MADISON, Wis. — Two-way player Tanner McEvoy had one of No. 24 Wisconsin’s three touchdown runs, and the Badgers wore down Troy for a 28-3 win Saturday.
An odd game featured two Badgers defenders ejected for targeting, and a brief fourth-quarter delay for an errant fire alarm.
The defense restored order by holding Troy scoreless in the second half. Dare Ogunbowale and quarterback Joel Stave also ran for scores.
The Big Ten power (2-1) led by 11 at the half over Troy (1-2), from the Sun Belt Conference, before capitalizing on quarterback Brandon Silvers’ fumble on a sack by Joe Schobert on the opening drive of the second half.
Safety Michael Caputo recovered the ball. Seven plays later, McEvoy, who plays receiver and safety, took a direct snap on offense and ran right 32 yards for a score and a 21-3 lead with 7:16 left in the third quarter.
McEvoy had two carries for 41 yards, along with four tackles. Stave had another poised performance, finishing 13 of 17 for 202 yards and a touchdown pass.
The targeting penalties and fire alarm forced delays that led to a sluggish pace of play.
Starting inside linebacker Leon Jacobs was thrown out in the first quarter, while cornerback Derrick Tindal was ejected late in the third quarter. Both ejections were confirmed after official reviews, prompting boos from the partisan crowd, especially after Tindal’s penalty.
The fire alarm led to a brief delay with 8:56 left and Troy driving.
“Ladies and gentlemen, there is not a fire,” the referee told the crowd to cheers.
The alarm was turned off and a few plays later, Wisconsin’s Vince Biegel sacked Silvers on third-and-22 from the Troy 24 to help snuff out a last-ditch drive — Troy was trailing by 18 points — midway through the fourth quarter.
The Badgers held Troy’s fast-paced offense to 255 total yards, 84 below its season average.
Silvers was 23 of 34 for 174 yards.
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