Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 108/134
Heisman Trophy Showdown ’99 took place in West Lafayette, Indiana. From Wisconsin was Ron Dayne who needed only 321 yards to become the nation’s all time leading rusher surpassing the mark set by Ricky Williams who won the coveted prize last season. From Purdue came Drew Brees who electrifies audiences with a consistent arm and fantastic mobility. They meet at Ross-Ade Stadium in an integral matchup in the Big Ten.
Sellout crowds in Evanston are not common unless the road team travels well and Wisconsin fans would trek to Russia if the end result involved Badger football. Since Ryan Field is merely an hour from the Wisconsin border, the stadium had a distinct red tinge. The presence of the Badger band transformed the venue into Chicagoland’s personal Camp Randall Stadium.
The Spartans sauntered into Camp Randall Stadium handling a pretty fancy resume holding opponents to 40 yards on the ground and being the leading rush defense in the nation. Unfortunately for Michigan State, the interview process, conducted by Heisman candidate Ron Dayne, did not go very well. Dayne collected 51 yards on his first touchdown run four plays into the game and finished the day with 214 putting him 483 yards from the all time rushing record. Up to this point, the most Michigan State had allowed an entire team was 108 yards.
Continue reading “Game 50: #11 Michigan State @ #17 Wisconsin”
After losses to Cincinnati and Michigan three weeks earlier, Wisconsin looked to be settling back into mediocrity. However the flurry of questions surrounding the defending Rose Bowl champions were slowly getting answered with resounding victories at Ohio State and at Minnesota. During the Ohio State game, Wisconsin found the answer to their offensive woes in quarterback Brooks Bollinger. As a replacement for Kavanaugh, Bollinger was more elusive as a runner and efficient as a passer.
Wisconsin’s loss to lowly Cincinnati last week raised eyebrows nationally and gnarled teeth locally. Prior to last week’s defeat, ESPN’s number one pre-game show, “College Gameday,” was all set to air their broadcast from Madison. They ordinarily choose the game of the week, but with the stunning failure by the Badgers, “College Gameday” almost turned the truck around and set up shop in a more worthy location.
Wisconsin had some deep wounds in their playing style. An inept offense was being covered by a band-aid of special teams, defense, and a heavy reliance on their Heisman trophy candidate, Ron Dayne. For Wisconsin’s last two opponents, the band-aid was strong enough to hold. However, the Cincinnati Bearcats not only located the protective covering, they clawed it off and dug deeper into the wound.
After devouring Murray State last week, the Badgers were clearly ready for seconds as Ball State wandered into Madison. With Wisconsin’s flimsy non-conference schedule, many hoped tailback Ron Dayne would continue to accumulate yards toward the nation’s rushing record. However, the Badgers were forced to rely more on special teams and defense in the first half due to an offense that appeared to be in a haze.
Every new season ushers in a new batch of questions. After last season’s Rose Bowl championship team, Wisconsin fans had plenty to wonder. Would the Badgers repeat as Big Ten champions? Can Ron Dayne get the 1,717 yards needed to surpass Ricky Williams and become the nation’s leading rusher? Will Dayne win the Heisman trophy? Who the hell is Murray State and where are they from?
The Badgers skidded last week and found their pants around their ankles. The bully? Michigan. Wisconsin fell from the ranks of the undefeated and now needed assistance to be Rose Bowl bound. Everyone knew what had to happen: Ohio State had to defeat Michigan and the Badgers had to take care of business at home against Penn State.
Is Wisconsin for real? Most critics labeled the Badgers as the worst undefeated team in the country due to their 98th ranked and rather feeble schedule. Nevertheless, a mythotical offense and suffocating defense has resulted in a slow and steady climb to the top ten.