• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Hill scores twice to lift Badgers

Sep 8, 2008 - 6:42 PM MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- It took a bit longer for P.J. Hill and Wisconsin to get going.

Hill and John Clay each rushed for two touchdowns and the 11th-ranked Badgers overcame a sluggish start in a 51-14 rout of Marshall on Saturday.

After coasting to a three-touchdown victory over Akron in their season opener, the Badgers (2-0) looked lost early on against the Thundering Herd before scoring 51 unanswered points.

"I can't say enough about our play from the second quarter on," Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema.

Hill scored on a two-yard run in the second quarter and from one yard as part of a 21-point third quarter when the Badgers took control. The junior, who rushed for 210 yards in the opener, was limited to 57 on 18 carries in this one.

The Badgers also received production from the passing game, as senior Allan Evridge completed 17-of-26 passes for 308 yards, including a 26-yard TD to Garrett Graham in the third quarter.

"He threw a couple balls and threw them on time, on rhythm and a couple guys made nice plays," Bielema said.

Clay added a four-yard touchdown run with 64 seconds remaining in the third quarter, giving the Badgers a 38-14 bulge. Clay and Bradie Ewing added short touchdown runs in the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin, which rushed for over 400 yards in its opener, was held in check for the most part Saturday, finishing with 158 on the ground. The Badgers did rush for six TDs, but none of the scores were longer than four yards.

Defensively, the Badgers recovered from some early struggles to register three interceptions. Junior Niles Brinkley had two of the picks.

After snacking on what amounted to cupcakes in their first two games, the Badgers should receive a stern test next week when they visit No. 21 Fresno State.

The Thundering Herd (1-1), nearly a three-touchdown underdog, hardly looked intimidated early. Chubb Small scored on a one-yard run in the first quarter and Darius Marshall plowed over from a yard out less than two minutes into the second.

In their sloppy first quarter, the Badgers received all six of their penalties.

Hill found the end zone for a third time this season with a two-yard TD run with 10:16 left in the first half to get the Badgers on the board.

After Philip Welch kicked a 45-yard field goal, Zach Brown scored on a three-yard run with 36 seconds to go in the half to put the Badgers in front for good.

Hill added to the margin with his second TD of the contest less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Mark Cann, who was replaced in the second half by Brian Anderson, completed 20-of-39 passes for 211 yards and two interceptions.

"The game was a game of two halves," Marshall coach Mark Snyder said. "I thought we played pretty well the first half, we were playing a pretty good football team, and as good as the first half was, the second half was just as bad."