Honorable Mention
Badgers defeat Auburn in
OT in Outback Bowl (2015)
Badgers win Cotton Bowl
over Western Michigan (2017)
Montee Ball scores late
TD to win at Iowa (2010)
Russell Wilson’s debut
success in blowout of UNLV (2011)
Jonathan Taylor runs for
321 yards in triple OT win at Purdue (2018)
Bucky drops 83 on
Indiana (2010)
10. Big Ten West
champs (2014)
Wisconsin had started
out the 2014 season 2-2, blowing a 24-7 second half lead against LSU, and
losing at Northwestern for the fourth consecutive time. Many thought Wisconsin
would not make it to Indianapolis for the second consecutive year. With this
being the first season in the new realignment, Wisconsin did not have to beat
out Ohio State to make it to the conference championship game. However, it did
have to beat out rivals Nebraska and Iowa to head into the final weekend at 9-2
and 6-1 in conference. But after Minnesota knocked off Nebraska in Lincoln, the
Gophers found themselves at 8-3 at 5-2 in Big Ten play. That would mean a
winner-take-all matchup at Camp Randall Stadium to decide who plays Ohio State
in Indy.
Minnesota had lost 10 consecutive games to Wisconsin, and was
determined to end the streak, as it jumped out to a 17-3 second quarter lead.
But everything would change on a Joel Stave 76-yard pass to Alex Erickson,
which would set up Melvin Gordon touchdown and it was 17-10. After a David Cobb
fumble, a few passes to Erickson set up a field goal and it had been cut it
17-13 at the half. In the second half, it was all Badgers. A banged up Corey
Clement, who missed the previous game at Iowa, provided a spark with two big
runs, including a 28-yard touchdown, gave the Badgers a 27-17 lead. Minnesota
scored after a long reception by Maxx Williams, but the Badgers put the game
away on their next possession.
The Badgers traveled 75 yards in eight plays and
did not have to convert a third down on the drive. Rob Wheelwright, who had not
caught a touchdown all year, is the brother of former Minnesota wide receiver
Ernie Wheelwright. He picked a good time to catch his first touchdown, as Stave
fired a 17-yard touchdown to the younger Wheelwright, and Wisconsin regained
its 10-point advantage with 4:41 remaining. Minnesota would gain just five
yards on its final seven plays of the game, and Wisconsin escaped with the
34-24 victory. It was the Badgers third trip to Indianapolis in the four-year
history of the Big Ten Championship game.
9. Big Ten beatdown
in Indy (2012)
Wisconsin came into the
2012 Big Ten Championship game with a record of 7-5 with all five coming by one
score, including three in overtime. The Badgers were in the Big Ten
Championship due to sanctions against both Ohio State and Penn State. Most did
not think Wisconsin belonged, and thought Nebraska would blow out Bucky. The
teams had met in the Big Ten opener with Nebraska coming back from a 27-10
second half deficit to win it 30-27 in Lincoln. At that time, the Badgers were
struggling to run the ball, and fired offensive line coach Mike Markuson after
a 10-7 loss to Oregon State in which Wisconsin ran for just 35 yards. Under
grad assistant offensive line coach Bart Miller, the unit improved as the
season went along.
It all came together in Indianapolis. It was the coming out
party for a redshirt freshman by the name of Melvin Gordon, who wasted little
time making an impact, as he took a jet sweep 56 yards on the fourth play of
the game to put Bucky in front first. On Nebraska’s first play, Taylor Martinez
was picked off by Marcus Cromartie, who ran it back 29 yards for the score, and
Wisconsin was in front 14-0 just 2:07 into the game. Nebraska would come back
to make it 14-10, but would get no closer. James White would score twice and
Montee Ball once to put Wisconsin in front 34-10. It would get even worse for
the Huskers, as Gordon ran 60 yards down the sideline when they were just
trying to run out the first half clock. That would set up a touchdown pass from
White to tight end Sam Arneson and it was 41-10 at the half. Wow.
It did not
get any better for Nebraska, as Wisconsin would run for 539 yards and eight
touchdowns and three running backs had more than 100 yards, including two with
at least 200, in the Badgers 70-31 mauling of the Leaders Division champs.
