Wisconsin 27, South Florida 10: Melvin Gordon rushed for 131 of his 181 yards in the second half and scored two touchdowns as the 17th-ranked Badgers overcame a sluggish start to secure their 32nd consecutive non-conference victory at home.

Gordon's performance came on the heels of his career-high 253-yard, five-touchdown effort in last week's 68-13 triumph over Bowling Green. Tanner McEvoy completed 11-of-18 for 160 yards - including a 1-yard touchdown pass to Sam Arneson in the fourth quarter - as Wisconsin (3-1) held the ball for nearly 41 minutes.

After the teams traded short field goals in the first half, Gordon ignited the offense by rushing for 41 yards on the Badgers' first drive of the third quarter. The Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week capped the eight-play drive by bolting up the middle from 7 yards out to give Wisconsin a 10-3 lead.

The Badgers forced South Florida (2-3) to punt on the ensuing possession and Gordon scampered 43 yards up the middle for a touchdown on the next play. Rodney Adams answered under two minutes later as he raced 26 yards up the right sideline on an end around before diving inside the pylon.

Rafael Gaglianone kicked his second field goal to increase Wisconsin's lead to 20-10 late in the third quarter. Lubern Figaro forced a fumble after Kennard Swanson's 52-yard reception on the first play of the fourth quarter and the Badgers capped an 18-play, 90-yard drive that spanned 9:33 as Arneson reeled in a 1-yard score.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Gordon lost the ball late in the first half, marking his second fumble in as many contests. He hadn't lost the ball in 288 career rushes (31 games) entering this season. ... South Florida QB Mike White went 8-for-19 for 173 yards and an interception. ... Wisconsin has scored on all four of its opening drives to begin the second half in 2014.