48. Wisconsin 48, Akron 31 (2003)

After a road win at West Virginia to start the season, Wisconsin returned home for its home opener against Charlie Frye and the Akron Zips. Akron was coming off a 41-38 home loss to Kent State, a team that would end up with a losing record. Most people were expect a Wisconsin blowout victory, and it seemed like it was headed in that direction before a big Akron run to cut it to one score before Wisconsin scored two touchdowns late to win by 17.

It was not quite the start Badgers fans were hoping for as Wisconsin fumbled the opening kickoff and the Zips took over at the Wisconsin 30. Akron would get a field goal on the drive to put the Zips on the board first. It was all Bucky the remainder of the half, though.

Wisconsin zoomed down the field on its first actual possession and Anthony Davis scored from 10 yards away to put the Badgers in front 7-3. He also scored the second touchdown as well on the next possession from 20 yards away in a 17-point run to put the Badgers ahead 17-3 at the end of the first quarter. Davis would go on to carry the ball 29 times for 252 yards and three touchdowns.

Akron scored early in the second to cut it to one score, but the Badgers responded with two more touchdowns to end the half to put Wisconsin out to a comfortable 31-10 halftime lead. Game over? Guess again.

Charlie Frye heated up in a big way. He led the Zips on three touchdown drives in their first four possessions in the second half to cut a three touchdown lead down to a single field goal and had the Zips on the move prepared to have Akron take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes.

With Akron on the move, down 34-31, it faced a 3rd-and-goal from the 17 after a sack. Frye passed to tight end Mike Brake down to the 1. Instead of trying for the game-tying field goal, Akron Head Coach Lee Owens decided to go for the lead instead of the short field goal to tie the game.

In one of the biggest plays of the game, Wisconsin’s defense rose to the occasion and stuffed Bobby Hendry at the line of scrimmage, giving the ball back to the Badgers at their own 1.

The play was 56 Jerk, a play that would be would be made more famous a month later in a game against Ohio State, but the play worked just as well in this game as well. With the offense having its back to its own end zone, offensive coordinator Brian White called for 56 Jerk.

On the play, Evans burned the Akron cornerback and Jim Sorgi hit him in stride and Evans did the rest, scoring from 99 yards out to put their names in the record book for longest play in school history. More importantly, though, it gave the Badgers some breathing room once again, pushing the lead to 41-31. Evans finished with 214 yards on nine catches and a pair of touchdowns. The play also put to bed any doubt about whether Evans was fully healthy after suffering an ACL injury a year earlier and missing the entire 2002 season.

Jim Leonhard picked off a Frye pass inside the Badgers 5 on the following possession and the offense proceeded to put the game away. It took the Badgers just four plays to march 96 yards, ending with a Dwayne Smith 34-yard touchdown gallop.

The win would be short-lived, however, as the Badgers were embarrassed 23-5 at home against UNLV the following week before starting a four game winning streak.