportunities tonight, and the situation that it is, it’s pretty special. And sometimes you’ve got to give guys greater opportunities to see what they really have when the game’s on the line.”
Jackson punched in a 5-yard touchdown just before halftime when the USC defense bit on a motion, giving the former Trojan a clear shot into the end zone. He nearly scored again on a 9-yard gain in the fourth quarter, but officials ruled the attempt short.
Tight end Ryan Schwendeman finished the job with a 1-yard rush two plays later for a 24-7 lead.
Wisconsin’s rushing attack had conquered a USC defense by simply out-toughing them, and the Badgers’ defense had throttled the Trojans’ offense.
“Gritty ain’t pretty,” Jackson said. “We just played a harder football game and brought it to them. They couldn’t really do nothing with us.”
USC’s seven points were a season low as well as a record low for any team coached by Lincoln Riley. The Trojans’ minus-17 rushing yards were the fewest since finishing with minus-20 against Arizona on Oct. 9, 1999, as USC fell to 6-2. On Sunday, the Trojans fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Running backs Shahn Alston, King Miller and Deshaun Redeaux all had carries, and Waymond Jordan didn’t have any. It was a poor performance from a running backs room that typically has depth; a room that was deep enough to push Jackson out.
While Wisconsin has had its struggles this season, Saturday’s game is hinting that Jackson might have made the right decision to leave and join the Badgers.
Wisconsin has produced plenty of talented running backs – Doak Walker Award winners Jonathan Taylor, Ron Dayne, Montee Ball and Melvin Gordon, to name a few – but it was Cal product Marshawn Lynch that the coaching staff used as an example leading up to the USC game.
“There was an interview where they were actually asking him, like, what does it mean to beat a team,” Jackson recalled. “He was like, running somebody over. Over and over and over again. We put it on the field.”
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