Wisconsin had three touchdowns of at least 56 yards, and another run of at
least that many that set up a touchdown. It was the third consecutive Big Ten
championship for Wisconsin, as it would once again make an appearance in
Pasadena.
8. Welcome to the Big
Ten (2011)
The Nebraska Cornhuskers
had been a member of the Big Eight/Big 12 from 1921-2010, but conference
expansion was taking place in college football. Missouri and Texas A&M were
headed to the SEC and Colorado to the Pac-12. Nebraska decided to find a new
home as well, heading to the Big Ten. Nebraska entered the 2011 season ranked
No. 10 and would climb to No. 8 after a 4-0 non-conference slate. Its first
conference game was under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium against No. 7
Wisconsin, which had an identical 4-0 record.
Nebraska was led by dual threat
quarterback Taylor Martinez and its workhorse at running back, Rex Burkhead.
The Badgers were led by grad transfer quarterback Russell Wilson and junior
running back Montee Ball. College Gameday was in the house and Jerry Ferrara
from ‘Entourage’ was the celebrity guest picker. Game on.
Nebraska jumped in
front early, as the teams traded touchdowns for much of the first half. With 10
minutes to play, Wisconsin trailed 14-7 when the team locked in. Ball scored
from three yards out to cut it to 14-13 with 9:48 to go in the first half. That
was the first of three consecutive touchdowns to end the first half by
Wisconsin to take a 27-14 lead into the break. Martinez threw two interceptions
in three drives to end the half, which Bucky took advantage of, as Wilson threw
a touchdown each to Jared Abbrederis and Nick Toon to give the Badgers the two
score lead.
The run would reach 34 straight points to increase the lead to
41-14, and the rout was on. It was the coming out party for Ball, who would
finish 151 yards and four touchdowns en route to a Heisman ceremony invite.
Wilson threw for 255 and two touchdowns and ran for 32 more and a score. The
48-17 demolition of Nebraska told the rest of the Big Ten that the trip to
Pasadena would go through Madison.
7. Turnover chain? My
f’n a... (2017)
Even after falling in
the Big Ten Championship to Ohio State, Wisconsin had a chance to win its
program-record 13th game with a win over Miami (and its turnover chain) in the
Orange Bowl. Like Wisconsin, Miami had also lost its conference championship
game. The Hurricanes had started out 11-0 and rose to No. 3 in the country, but
had lost to Pittsburgh and the ACC Championship to Clemson to limp in at 11-2.
But, unfortunately for the 12-1 Badgers, the game was played in Miami’s home
stadium.
Even worse for Wisconsin was that the Canes jumped out to a 14-3 lead
after one quarter. The great Badgers defense had let them down in quarter one.
That would all change early in the second quarter, as junior linebacker Andrew
Van Ginkel picked off a Malik Rosier pass and the Badgers were in business
inside the Miami 25. Three plays later, Alex Hornibrook found freshman Danny
Davis down the right sideline for a 20-yard score. It would be the first of
three receiving touchdowns for Davis, and the first of four passing touchdowns
for Hornibrook, who was named the Orange Bowl MVP. It was arguably Hornibrook’s
best day as a Badger, throwing for 258 yards and four scores in the win. In the
second quarter, Miami had three possessions (not counting the kneel down to end
the half) and threw the interception and had two three-and-outs, while
Wisconsin scored touchdowns on all three of its second quarter drives to put
Bucky on top 24-14 at the half. Miami cut it to three points in the second half
on multiple occasions, but the Badgers would hold on.
With the score being
24-21 midway through the third and Miami driving, Derrick Tindal picked off
Rosier in the end zone to keep Bucky in front. After Davis’ third score of the
day, Miami drove down the field. but the dagger would be inserted when Miami’s
reliable kicker Michael Badgley shanked a 24-yarder that sealed the Wisconsin
win. Wisconsin earned its program-record 13th win, and while a College Football
Playoff appearance would have been fantastic, this certainly was not too bad.
And we got to see Paul Chryst say some unflattering words about the turnover
chain on live TV, which was one of the highlights from the game.
