MADISON, Wis. -- Dare Ogunbowale didn't have any grand ideas about what Saturday's game might hold for him. Two weeks ago, he was a defensive back struggling to crack Wisconsin's playing rotation. Now, he'd been switched to running back entirely out of necessity because of depth issues.
When considering the fact Ogunbowale's last carry in an actual football game took place four years ago as a junior in high school, that made the likelihood of him contributing in a meaningful way appear slim. But Ogunbowale compiled a performance to remember during the second half of No. 19 Wisconsin's 68-17 blowout victory against Bowling Green at Camp Randall Stadium.
Ogunbowale carried the ball 14 times for 94 yards and nearly became the fourth Badgers player to gain 100 yards in the game. Yet the only thing on his mind was listening to running backs coach Thomas Brown and not fumbling away the first carry he earned.
"Coach Brown, I don't think he said anything to me besides keep the ball," said Ogunbowale, a redshirt sophomore from Milwaukee. "First carry, I was pretty nervous. But after I broke through, we have an unbelievable line. Even the second-string O-line is still one of the best O-line units. The hole was huge. I just ran as far as I could. After that, the butterflies got out of the stomach and I was just playing like it was practice."
Badgers coach Gary Andersen said he first noticed Ogunbowale's running back potential during a fall camp special teams drill called "Speed in Space."
Ogunbowale had played in 10 games as a cornerback but proved especially shifty and difficult to tackle, which was something coaches remembered when trying to find bodies at tailback.
"All of a sudden we ask him to move to a running back spot, which is really a place that he's never played much," Andersen said. "He looked at me like I had 12 heads when I mentioned it to him. But he didn't bat an eye."
Ogunbowale's first carry to cap the third quarter went for seven yards. He picked up 10 yards on his next rush and also tallied runs of 12, 14 and 21 yards. In the process, he may have solidified his spot as Wisconsin's No. 3 tailback behind Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement.
Freshman Taiwan Deal was expected to hold the No. 3 spot, but he's been dealing with an arm injury, and freshman Caleb Kinlaw is taking a redshirt season to recover from offseason surgery. The success of Ogunbowale means Deal could be in a position to take a redshirt season.
"He's going to be great here," Gordon said of Ogunbowale. "I'm excited to see how he grows. This is his first week playing running back and to play like that, to come in a game and perform like he did, I was telling Coach Brown, you've got two years with him after this. You could teach him up, and he's going to be a great player for us, I feel."
For now, it appears Ogunbowale has found a home at tailback. That means his days as a defensive back are over.
"I carried the ball today, so we'll see moving forward," he said. "But I plan to stay as long as they let me."
Defense steps up: Bowling Green's offense entered Saturday's game averaging 85 plays per game, which ranked tied for sixth in the country. Last week against Indiana, the Falcons ran 113 total plays and scored 45 points.
But Wisconsin's defense kept Bowling Green in check, and the Falcons ran a season-low 62 offensive plays. Consider that a week ago, Bowling Green passed the ball 73 times alone.
Badgers linebacker Derek Landisch, who finished with team highs for tackles (six), tackles for loss (3.5) and sacks (two), said the defense was ready for whatever Bowling Green attempted. He noted the team spent all week in practice playing against two separate offensive units, one of which lined up over the ball immediately after the other finished a play.
"I think we were averaging like 10 seconds a play, which is faster than what Bowling Green actually runs," Landisch said. "I think we were very well-prepared. I don't think there was a look we saw out there that we hadn't seen in practice. Even some of the goofy tackle split wide formations, we saw that in practice. We were very well-prepared. I think for the most part, we executed the game plan."
Wisconsin's defense forced Bowling Green into a three-and-out series on nine of 17 possessions. The Falcons only had a total of five three-and-outs in their previous three games this season combined.
Hair raising: Badgers linebacker Vince Biegel rocked an especially interesting haircut during Saturday's game. In addition to his usual mullet, Biegel had the Wisconsin motion W logo shaved into the sides of his head.
"I love it, man," Landisch said. "That's Vince at his finest. That fits his personality to a T. He's a crazy guy. He plays crazy and he looks crazy. So I think it all matches up."
Biegel is growing out his hair along with teammate Joe Schobert until they have their heads shaved for children's cancer patients as part of an annual team activity.
"I thought in the process of growing it out, I'd have a little fun with it," Biegel said. "I thought I'd get (it) lined up every week and just have fun with it."
Biegel finished his day with five tackles and the first forced fumble of his career.
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