USC vs. Wisconsin: Score and Reaction for 2015 Holiday Bowl

Wisconsin escaped with a 23-21 Holiday Bowl win over No. 25 USC at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on Wednesday night.

Wisconsin trailed by one with five minutes to play, but the Badgers worked their way back into USC territory with a seven-play, 42-yard drive that culminated in a 29-yard game-winning field goal with just over two minutes to go.

However, the Badgers could have salted things away earlier had it not been for an officiating blunder. After USC took a 21-20 lead, Wisconsin responded with what appeared to be a lengthy touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation by Tanner McEvoy.

But as ESPN documented, the referees ruled McEvoy out of bounds despite an apparently successful tightrope attempt down the sideline:

Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave finished 18-of-27 for 217 yards and a touchdown, while Corey Clement paced the offense with 19 carries for 66 yards. Dare Ogunbowale added 13 carries for 50 yards.

The bigger story, though, revolved around Wisconsin's dominance from tempo and yardage standpoints. All told, the Badgers outgained the Trojans, 394-286, and notched a 14-minute advantage in time of possession while amassing six more first downs.

Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler completed 18 of 32 passes for 221 yards with a touchdown and an interception on what proved to be a shaky night for USC's offense from start to finish.

The first quarter was a complete offensive slog for both sides, but the second quarter started with a spectacular catch from Wisconsin wide receiver Robert Wheelwright that woke the Badgers up.

ESPN College Football on Twitter offered a look at the remarkable grab:

While USC failed to work across midfield time and again, Wisconsin capitalized on Wheelwright's catch with a field goal before stringing together an efficient six-play, 74-yard drive punctuated by a six-yard touchdown run by Clement.

Bleacher Report's Bryan Fischer noted the cycle of turnover that's consumed USC of late played a factor in its sluggish start:

Matched up against the nation's top-ranked scoring defense (13.1 points per game), the Trojans looked positively lethargic for the majority of the first half. Even when Adoree' Jackson provided a spark and worked USC inside the 5-yard line midway through the second quarter, USC needed four plays to hit pay dirt and cut the deficit to three.

It would have been easy for Wisconsin to cede some ground following USC's response, but the Badgers continued to pound the rock and impose their will behind a stout offensive line to close out the half with another field goal.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, it was clear Wisconsin dictated pace:

However, the Trojans chipped away little by little as the Badgers offense stalled in the second half and failed to replicate the success it found throughout the first two quarters.

In fact, one of the few bright spots for Wisconsin in the second half came on defense, when linebacker Jack Cichy eclipsed his career sack total with takedowns of Kessler on three consecutive plays, per ESPN College Football:

Clay Helton's squad could have used a bowl triumph after falling to Stanford in its regular-season finale, but there was simply an absence of solid execution on both sides of the ball.

Wisconsin wasn't terribly better—especially down the stretch—but Stave's arm, Cichy's clutch plays and a solid power running game proved to be enough on a night when USC wasn't exactly in sync.

Postgame Reaction

According to Wisconsin’s official Twitter account, Wednesday’s win was a historic one for Stave: 

The opposite was true for USC in the loss, per the Los Angeles Daily News’ Scott Wolf: 

USCFootball.com’s Ryan Abraham and Keely Eure relayed soundbites from Helton and Kessler explaining the game’s final sequence of events: 

"I think we're on the rise... I looked at the talent in the locker room and our future is so so bright,” Helton added, per Eure.