Quarterback Brandon Harris was sacked twice but had to hurry passes all game long.
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After the Badgers regained possession deep in their own territory with 6:30 to play in the third, Houston threw an ill-advised interception that was returned 21 yards for a touchdown by LSU’s Tre’Davious White.
Elusive quarterback Greg Ward Jr. passed for 321 yards and two touchdowns for Houston. Leonard Fournette wound up with 138 yards on 23 carries but was constantly bottled up by the Wisconsin defense.
A pair of field goals by Rafael Gaglianone put the Badgers in front heading into the locker room at halftime.
For LSU, the line looks as solid as ever, and making a hole for running back Leonard Fournette as well as protecting quarterback Brandon Harris from pressure should be its two biggest goals during this game.
In the second half, Wisconsin’s Clement scored a touchdown to increase the Badgers’ lead to 13-0. In fact, it was LSU’s defense with a pick six that first put them on the board against Wisconsin.
LSU: The Tigers will likely nosedive out of the Top 10 when the next poll comes out Tuesday. Attendance for the LSU-Wisconsin game is expected to be a sellout of 80,735 – 96 times the number of spectators at Lambeau’s previous college game.
SERIES: LSU leads 3-0.
The first college football game in more than 30 years at Lambeau Field sure went well for the state of Wisconsin.
LSU: Fournette. Let the Heisman campaign begin. Houston was 3 for 3 for 38 yards on the final 48-yard drive that ended in the game winning field-goal, finishing the game 19/31 for 205 yards.
JOSH BOUTTE EJECTED: LSU senior starting right guard Josh Boutte was ejected from the game with 57 seconds to play for a flagrant personal foul. Ross, who sat out the 2015 season following knee surgery, caught five passes for 90 yards and the two touchdowns.
(18) Georgia 33, (22) North Carolina 24: In Atlanta, Nick Chubb rushed for 222 yards in his return from a gruesome knee injury, including a 55-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter that clinched Georgia’s victory over North Carolina in Kirby Smart’s debut as the Bulldogs’ coach. In 2014, Wisconsin blew a 24-7 third quarter lead to lose 28-24 in the season-opener in Houston.
The Badgers and Tigers were scoreless late in the second quarter, but the former team forced a turnover by Derrius Guice. The Tigers lost to Penn State 19-17 in the Capital One Bowl on January 1, 2010; Clemson 25-24 in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on December 31, 2012, and Notre Dame 31-28 in the Music City Bowl on December 30, 2014. The 47-yarder was the third of the day for Gaglianone, and gave coach Paul Chryst the biggest win of his tenure at his alma mater. Wisconsin led 3-0 with 4:13 remaining in the first half.
IL 52, Murray State 3: Wes Lunt threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns, and Kendrick Foster ran for two 56-yard touchdowns at Champaign, Ill., to give new coach Lovie Smith his first win.
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The LSU Tigers had never lost in the opening week under Les Miles. For most of the second half, it appeared history would repeat itself. The wide receivers for LSU are fantastic. The Tigers compounded the poor offensive start with a 25-yard punt to the Wisconsin 42. Clement reeled off runs of 12 and 10 yards to the LSU 9 before scoring two plays later on a 5-yard run that was initially ruled short of the goalline.
