Oct. 31, 2015 Box Score | Photo Gallery 
48 
10 Camp Randall Stadium | Attendance: 74,575
PDF Book | Season Stats
By Tom Luicci
ScarletKnights.com
MADISON, Wis. - Rutgers finds itself almost at the tipping point if the Scarlet Knights are to reach a 10th bowl game in the past 11 seasons. Unable to keep pace with Wisconsin's firepower - in part because of the absence of star wide receiver Leonte Carroo - Rutgers suffered a 48-10 loss to the Badgers today before a crowd of 74,575 at Camp Randall Stadium.
With the defeat, the Scarlet Knights fell to 3-5 overall (1-4 Big Ten) with a game looming at No. 15-ranked Michigan next Saturday.
With just 102 yards of total offense through the first three quarters, Rutgers' offense was unable to solve Wisconsin's defense, with the Scarlet Knights getting their only touchdown on true freshman cornerback Blessuan Austin's 50-yard interception return with 3:01 left in the third quarter. That cut the Badgers' lead to 34-10, but they pushed it beyond reach with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
Running back Corey Clement (115 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries) and wide receiver Alex Erickson (six catches for 103 yards with one touchdown) did most of the damage to the Scarlet Knights' defense as Wisconsin improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in Big Ten play.
The Badgers' defense held Rutgers to a season-low 165 yards of total offense, with quarterback Chris Laviano going 4-of-14 for 31 yards with an interception.
Despite the poor offensive numbers at the end, the Scarlet Knights had early success running the ball against Wisconsin's stout defense, but couldn't sustain that ground effectiveness for one first-half drive as the Badgers built a 27-3 halftime lead.
Much of that failure to continue to be effective was no doubt influenced by the absence Carroo and the inability of the passing game to provide any balance through the first two quarters.
As it was, against a Wisconsin defense allowing just 97.6 rushing yards per game, the Scarlet Knights were able to grind out 77 rushing yards on 24 carries in the first half.
But the more the Badgers padded their lead, the less inclined Rutgers was to stay on the ground.
After Wisconsin built a 10-0 first quarter lead, Rutgers responded with a 13-play, 55-yard drive - with all 55 yards coming on 11 running plays. Kyle Federico's 21-yard field goal capped the drive to make it 10-3.
But Wisconsin, buoyed by the return of quarterback Joel Stave and Clement, kept adding to its advantage. An early backbreaker for Rutgers was Stave's 31-yard touchdown pass to Erickson on a fourth and seven play from the Rutgers 31 yard line that made it 17-3.
Clement, out the past seven games with an injury, then added his second touchdown run of the half, with his 21-yard scoring run in the second quarter pushing the Badgers' lead to 24-3.
Wisconsin would then go 61 yards in eight plays over the final 44 seconds of the first half for a 27-yard field goal by Rafael Gaglianone as time expired in the half, making it 27-3.
Josh Hicks, with 51 yards on 11 carries in the first half (he finished with a team-leading 72 yards on 15 carries), was the workhorse in Rutgers' effective running game.
Stave, who missed the second half of last week's game at Illinois with a head injury, was 8-of-17 for 156 yards and one touchdown through the first two quarters. He finished 13-of-25 for 275 yards with that one touchdown pass and two interceptions.
