Instant Takeaways from Wisconsin's 24-7 Win vs. No. 16 USC

Immediate takeaways as the Badgers manhandle USC with a vintage defensive outing in Madison.

Wisconsin Badgers safety Cairo Skanes (21). | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Wisconsin football just picked up its biggest win of the season, taking down No. 16 USC at home under the lights.

The Badgers move to 5-2 and 3-1 in Big Ten play with the win, taking down their second ranked opponent of the season.

Wisconsin's defense started scorching hot. It forced USC's offense into a three-and-out immediately, and then proceeded to pick off Trojans' quarterback Jayden Maiava on the next two drives. The offense, however, was a different story.

The Badgers' offense mustered just 23 total yards across their first three drives. But Wisconsin was consistently able to run the football while completely bottling up USC's ground game. That ability to control the line of scrimmage — and thus the clock, time of possession and the game entirely — was the difference.

Below, Badgers On SI offers instant takeaways from Wisconsin's huge Week 8 win over USC.

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Stat of the game: Wisconsin held USC to -17 rushing yards.

We knew the Badgers were stout against the run after what they did to UCLA's vaunted ground game last week, holding the Bruins to 44 yards through three quarters before they went complete clock-control mode. But this was a different level of dominance against the Trojans.

The Badgers' five sacks impact the yardage total, of course, but -17 yards is still a ridiculously low number for the No. 17 total offense in the country.

Star of the game: This is a tough one, as it was a true team effort to topple the Trojans. Wisconsin didn't need to rely on one player, offensively or defensively, to author the upset win, which is one of the best signs overall from this game. But given how dominant the defense was, and given how crucial his relentless pressure was all night long, it has to be outside linebacker Sebastian Cheeks.

The Badgers' star pass-rusher finished with five tackles and 2.5 sacks. He continued to rack up pressures, and was a thorn in USC's side all night long. Cheeks is one of the elite pass-rushers in this conference.

Defining play of the game: Luke Fickell finally rolling the dice on a 4th-down, and Wisconsin's offense dialing of a screen pass on 4th-and-2 from USC's 16 yard-line. Already up 10-7, the Badgers knew they needed touchdowns, not field goals to win this game, even though that wasn't necessarily true, it was absolutely the right call.

Joseph hit wideout Chris Brooks Jr on the screen, who easily navigated his blocks as the Trojans didn't have enough defenders to guard the Badgers' bunch formation. Brooks made a man miss and laid out for his third touchdown of the year. The decision to go for it, plus Wisconsin creating a two-score lead it would never relinquish, makes the Brooks touchdown the play of the game for the Badgers.

What it means: This was just about as close to a must-win as it gets for Wisconsin, coming off the tough loss on the road and with Iowa on the road up next. Despite the Hawkeyes' loss to Minnesota this week, that game remains extremely daunting given the fact that Iowa has won the last two meetings by a combined score of 79-10. Simply put, Fickell didn't unquestionably need this one, but he did for all intents and purposes.

Thus, it's a huge win and maybe the biggest win yet in the Fickell era. That belonged to the upset in Happy Valley over then-No. 13 Penn State for a few weeks, but with the Nittany Lions' continued incompetence coupled with the real meat of schedule for Wisconsin (UCLA, USC and Iowa) being the clear defining stretch of the season, this win is now obviously easily at the top of the Badgers' resume.

The Badgers don't have a single game on their remaining schedule they can't win. But next week against Iowa looms as large as ever.

Don't overlook: The Badgers finally got their ground game going, notching 142 yards and two scores on the ground. Abu Sama ran for 71 yards, his highest total since Week 2 against Western Illinois. It wasn't the most explosive rushing attack, — the longest carry was just 17 yards — but Wisconsin was able to consistently move the chains on the ground and move Trojans' bodies up front.

What's next: Wisconsin hits the road to take on Iowa for a Big Noon Kickoff in Iowa City on Halloween. The Hawkeyes are 5-2, and sure to drop from their No. 15 ranking in the AP poll after they fell at the hands of Minnesota, 13-10, in Minneapolis.