The 2015 Holiday Bowl in San Diego matches two Power-Five teams against each other — the USC Trojans who finished 8-5 and the 9-3 Wisconsin Badgers. This will be Southern California’s second straight trip to San Diego. How motivated will the Trojans truly be? Wisconsin lost 35-17 to powerhouse Alabama on opening day, but rebounded nicely losing only two more times all season.
Bowl: National Funding Holiday Bowl
Teams: USC Trojans vs Wisconsin Badgers
Date/Time: December 30, 2015 – 10:30 PM EST on ESPN
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Vegas Line/Total: USC -3 / O/ U 51
Written by: Erik the Hun
8 – 5 Record – 6 – 7 Vs Spread 12/05/15 vs Stanford L 22-41 L 4.5 O 59 |
9 – 3 Record – 5 – 7 Vs Spread 11/28/15 @ Minnesota W 31-21 W -2 O 44.5 |
| USC Last 5 Bowl Appearances: December 27, 2014 – Holiday Bowl – USC 45 – 42 – Nebraska December 32, 2013 – Las Vegas Bowl – USC 45 – 20 Fresno State December 31, 2012 – Sun Bowl – USC 7 – 21 GA Tech December 26, 2009 – Emerald Bowl – USC 24 – 13 BC January 1, 2009 – Rose Bowl – USC 38 – 24 Penn State |
Wisconsin Last 5 Bowl Appearances: January 1, 2015 – Outback Bowl – Wisconsin 34 – 31 Auburn January 1, 2014 – Capital One Bowl – Wisconsin 24 – 34 S. Carolina January 1, 2013 – Rose Bowl – Wisconsin 14 – 20 Stanford January 2, 2012 – Rose Bowl – Wisconsin 38 – 45 Oregon January 1, 2011 – Rose Bowl – Wisconsin 19 – 21 TCU |
Southern California Outlook:
The underachieving Trojans did manage to beat crosstown rivals UCLA in their regular season finale, but got clubbed 41-22 in the PAC-12 Championship to Stanford. The loss resulted in the dismissal of the Trojans’ defensive staff. USC will try to bounce back with a limited coaching staff and the leadership of senior quarterback Cody Kessler.
Cody Kessler entered this season as a top three Heisman candidate, but his numbers didn’t support that prediction. Kessler registered 3315 yards and 28 touchdowns with six interceptions. On the upside, the 67.6 percent completion percentage with only the six interceptions, shows that Kessler can limit mistakes and move the chains quite effectively.
Southern Cal’s backfield split the majority of the carries this year. Behind a mammoth offensive line Ronald Jones and Justin Davis recorded 1815 yards and 13 touchdowns. Tre Madden pitched in nicely recording 452 yards and five more scores.
Sophomore Juju Smith was everything a offensive coordinator would want in a wide receiver and more. Even while playing the last few games of the season with a cast on his hand, Smith totaled 1389 yards on 85 grabs with 10 touchdowns. Smith’s ability to stand up opposing corner backs contributed mightily to the Trojan running back’s ability to get to the edge.
Fellow sophomore wideout A’doree Jackson and Steven Mitchell pitched in another 690 yards and 6 touchdowns. The future at the receiver spot is looking bright in sunny California.
Being in the top 20 in the nation in penalty yards and surrendering 400 yards per game average, the Trojans’ defense found itself on the short end of the stick against opposing offenses too many times. Uncharacteristically, the men from Troy yielded 253.8 yards through the air and were 54th in scoring defense.
Wisconsin Outlook:
Quarterback Joel Stave has seemed to play in Wisconsin for as long as anybody can remember. The Badgers had a boring passing attack, ranking 58th in the country at 229.2 yards a game. The immobile Stave managed to hit his receivers for 2470 yards and 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
What the hell happened to the Badger’s running game? 97th in the country? Tailback after tailback recorded 1000-yard seasons for the last decade, like it was candy. In 2015 the candy jar ran empty. Dare Ogunbowale totaled 769 yards on 181 carries and eight touchdowns. The Badgers managed only 148.1 yards a game on the ground.
Senior receiver Alex Erickson carried 72 balls for 924 yards and three scores. Look for the Badgers to sneak a reverse in the mix, Erickson can be lethal if he gets into the open field.
Their defense was amazing considering their worst defensive statistic was 168.9 yards against the pass, good for sixth in the nation. Wisconsin’s farm-fed front seven kept opposing rushing offenses to a measly 98.2 yards a contest. That was good for fourth in NCAA Division I standings. Wisconsin finished at the top of the list in the FBS rankings in points against rendering only 13.1 points per game.
Match-up Analysis & Prediction
Analysis:
If defense wins ball games then Wisconsin has a chance. If fortune favors the bold, then USC may find enough big plays to make the difference. Southern California will try to take superior athletes and build a game plan to defeat Wisconsin in the open field. The Badgers will swarm together like a bunch of bees, trying to eliminate Southern California from gaining any extra yards after they initially touch the pig skin. It’s offensive talent versus a defensive collaboration in the 2015 National University Holiday Bowl on December 30th.
Prediction:
To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the Holiday Bowl using the audio file below…
