Wisconsin Badgers vs. USC Trojans: Matchup History
By Jim Oxley
The Wisconsin Badgers and the USC Trojans square off in the Holiday Bowl
The Wisconsin Badgers are set for another bowl game, the Holiday Bowl, on December 30 in San Diego, which will feature an opponent the Badgers have never beaten, the USC Trojans.
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The Badgers and Trojans have squared off six times in the career history between the two teams, and each time the Trojans have prevailed.
All six of those match-ups came between 1953 and 1966, as the two teams have not played each other since Sept. 24, 1966, when the No. 5 Trojans took down the Badgers 38-3, the largest margin of victory in the series.
Wisconsin Badgers
The first meeting between the two teams came in the 1953 Rose Bowl, when the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers fell to the No. 5 USC Trojans 7-0 ion the Badgers first-ever bowl game appearance.
Ten years later the Badgers again made history against USC when the No. 2 Badgers and No. 1 Trojans hit the field for the 1963 Rose Bowl, a game that marked the first time the Nos. 1 and 2 teams played each other in a bowl game.
That Rose Bowl game still stands as one of the most memorable games in Wisconsin Badgers history, as the Badgers trailed 42-14 in the fourth quarter, but behind quarterback Ron Vander Kalen, scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to make it a game in a 42-37 loss.
The Badgers loss in the 1963 Rose Bowl, a 5-point loss, was the closest margin for the Badgers against USC in school history, with 7-point losses in 1953 (7-0) and 1956 (13-6) the other closest contests. Wisconsin lost to USC 33-21 in 1955, 26-6 in 1965, and 38-3 in 1966.
The Badgers will look to notch their first victory in the career series Wednesday night when the Badgers and Trojans meet for the seventh time in the Holiday Bowl Wednesday, Dec. 30.
The game is set for a 9:30 p.m. CT kickoff from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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Stay tuned to Badger of Honor for more coverage of the Wisconsin Badgers as the Holiday Bowl nears.