Throughout 2003, Lee Evans had shown that he was fully back from his torn ACL that cost him the entire 2002 season. He had a big game against Akron earlier in the year and made one of the most memorable plays in program history in a win over No. 3 Ohio State. However, this game let everyone know that he was back to normal and was ready for the NFL. Evans destroyed Michigan State defensive backs to the tune of 10 catches for 258 yards and a program record-tying five touchdowns as the Badgers ended a three game losing streak by obliterating the No. 21 team in the country.
Wisconsin received the ball first and went down the field on the Michigan State defense and put the ball in the end zone on a pass from Jim Sorgi to Evans. There was touchdown one. The big play wide receiver would have four catches for 54 yards and the touchdown on the drive. Evans’ first three catches did not result in a touchdown. Five of his last seven catches were grabs that resulted in scores for Bucky. Crazy.
A pair of punts later, Michigan State had the ball near midfield, but junior safety Jim Leonhard intercepted a Jeff Smoker pass at the 21 and he returned it up to the Wisconsin 46. The Badgers would drive 54 yards for the touchdown to give Bucky a 14-0 lead. Dwayne Smith was the touchdown scorer this time. Lost in the huge game by Evans was the performance by Smith. He rushed for 211 yards on 21 carries and scored three touchdowns. He would have been the star of the game if it weren’t for the record performance by Evans.
It would stay 14-0 until the Badgers took over from their own 13 with less than seven minutes remaining in the first half. Bucky picked up one first down before Sorgi called Evans’ number again. Sorgi launched a pass to Evans, who caught it over the outstretched arms of a Michigan State defender and jogged into the end zone. There is touchdown No. 2 and the Badgers had a 21-0 lead.
The Spartans tried to get back in the game after a long kickoff return by Chad Simon, which led to a Smoker touchdown pass to Kyle Brown from 21 yards to cut it to 21-7. However, Evans was not done. Smith started the drive with a 60-yard run to the Michigan State 21 and two plays later, Evans scored his third of the day. It was 28-7 at halftime.
Evans was able to score No. 4 midway through the third quarter. After a Spartans punt, Wisconsin took over on its own 30. On the first play from scrimmage on the drive, Evans ran a route at seven yards and Sorgi delivered a pass to in front of the Spartans cornerback. He then was able to elude the defensive back and receive a block from Darrin Charles before racing 70 yards for the score to make it 35-7. That was his fourth on the day.
Later in the quarter, after a Michigan State touchdown, Evans made history. On a 3rd-and-10, Sorgi found Evans again in the end zone for a 42-14 lead and touchdown No. 5 for Mr. Evans. He was the second player to have five touchdowns in a game for the Badgers in 13 games. Anthony Davis had five touchdowns against Minnesota in the last regular season game in 2002.
Smith, who was filling in for an injured Davis, scored twice more to give the Badgers a 56-14 lead before Michigan State closed out the scoring.
This was Wisconsin’s only win from mid-October through the rest of the season. Wisconsin would go onto lose in the regular season finale against Iowa and then in the Music City Bowl to Auburn.
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