Report Card for Wisconsin's 27-13 Win Over South Dakota

Despite another middle-of-the-road performance, Wisconsin football defeated South Dakota 27-13 to improve to 2-0.

While the Badgers put together a solid first-half performance, the wheels began to fall off in the second half. The Coyotes gave Wisconsin fans a scare by pulling it within one score, but UW was able to close out strong, much like week one. That won't be a recipe for success going forward, but it was enough for the Badgers this time.

Here are my grades for Wisconsin's offense, defense, and special teams from Saturday afternoon's victory.

Wisconsin Football Offense Grade: C+

The Badgers looked like some pieces were put together in the first half, an encouraging sight after a methodical offense in week one. Wisconsin logged five total plays of 15+ yards on the day, with four of them coming in the first half. Going into this matchup, I wrote about how UW needs to generate some kind of explosiveness in the offense, and we finally got a glimpse of that today.

It wasn't a great day from Tyler Van Dyke, but it certainly wasn't a bad one either. Van Dyke completed 17 of his 27 attempts for 214 yards and a touchdown. His sole TD pass was the highlight of the game, as Van Dyke executed an RPO beautifully and found CJ Williams wide-open for a 50-yard score.

The running backs fared well, but Cade Yacamelli deserves a lot of credit. His number was often called by Tawee Walker limited, and he made the most of his opportunities, leading the team with a career-high 73 rushing yards on eight carries. True freshmen tailbacks Darrion Dupree and Dilin Jones were also given opportunities, combining for 38 yards on ten total carries.

Wisconsin Football Defense Grade: C

Inconsistency has been Wisconsin's brand through two games, and the defense has been the main culprit. Once again, the Badgers' defensive line had issues against the run. The worst case of it was in the third quarter when South Dakota went on a four-play, 75-yard drive to bring the game within a touchdown. Each play on that drive was a run. This defensive line may be an issue all season for UW.

On a positive note, Elijah Hills continued to prove himself in week two. He logged another sack, his second of the season, and added on two tackles for loss. Wisconsin also got some good contributions from linebackers Tackett Curtis and Jaheim Thomas. Credit to the newcomers; they've been performing well thus far.

Wisconsin Football Special Teams Grade: B-

Nathanial Vakos was perfect on the day, hitting both field goal attempts -- including a 50-yard make -- and all three extra-point attempts.

Vinny Anthony had a mistake that nearly spelled disaster for Wisconsin. After the Coyotes brought it within one score, Anthony muffed a punt that was recovered inside the Badgers' 10-yard line. Luckily, the defense held up with their backs against the wall to allow just three points.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers Remain Inconsistent in Win Over South Dakota

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