6. Legendary game at
a legendary stadium (2016)
Wisconsin came into the
2016 season with low expectations from the media. With the crossover games
being against Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State, not to mention road
games against Iowa and Northwestern, people had a right to be a little
skeptical. Colin Cowherd famously (at least among Wisconsin fans) picked
Wisconsin to go 6-6. But the season started with a game against Heisman
candidate Leonard Fournette and No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field. College Gameday was
in the house, and Aaron Rodgers was the guest picker, and he picked the Badgers
to win. He was the only one to pick Wisconsin, and it turned out he was the
smartest one on set.
It was one of a number of great games that weekend, in
what many called ‘the greatest opening weekend in college football history.’ It
was a defensive struggle, which many anticipated. Wisconsin had chances to
deliver the first blow early in the game, but it was stopped on fourth down on
one occasion and Bart Houston threw an end zone interception on another. But it
was an LSU turnover that put Wisconsin in position to score first. And then a
fourth down stop set up the Badgers for another field goal and it was 6-0 at
halftime. Corey Clement would score on the first drive of the second half and
it was 13-0. Bucky was in control.
But turnovers would haunt Wisconsin again.
First, after an LSU punt, Bart Houston threw a dangerous pass to the left
sideline that was picked off by Tre’Davious White and returned it 21 yards for
the Tigers first score of the season. Next, a George Rushing fumble put LSU in
position to take the lead, and the Tigers would do just that on a Travin Dural
10-yard touchdown reception from Brandon Harris. All of a sudden, it was 14-13
LSU. It would stay that way until late in the game.
Wisconsin drove down and
Rafael Gaglianone would boot a 47-yard field goal and the Badgers took a 16-13
lead. LSU would motor down the field, and would reach the Wisconsin 30 after a
15-yard run by Fournette, but the star running back would be hurt on the play
and not return. On the next play, Harris narrowly missed a sack attempt from
Vince Biegel, but his throw was picked off by D’Cota Dixon, and the Badgers
came away with the huge win. It would set the tone for an 11-3 season and its
first ever Cotton Bowl victory.
5. Unbeaten (2017)
Wisconsin had gone through
nearly the entire regular season undefeated. After knocking off Michigan on
Senior Day, the Badgers went to Minnesota for a chance to finish a perfect
regular season. The Gophers were 5-6 and looking to get bowl eligible under
first-year coach P.J. Fleck. Minnesota had quarterback problems with Demry
Croft, as he had only thrown for more than 100 yards three times on the season
and never for more than 163.
He did not come close to 100 yards passing against
Wisconsin either. It took a little bit for Bucky to get going, as the Badgers
punter on their first two drives. But a 23-yard play action pass from Alex
Hornibrook to A.J. Taylor got the team rolling. They would score a few plays
later on a Hornibrook pass to Troy Fumagalli, and they would not look back.
Wisconsin would score on three of its final four possessions of the first half,
and would take a 17-0 lead into halftime. After halftime, it was more of the
same. Wisconsin would score on its first two drives of the second half to put
it away.
The final touchdown was an emphatic exclamation point on a 53-yard run
from fantastic freshman Jonathan Taylor to put the final nail in the Minnesota
coffin and give Wisconsin its first undefeated regular season in more than a
century. Wisconsin won 31-0 to win Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the 14th consecutive
season and the Badgers would play Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.
4. Sunken boat (2019)
It was up-and-down 2019
for Wisconsin. After a disappointing 2018 season, the Badgers began 2019 at 6-0
with four shutouts. Then, the Badgers were upset by Illinois and were drubbed
38-7 at Ohio State. Wisconsin was down by two games to Minnesota in an effort
to win the Big Ten West and head back to Indianapolis. Following the bye, Bucky
won three straight, including a tough two-point win over Iowa. The Hawkeyes
helped out the Badgers by defeating the Gophers, setting up a showdown at TCF
Bank Stadium to decide which team would represent the West in the Big Ten Championship.
Minnesota was 10-1, its
sixth 10-win season in school history, while Wisconsin was 9-2. In 2018, the
Gophers won Paul Bunyan’s axe for the first time since 2003 with resounding
37-15 victory at Camp Randall Stadium. In 2019, Bucky was prepared for payback.
College Gameday was in the house for the first time in school history for
Minnesota, and the game was announced by the A-team of Chris Fowler and Kirk
Herbstreit. This was the biggest game for the Gophers in more than 50 years. Huge
implications.
