Ricardo Hallman gets helpful advice, steals the show for UW's defense with interception

MADISON – When Ricardo Hallman returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of Wisconsin’s 24-13 victory over Rutgers on Saturday, Badger nation rejoiced.

There is a good chance a former UW standout was among those cheering for the Badgers sophomore cornerback.

Scott Starks.

“We chat every now and then,” Hallman said. “Get on the phone, text. He texted me after Georgia Southern and the Purdue game.

“He is a guy I can go to for advice. He is a great guy.”

In addition to playing the same position and wearing the same jersey number (No. 2), the two have the shared experience of being thrown into action as freshmen and taking some lumps.

In 2001, Starks was on the short end of a battle with Michigan State’s Charles Rogers that resulted in a five-catch, 206-yard afternoon for the 6-4 sophomore. It was a low-point of a college career that for Starks ended with first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2004 and led to a five-year career in the NFL.

Starks is one of UW’s great redemption stories. Hallman is on his way. A year ago, the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder disappeared from the lineup after a tough game at Michigan State but this season has bounced back to become the team’s best cornerback and one of its best players overall on defense.

Hallman and Starks connected on social media last spring and Starks shared his story.

“We touched on that a little bit. He told me he had a rough game,” Hallman said. “Kind of blessed for me to be in the same situation for me to able to talk to him about stuff like that. He just told me: Everyone is going to have bad games. Everyone is going to have plays against you. You’ve got to keep pushing forward.”

Hallman’s interception proved to be the highlight of day in the team’s fourth win in five games.

Social media reacts: Ricardo Hallman's 95-yard pick-six on Saturday was a game-changer

The play also proved to be the turning point in a performance that was Wisconsin’s best on defense this season. The Badgers held Rutgers to 275 total yards, giving up just 64 yards rushing (2.9 yards per carry) to a team that prides itself on its ground game and physical play.

Key to that effort was a strong showing on first down during the first quarter and a half and strong performance on third down throughout the day.

"The message is always to start fast, especially with an 11 o’clock kick we have to come out strong,” junior safety Hunter Wohler said. “We have to come out fast and obviously we did that. We made a lot of really good plays, a lot of really good third-down stops and it just limits the amount of momentum Rutgers can get. … If we can start that way every game we’re going to be really good.”

Wohler led UW for the fifth game, posting nine tackles with one pass break up. Linebacker Jordan Turner was next with four tackles and outside linebacker C.J. Goetz posted three tackles with one sack and two quarterback pressures.

Takeaway Rutgers’ final possession of the first half and it averaged just 1.8 yards on first down, which often put its offense behind schedule.

On third down, UW held the Scarlet Knights to a 17% conversion rate (2 for 12). The average yards to gain on those plays was 7.7.

Also, the Scarlet Knights' rush total was 109 yards less than its season average.

“The whole emphasis was winning the rushing battle,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “And that means different things sometimes. It doesn't just mean yards. But it means the ability to take the people out what they want to do.

“It didn't mean that we had to hand the ball off 50 times and make sure we were ahead of them in the rushing game. It had a lot to do with our ability to stop the run, establish the line of scrimmage. And I know the guys upfront did a great job from the opening snap to the end.”

Wisconsin football insider: Why the win over Rutgers was one Badgers had to have

It was a solid effort that would have been much harder to pull off without Hallman's interception.

On the play, Rutgers sent the receiver Hallman was covering on an inside route and had another run to the flat. Fickell said it was a play similar to one the Scarlet Knights ran last week. Hallman was ready for it.

He left his man and jumped the route to the flat. He picked off the ball in stride and was gone.

“I think that really deflated them and their momentum and their hopes going into halftime,” Hallman said. “That was really big for us because we were able to control the game for the rest of the time, so I think that was awesome.

“And I think it was awesome for me to be the one doing it because I want to contribute any way I can to this team.”

UW lead, 10-0, before the play. Rutgers, which was on the Badgers 6, missed a chance turn around the game with a score there and possibly another after receiving the second-half kickoff.

Instead, the Scarlet Knights trailed, 17-0, at the half.

The turnover was Hallman’s fourth interception in the past three games. Afterward his teammates sung his praises for his consistency and work he has put into his game.

Sophomore receiver Will Pauling has seen it firsthand. The transfer from Cincinnati has become one of Hallman’s closest friends on the team.

“Everybody talks about the Michigan State game, but he knows where he was and where he is now," Pauling said. "He’s a lot more confident now. I think that moment really humbled him and I saw that humbleness as he went into the training this winter.

“Spring ball and fall camp, I saw his whole demeanor change. That was awesome.”

Big moment: Wisconsin football fans were loving Tucker Ashcraft's first touchdown of his Badgers career

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ricardo Hallman steals show for Wisconsin Badgers with interception