18. Wisconsin 45, Penn State 7 (2011)

It was the game to decide which team would play Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten Championship game. Penn State had the Big Ten’s best defense and was No. 3 in the country in scoring defense, but it was in the heart of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. It would be hard enough to beat Wisconsin, especially at Camp Randall Stadium, with no distractions surrounding the program. But if you have a distraction like that, you have no chance. Wisconsin was coming in at 5-2 in the conference, with the only losses on a Hail Mary in East Lansing and a touchdown in the final half minute in Columbus. Penn State was 6-1 with its only loss coming coming two weeks before at home against Nebraska. The Badgers would surrender the first points in this game, but would score 45 consecutive points to blow out the Nittany Lions and earn a berth in the first ever Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.

Wisconsin would drive to the Penn State 35 on its opening drive, but had to punt. Penn State, on the other hand, would pick up one first down before the punting unit came on. However, the Badgers would be whistled for running into the kicker, giving the Nittany Lions a fresh set of downs. Penn State would take full advantage of the Wisconsin mistake and would score the first points of the day. On a first down from the 44, Matt McGloin went back to pass and launched a deep pass to a wide open Cameron Drake for the touchdown and the Lions took a 7-0 lead.

That lead would be short-lived. On the following Wisconsin possession, Russell Wilson found Jared Abbrederis over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown to tie the game up. That capped a 10-play, 76-yard drive for the Badgers. Montee Ball rushed for 31 yards on the drive and Wilson had 44 yards passing and the touchdown.

Philip Welch made the mistake of booting the kickoff out-of-bounds, so Penn State started its next drive at the 40 in the hopes of re-capturing the lead. Shelton Johnson had other ideas. On the first play of the drive, Johnson picked off McGloin at midfield to put the prolific Badgers offense back on the field. Wisconsin did not let the great field position go to waste. Wilson threw twice more to Abbrederis for a pair of 12-yard receptions and Ball had four carries for 11 yards, including the touchdown from a yard out to give the Badgers the 14-7 lead. That would be the first of four touchdowns for the Heisman candidate.

Bucky would put the game away late in the first half. Wilson would do it all on the first drive, rushing for a 20-yard run on third down to get into Penn State territory and a 19-yard run on 1st-and-15 to move the ball to the Nittany Lions 5. He also would throw for 26 yards on the drive. However, Ball would get the glory again, carrying it in from two yards out and Wisconsin would have a 21-7 lead with two minutes to go in the first half.

The dagger would be inserted following the next drive. On the ensuing kickoff, Penn State’s Michael Zordich returned the kickoff for six yards, but fumbled and Conor O’Neill recovered at the Nittany Lions 31. Wilson would account for all 31 yards on the drive, throwing for 24 and running for an additional seven. He would convert a third down and short with a pass to Nick Toon and would also throw the touchdown to Toon from four yards out and the Badgers took the 28-7 lead with less than a minute to go in the first half.

The second half did not start well for the team in white. On the third play of the second half, McGloin handed it off to Silas Redd, who ran for four yards before hitting his own offensive lineman and fumbling the ball straight up into the air. Mike Taylor pounced on the ball for Wisconsin to give the Badgers a first down at the Penn State 46.

Wilson went right back to work, throwing passes to Jeff Duckworth for 11 yards and Abbrederis for 21 more yards before Ball scored from nine yards out and the Badgers took a 35-7 lead. That was Ball’s third of the night. Abbrederis also had a great game, catching seven passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Penn State would turn it over on downs the next drive, followed by both teams punting. After Penn State’s punt, the Badgers would have outstanding field position at the Penn State 45. Ball would do all the work on this drive. He would rush three times, for double digit yardage each time. The score would come on an 18-yard rush where he would run into traffic, but was able to squirt free and jog into the end zone for the score. It was his fourth touchdown and it put the Badgers in front 42-7.

Wisconsin would tack on another field goal for the 45-7 final. Wisconsin would nearly outgain Penn State 2-to-1, 450-233, and force the Nittany Lions into four turnovers. Those stats are the indicators of how this game went. The Badgers would go to Indianapolis and play Michigan State in an epic Big Ten Championship game.