After being held to a net of eight yards rushing in its two previous games, Wisconsin surpassed that on its first play — a 10-yard run by Brian Calhoun.

It was just the start of a 440-yard offensive day for the Badgers in their 41-24 badgering of Hawai'i at Aloha Stadium.

Calhoun, a 5-foot-10, 194-pound junior, led the way with a game-high 149 yards on 29 carries, scoring the first touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run.

All of his damage was done in three quarters. It was the kind of performance the Badgers sorely needed after back-to-back losses to Penn State (35-14) and Iowa (20-10). In those losses, Calhoun rushed for season-lows of 38 and 19 yards, respectively.

"That was our main goal after the last two games," Calhoun said of the Badgers establishing their running game. "The first four or five plays were runs and that's what we wanted to do."

The Badgers scored on seven of their nine series. They might have made it eight, but their first series of the game literally slipped away. On third-and-1 at the Wisconsin 49, Calhoun tried to make a cut, but slipped on the FieldTurf for a 1-yard loss. It led to the Badgers only punt of the game.

"It was just a play I was forced to cut back," Calhoun explained. "I lost my footing a little bit. I probably would've got the first down if I didn't (slip). It was just one of those things. And we regrouped after that."

Indeed.

The Badgers had their way on the ground, rushing for 249 yards against the Warriors, who allow an average of 186.9 yards a game (96th nationally). Even backup Booker Stanley had 78 yards, including a 6-yard TD run, on 15 carries, allowing the Badgers to rest Calhoun in the fourth quarter.

"The game was in hand and they wanted to give Booker some carries," Calhoun said.

On Wisconsin's second series, Calhoun carried five times on a seven-play, 77-yard drive that was capped by his TD run off left tackle.

Wisconsin's third series belonged to Booker, who carried four consecutive plays for 35 yards in a five-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a John Stocco TD pass.

But Calhoun was back for the fourth series, carrying eight times for 60 yards to set up Taylor Melhaff's 24-yard field goal that made it 17-7.

Calhoun's running softened UH's defense enough to allow Stocco to complete 12 of 16 passes for 191 yards and two TDs.

Wisconsin senior center Donovan Raiola, a Kamehameha Schools graduate, said it was crucial for the Badgers to find their ground game.

"It was important, especially after those last two games," Raiola said. "Obviously, those defenses were pretty good, but Hawai'i's defense is tough."

Although the Badgers felt they could run on UH, Raiola, knowing the fight in UH players, wasn't taking it for granted.

"We knew it wasn't going to come easy," he said. "Nothing comes easy in this game. They're a great team at home and we're just happy we got the win."

Reach Stacy Kaneshiro at skaneshiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.