After the Gophers struck
first with an early touchdown, the Badgers responded by scoring 38 of the next 41
points scored to blow the game open. It was the sixth appearance in the Big Ten
Championship game for Wisconsin in the nine-year history of the league’s title
game.
The game could not have
started much worse for the Badgers. Wisconsin received to start the game and
the offense went three-and-out to Minnesota scored on its second play. The
Gophers had a high-powered passing attack, and showed exactly that, as Tanner
Morgan found a wide open Rashod Bateman for a 51-yard score to put Goldy in
front 7-0. The Gophers really had a chance to step on Wisconsin’s throat early,
but punted from the Badgers 35 on their second possession. After that decision
by P.J. Fleck, the game changed.
Caesar Williams picked
off an errant Morgan pass that resulted in a field goal from Wisconsin to cut
it to 7-3 and Coan found star running back Jonathan Taylor on a wheel route and
JT23 caught it and backed his way into the end zone for the score. It remained
10-7 heading into the locker room.
But the third quarter
was Bucky time. Minnesota wanted to make Coan beat them. Taylor is a monster,
but the question would be if the Badgers passing attack could win the game.
Well, after a Minnesota punt on the opening drive of half two, Coan and junior
receiver Quintez Cephus went to work. On the opening play, Coan found Cephus
along the sideline for 31 yards up to the Wisconsin 40. Three plays later, Coan
hooked up with Cephus on a 47-yard score to give the Badgers some breathing
room. It was the first of four consecutive Wisconsin drives that ended up in
the end zone.
After a Minnesota field
goal, a long kickoff return by Isaac Guerendo gave the Badgers great field
position at the 39. Two plays and a Kendric Pryor 26-yard touchdown on the jet
sweep and it was 24-10. The game was decided when Minnesota missed it on fourth
down deep in Wisconsin territory and the Badgers drove it 96 yards to put them
up 31-10. On a 3rd-and-6, Paul Chryst called a screen pass against
the blitz and Garrett Groshek ran 70 yards to the Gophers 11. One play later,
Taylor found the end zone and Bucky was piling it on.
The Badgers would add on
a touchdown after a Morgan fumble to put them in front by 28 before the Gophers
scored a touchdown to make the final 38-17. The game catapulted Wisconsin into
the top 10 and ultimately put the Badgers into the Rose Bowl, where they’ll
play Oregon on New Year’s Day. There is nothing like winning the axe,
especially when it spoils Minnesota’s biggest game in a half century.
3. 408 (2014)
In a game that could
decide the Big Ten West, the 7-2 Wisconsin Badgers hosted the 8-1 Nebraska Cornhuskers.
It was also a battle between two of the best running backs in the country in
Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon. In the previous
meeting, Wisconsin ran all over Nebraska in a 70-31 trouncing in the 2012 Big
Ten Championship.
It looked like this one would be different, as turnovers
haunted Wisconsin early as Nebraska built a 17-3 lead early in the second
quarter and Gordon had done nothing outside of a 42-yard run on their second
possession. But the Heisman candidate would go off in the next two quarters. He
helped the Badgers come right back with a 62-yard touchdown run down the right
sideline to cut it to 17-10. In the first half, the Badgers only punted once,
but fumbled three times. After the Badgers stopped turning the ball over, there
was no stopping them.
Gordon had runs of 39 and 44 in the second quarter as
well, helping Bucky come back to take a 24-17 halftime lead. It would be more
of the same in the third quarter, as Gordon had runs of 43 and 68 to break the
school record of 339 Ron Dayne had against Hawaii in 1996. Next on his path was
LaDainian Tomlinson’s FBS record of 406 he set in 1999 against UTEP. He would
only need three quarters to break that. Following a Nebraska fumble, Gordon
received a second down carry and blasted through the worn down Huskers defense
for a 26-yard score to break the record.
He sat the entire fourth quarter, but
his 408-yard performance was one for the ages. Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine broke
Gordon’s record a week later with a performance against Division III Kansas,
but Gordon’s was legendary, and helped Bucky set itself up for the Big Ten West
crown, as the Badgers scored 56 unanswered points in a 59-24 dismantling of
Nebraska. For the game, Wisconsin out-gained Nebraska a whopping 627-180, and
the scoreboard reflected it.
