College Football

Wisconsin-USC Holiday Bowl pregame notes

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:02 p.m. ET

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Dave Heller

-- Here are some notes, tidbits and stats heading for the Holiday Bowl between the Wisconsin Badgers and USC Trojans:

-- This is the 7th meeting between Wisconsin and USC. The Trojans lead the series 6-0 including 2-0 in bowl games (the 1953 and 1963 Rose Bowl). The teams haven't met since 1966.

-- Entering bowl season, USC was 10th among FBS teams with a +12 turnover margin.

-- Wisconsin has allowed just 59 points in the second half of games this season, which is the fewest allowed by any FBS team this season.

-- USC quarterback Cody Kessler has thrown seven touchdowns in bowl games. Entering bowl season that was tied with Central Michigan's Cooper Rush for the most of any active FBS player.

-- Under Paul Chryst this season, Wisconsin is 6-1 when scoring first, 3-2 when the opponent scores first, 6-1 when leading after the first quarter, 1-2 when trailing after the first quarter, 8-0 when leading at halftime, 1-3 when trailing at halftime, 8-0 when leading after the third quarter and 1-3 when trailing after the third quarter.

-- A Badgers tight end hasn't had a 100-yard receiving game since Lance Kendricks did it in back-to-back weeks in 2010 vs. Arizona State on Sept. 18 and Austin Peay on Sept. 25, a 76-game drought.

-- The Badgers have given up 59 points in the second half of games in 2015; that is the fewest allowed by any FBS team this season.

-- Darius Hillary and Drew Meyer will be playing in their 54th games at Wisconsin, which will tie them with five others for the most games played in Badgers history.

-- Wisconsin has had five 100-yard receivers in a bowl game -- and two came vs. Oregon in Rose Bowl.

-- Corey Clement needs 60 rushing yards to pass Dave Mohapp for 20th place, 64 to pass Larry Canada for 19th place and 117 to pass Brooks Bollinger for 18th place on UW's all-time list.

-- If Wisconsin wins, Joel Stave will pass Brooks Bollinger for 1st place on UW's all-time wins as a starting quarterback list (with 31).

-- Stave needs 269 passing yards to pass Darren Bevell for 1st place on UW's all-time list.

-- Stave needs 48 passing attempts to tie Darrell Bevell for 1st place on UW's all-time list.

-- Stave needs 1 passing touchdown to pass John Stocco for 2nd place on UW's all-time list.

-- Stave needs 2 completions to pass himself (2013) for 3rd place, 5 to pass Scott Tolzien (2009) for 2nd place and 19 to pass Russell Wilson (2011) for 1st place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Stave needs 25 passing yards to pass himself (2013) for 5th place, 138 to pass Tyler Donovan (2007) for 4th place and 236 to pass Scott Tolzien (2009) for 3rd place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Entering this bowl season, Alex Erickson's 17 catches for 20+ yards were third most by any Big Ten player in 2015

-- Erickson needs 76 receiving yards to become the fourth player in Wisconsin history with a 1,000-yard season.

