At the conclusion of this game, my brother turned to me and said, “Well, they scored on the first play and the last play and the Badgers roughed ‘em up in the middle.” Simply stated, this is true. After last week’s complete break down against UNLV, Wisconsin’s fans appeared forgiving as they crammed Camp Randall to capacity. The Badgers looked ready to atone for their errors and take out all aggressions on the baby blue from tobacco road. North Carolina and their followers stood out more than any other team I have seen enter this stadium. Their unique, yet well known shade of blue popped out from the bright red reflecting off the sunny skies in Madison. There was a good contingency from Chapel Hill and their team’s 0-2 start hardly seemed to faze them.
So, as the Badgers and Tarheels took the field, most expected Wisconsin to take charge and be the bounce back team of the day. But, it would take one more play before they were ready. Before many fans had even found their seats, Tarheel receiver Michael Waddell brought in the opening kickoff and returned it 97 yards for the stunning, and lightning-quick score. The late arriving crowd may have been wondering if today would be a repeat performance of last week’s crazy debacle against UNLV. However, led by the strong rushing performance of Booker Stanley, the Badgers quieted any concerns with two immediate touchdowns and a lead they never looked back from.
North Carolina offered an assiduous effort, but they couldn’t keep up with the traditional power play of Wisconsin. The Tarheels last gasp was a classic example of “too little too late.” They soared a prayer of a pass that was caught amongst a throng of players in the middle of the endzone. Therefore, my brother’s description of the game proved most accurate. Bookended by two Tarheel touchdowns, Wisconsin bounced back and bombarded the baby blue.
