Grading Every Position Group From the Badgers' Loss at USC

If this game ended at halftime, most groups would have finished with an A+ grade. Unfortunately, games generally tend to be played out in full, and things got pretty ugly in the second half for Wisconsin. Let's get into the grades.

Quarterback: B

Like most players, Braedyn Locke had a great first half. He pushed the ball downfield, connecting on throws of 63 and 35. But later in the game, he got happy feet and panicked a lot, leading to some questionable throws. There's some good things to build on after his first start, though.

Running Back: B-

The backs averaged a decent 4.2 yards per carry, but never delivered on any explosive runs. Tawee Walker did punch the ball in twice and the group didn't cough the ball up, something that had plagued them earlier in the season.

Wide Receiver: B

The recieving core had a nice game down the field, hitting on some big chunk plays that the offense had lacked all year. Will Pauling was bottled up by the USC defense, however, and finished with only 11 yards recieving.

Tight End: C-

Once again, the group was barely involved in the passing game. Riley Nowakowski had one catch for nine yards.

Offensive Line: A-

The line was overall very solid. Locke wasn't sacked all day and had good time in the pocket. The only knock might be that the run game completely fell off in the second half.

Defensive Line: C

Elijah Hills had another good game, but after the first half, the defensive line disappeared as USC torched the Badgers for 28 points.

Linebacker: C+

The group initially had some good pressure early in the game, but much like the defensive line, the juice was dried up by the second half and USC quarterback Miller Moss got to work.

Secondary: C

The secondary had no answer for USC receiver Ja'Kobi Lane, who finished with 10 catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first game the Badger secondary really seemed overmatched.