-- Erickson needs 2 receiving yards to pass Jonathan Orr for 11th place, 51 to pass Pat Richter for 10th place, 152 yards to pass Lee DeRamus for 9th place, 169 yards to pass Tony Simmons for 8th place and 182 yards to pass Chris Chambers for 7th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Erickson needs 3 receiving yards to pass Nick Toon (2011) for 7th place, 10 to pass Jared Abbrederis (2011) for 6th place, 59 to pass Travis Beckum (2007), 158 yards to pass Abbrederis (2013) for 4th place and 172 to pass Brandon Williams (2005) for 3rd place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Erickson needs 3 receptions to tie and 4 to pass Travis Beckum (2007) and Lee Evans (2001) for 2nd place and 6 to tie and 7 to pass Jared Abbrederis (2013) for 1st place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Joe Schobert needs 2 tackles for loss to tie and 2.5 to pass J.J. Watt for 12th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Schobert needs 1.5 sacks to tie DeAndre Levy for 12th place and 2 to tie Matt Shaughnessy for 11th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Schobert needs .5 tackle for loss to tie and 1 to pass Tom Burke (1997) and Chris Borland (2011) for 9th place, 1.5 to tie and 2 to pass Anntaj Hawthorne (2003) for 8th place and 2.5 to tie and 3 to pass Tarek Saleh (1996) and J.J. Watt (2010 for 6th place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Schobert needs .5 sacks to tie Bryan Jurewicz (1996) and Mike Thompson (1993) for 7th place, 1.5 to tie Tim Jordan (1985) and Darryl Sims (1982) for 5th place and 2.5 to tie Tarek Saleh (1995) and O'Brien Schofield (2009) for 3rd place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Schobert needs 1 forced fumble pass Erasmus James for 2nd place on UW's all-time list.

-- Schobert needs 1 forced fumble pass Chris Borland (2009 & 2011) for 1st place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Vince Biegel needs .5 tackles for loss to tie and 1 to pass Gary Casper for 14th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Biegel needs .5 sacks to tie and 1 to pass Erasmus James for 7th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Biegel needs 1 sack to tie and 1.5 to pass Mike Thompson (1992), Tom Burke (1997), Alex Lewis (2003) and Derek Landisch (2014) for 10th place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Sojourn Shelton needs 1 pass breakup to tie Brett Bell for 12th place, 2 to tie Steve Wagner and Troy Vincent for 10th place and 3 to tie and 4 to pass Niles Brinkley for 9th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Darius Hillary needs 1 pass breakup to tie Sojourn Shelton for 13th place and 2 to tie Brett Bell for 12th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Michael Caputo needs 1 fumble recovery to tie five players for 8th place and 2 to tie four players for 4th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Caputo needs 1 fumble recovery to tie Ed Bosold (1972) for 1st place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Drew Meyer needs 350 punting yards to pass Scott Cepicky for 2nd place on UW's all-time list.

-- Meyer needs 4 punts to tie Brad Brekke (1989) and Scott Cepicky (1986) for 9th place, 5 to tie David Greenwood (1981) for 8th place, 6 to tie Kevin Stemke (2000) for 7th place, 7 to tie David Greenwood (1980) and Brad Brekke (1990) for 5th place and 9 to tie and 10 to pass Dave Fronek (1965) and Kevin Stemke (1998) for 3rd place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Meyer needs 58 punting yards to pass Ken DeBauche (2005) for 10th place, 121 to pass Dave Fronek (1965) for 9th place, 151 to pass Scott Cepicky (1985) for 8th place, 165 to pass Brad Brakke (1990) for 7th place, 264 to pass Brad Nortman (2008) for 6th place, 268 to pass R.J. Morse (2002) for 5th place and 382 to pass Scott Cepicky (1986) for 4th place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Gaglianone needs one field-goal attempt to move past a three-way tie for 4th place, 1 to tie Taylor Mehlhaff (2007) for 3rd place and 2 to tie Todd Gregoire (1994) for 2nd place on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Gaglianone needs 1 extra-point to pass Mike Allen for 5th place and 2 to tie and 3 to pass John Hall for 4th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Gaglianone needs 4 extra points to tie Taylor Mehlhaff (2007) and Matt Davenport (1998) for 10th place and 6 to tie John Hall (1996) on UW's all-time single-season list.

-- Gaglianone needs 4 extra-point attempts to tie and 5 to pass Mike Allen for 5th place and 6 to tie and 7 to pass John Hall for 4th place on UW's all-time list.

-- Gaglianone needs one more 50+-yard field goal to join Taylor Mehlhaff and Philip Welch as the only to have three FGs from 50+ in Wisconsin history (Mehlhaff 52, 51, 51; Welch 57, 52, 50; Gaglianone 51, 50).

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