2. What does it take to
beat No. 1? (2010)
In any other decade,
this would be tops on the list. On the night of October 16, Wisconsin welcomed
No. 1 Ohio State to Camp Randall Stadium for a night kickoff. College Gameday was
in the house, and the A-team ABC announcers were there for the call of one of
the most memorable Badgers games in recent memory.
It was all Bucky early, and
it started with the opening kickoff. David Gilreath was one of the better kick
returners in Wisconsin history, but had never returned a kick for a touchdown.
He had a punt return for a score in 2009 at Northwestern, but never a kick.
That changed against OSU, as the senior took it up the middle, made one cut and
ran untouched for a 97-yard kickoff return to give the Badgers the electrifying
start. If you talk to people who were at that game, it was the loudest they had
ever heard Camp Randall. The great start didn’t end there, as the Badgers
scored on their first three possessions to take a 21-0 lead over the top-ranked
Buckeyes.
But OSU came back with 18 straight to cut it to 21-18. With Wisconsin
facing a 3rd-and-3 at his own 34 with less than 11 minutes to play, quarterback
Scott Tolzien made his biggest throw of the game, a 20-yard pass along the sideline
to Nick Toon. Seven plays later, future Super Bowl hero James White slipped a
tackle and ran in for the 12-yard score to give the Badgers a 28-18 with less
than seven minutes to play.
Wisconsin added a field goal on its next possession
and it was party time in Madison. The crowd rushed the field after the 31-18
win, Wisconsin’s first win over a top-ranked team since defeating Michigan in
the 1981 opener. It also set the stage for a season that would end with a Big
Ten championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl.
1. One for the ages in
Indy (2011)
There could be a hundred
Big Ten Championship games and there won’t be one as thrilling as the very
first one. Wisconsin from the Leaders Division matched up against Michigan
State from the Legends Division in the first Big Ten Championship. The two
teams met previously in the regular season in one of the classic games from the
college football season, as Keith Nichol caught a Hail Mary from Kirk Cousins
and Michigan State won 37-31 in East Lansing.
The game started out like the
regular season meeting, as Wisconsin jumped out to an early 14-point lead. The
Badgers would score on their first three possessions, including two from
Heisman Trophy finalist Montee Ball, to help the Badgers to a 21-7 first
quarter lead. But, like the regular season matchup, the Spartans came right
back. Michigan State, behind the right arm of Kirk Cousins and running of
Le’Veon Bell, scored 22 unanswered points in the second quarter to take a 29-21
lead into the break.
Enter Wisconsin’s offense, which scored on three of four
drives in the second half to take a 42-39 lead. Russell Wilson was masterful.
On his first touchdown pass of the second half, he avoided a sack and found an
open Jared Abbrederis deep down field for a 42-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-17 to
cut it to 29-28. After a Cousins touchdown pass, Wilson went back to work and
would cut it to two on a shovel pass to Ball for the score. On the drive, the
future Super Bowl winning quarterback went 5-of-5 for 43 yards. For the game, Wilson
went 17-of-24 for 187 yards and three touchdowns. Of all the incredible plays
he made, though, one pass in particular sticks out from the rest.
In the
regular season meeting, Nichol caught a Hail Mary to win the game in East
Lansing. Now, with the game on the line and the Badgers facing a 4th-and-6 from
the Michigan State 43 with a little more than four minutes remaining, Wilson
took the snap and was flushed to his left. He launched it to little-used Jeff
Duckworth deep across the field. Michigan State defensive back Isaiah Lewis
mis-timed the pass, and Duckworth caught it at the Spartans 7.
On the next
play, Ball gave the Badgers the lead back. Bucky would force MSU to punt, and
Wisconsin would run three plays and gain seven yards. But on the punt, Lewis
ran into Wisconsin’s Brad Nortman, and the Badgers were given the first down
and the win. It was a bit of poetic justice. MSU was one of the most penalized
teams in the nation, and was not penalized once in East Lansing, even though it
was obvious they missed some, so it was nice to see a penalty on Michigan State
to seal this one. And then, Wisconsin had a little Hail Mary of its own with
the Duckworth catch late. It was one of the most exciting games I have seen,
and I doubt any Big Ten Championship game will match the excitement of this one
for quite some time.
No comments:
Post a Comment