Two games into the season and the Badgers were in desperate need of a win. The punishing loss to Colorado to open the season was nothing short of a shock. Following that infamous evening was a trip to the Bay Area to play Stanford, which resulted in a 24-24 tie. So, Madison is the site for a game that the Badgers were expected to win. The Mustangs came in at 1-2.
Camp Randall was another cauldron of red ready for a steamy hot gameday. Despite the preparedness of the fans, you got the feeling that it was going to be a “blah” game right from the start. Both teams came out flat and the crowd sensed it. What can you expect from two teams coming in with losing records? The subdued atmosphere of the stadium did not factor in as Wisconsin powered their way through the game and won in commanding fashion, 42-0.
This contest was the first and last time that I would ever see a Southwest Conference team. At the end of the 1995 season, the conference split apart. I remember being excited to see SMU that day. They have a very rich history, but are somewhat unknown being drowned in the surroundings of Dallas. I was hoping they would bring their Mustang mascot along or perhaps a large following of fans. However, when a team expects to lose on the road, they don’t blow the big bucks to ship out a party. The only Mustang I got was the one on their helmets, which I didn’t take for granted. I have a feeling that I was probably the only one who was interested in the culture of Southern Methodist football that day. Then again, seeing new teams has always been an enjoyable experience for me and I knew that seeing SMU in the near future would be unlikely. So, I celebrated them even though they had little to celebrate on the field.