White has 3 TDs, No. 21 Badgers ground BYU 27-17
MADISON, Wis. — James White ran for two touchdowns and caught a pass for another score, and No. 21 Wisconsin stalled BYU’s fast-paced offense in a 27-17 victory Saturday.
White finished with 147 yards rushing, while Chris Borland looked just fine coming back from a hamstring injury in flying around the field for 13 tackles and two sacks for the Badgers (7-2).
Kyle Van Noy went step-for-step with Borland in a matchup of star linebackers with eight tackles and an interception for BYU (6-3). Taysom Hill threw two touchdown passes to Cody Hoffman, but the dual-treat quarterback was held in check by Wisconsin pressure.
White locked up the win with his third score on a 14-yard run with 13:51 left in the fourth for a three-possession lead.
The senior had been overshadowed much of the season by fellow running back Melvin Gordon, the sophomore who can turn a handoff into a touchdown at any time.
White’s pretty good, too. He ran in from 4 on Wisconsin’s first drive, and bookended the first half with a 5-yard touchdown catch for a 17-3 lead.
Then White powered through the right side of the line on his 14-yard score for a decisive 27-10 lead in the fourth, ending the run with another rendition of what’s become a familiar touchdown two-step with Gordon.
White had 23 carries to go with six catches for 47 yards receiving. He’s scored five touchdowns in Wisconsin’s last two games.
Gordon added 86 yards rushing, and the Wisconsin fans celebrated the team’s first home game in a month with an especially exuberant rendition of “Jump Around” in between the third and fourth quarters.
The defense jumped all over BYU, too. A team that averaged more than 32 points and 511 yards in total offense hit a big red speed bump at Camp Randall Stadium, held to 370. And much of that yardage came in the fourth quarter with Wisconsin playing safe defense.
Hill, who averaged 357 yards of total offense alone entering Saturday, had 53 yards rushing on 17 carries and was picked off once. He was 19 of 41 passing for 207 yards.
Wisconsin applied pressure with an array of defensive looks, including a sack by Borland on third-and-8 to the BYU 11.
Borland celebrated in part by trying to do a midair split while being congratulated by teammates, offering emphatic proof that he wasn’t bothered by the sore hamstring that sidelined him in the 28-9 win over Iowa a week earlier.
Michael Caputo added 12 tackles. Pressure up the middle led to Hill’s interception in the first quarter, a floater easily picked off by safety Tanner McEvoy.
BYU’s offensive highlight came after Hoffman’s tough catch on an accurate throw from Hill, leaping over safety Dezmen Southward and staying inbounds along the left sideline for the 34-yard score that cut it to 20-10 with 9:04 left.
Hoffman finished with seven receptions for 113 yards. He was the active FBS leader in career receiving scores entering the night with 31.
But White snuffed out the Cougars’ late hopes with his third touchdown of the day. He now has 46 career touchdowns to tie Billy Marek on Wisconsin’s career scoring list.
Van Noy added to his career highlight reel with an interception that landed in his hands just after rolling over on his back while on the ground. He had stumbled to the turf after helping to break up a pass to tight end Jacob Pedersen.
Otherwise, BYU fell short of an upset it craved to make a national statement.