Wisconsin fans are frustrated with a litany of bad first half calls vs. UCLA

The Wisconsin Badgers have found themselves in a bit of a hole following the first half, trailing UCLA 10-0. An overall stagnant offense has resulted in UCLA having some clean drives, and a missed field goal at the end broke up what was the Badgers’ only scoring opportunity.

The real story of the first half, however, was the penalties and just how much they worked against the Badgers. Wisconsin picked up four first-half penalties, with multiple of them being questionable, to say the least.

The Badgers were able to find some favor toward the end of the half, as a lofted pass to Eugene Hilton Jr. resulted in a pass interference call that ultimately gave them their only points. Beyond that, though, Wisconsin really struggled to avoid hurting itself — or did it?

Everything going against Wisconsin's way

A handful of questionable calls went against Bucky in the first half, all for a variety of different reasons. One, a blindside block called on wide receiver Malachi Coleman, may have been the most egregious of the bunch. Coleman laid a pancake block on a screen pass, which was definitely a hard hit, but did not appear to be a hit against a defenseless player.

Another penalty came against Colton Joseph for excessive celebration. Technically, with the NCAA trying to crack down on “Slime” celebrations, this was the right call. But given the nature of the play, paired with the inconsequential celebration, it seemed a bit harsh.

On that same drive, Wisconsin was called for an ineligible man downfield, another call that was likely correct but still felt like it was piling on against the Badgers.

On UCLA’s last drive, the penalties only continued to pile up. Hammond Russell was called for illegal hands to the face on what could have been a sack by him. This was directly followed by an offsides call that could have been offset by a chop block.

That wasn’t the only call that worked against the Badgers, either. Earlier in the game, Mason Posa looked like he had a clean rush to the quarterback, only to be swarmed by arms on his route in, which, to the naked eye, was a clear hold.

Only issue: It wasn’t called.

The halftime break now provides an opportunity for the Badgers to regroup and hopefully limit penalties down the stretch, while also giving the referees a chance to regroup and hopefully crack down. Nonetheless, Wisconsin is still very much in this game and has the chance to bounce back and pull off the upset win.

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