The whole novelty of seeing UNLV’s legendary head coach John Robinson wore off rather quickly on this particular Saturday afternoon. To begin, not one part of anyone’s clothing failed to stick due to the slow, but steady cloud leak that fell from the gray skies in Madison. Ponchos offered a flimsy defense against the rain, especially with the chilly breeze that made the drizzle feel like a monsoon. The Rebels, who are more accustomed to triple digit temperatures and bone dry air masses, appeared undaunted by the unpleasant weather. They probably could have played underwater and still managed to speed through this game.
Early season stumbles against lesser opposition have been a trademark for Wisconsin football the past few years. Generally, these blunders occur in the non-conference portion of the schedule. Teams like Akron are supposed to be the recipients of brutal domination on the scoreboard. Games like this are supposed to instill confidence in players and fans that their team is headed for mountains of success. However, the Zips didn’t come to Madison to sightsee. Akron had an upset plan brewing in their pockets and they almost pulled it off.
How can a team that loses six of their last seven still be in the running for a decent bowl game? Leave all wacky possibilities to the crew from Madison. So many losses suffered by slim margins may destroy the morale of most groups, but Barry Alvarez’s Badgers thrive on adversity. The return of quarterback Brooks Bollinger and runningback Anthony Davis helps too. Davis finished this day tying a school record with five touchdowns. In addition, he toppled the 300-yard mark in a game that finally saw Wisconsin finish with an exclamation point. Just in the nick of time. With a loss, Wisconsin would have been banished to their couches to watch the bowl season from a distance. Instead a resounding victory over their largest rival lofted them one win over .500 and sending them to San Antonio to play Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.
One thing is for certain – osteoporosis will not be a threat to Badger players knowing how long they have had their backs against the wall. Plowing through their first five games undefeated could have been too heavy a load to carry for these younger Badger players. Now 1-4 in the Big Ten, they need just one more victory to secure bowl eligibility.
It’s not like Ohio State needed to show off. Their swanky number four ranking, glossy undefeated record, and star tailback Maurice Clarett impressed any onlookers. Still, the courageous and gargantuan Buckeyes strutted into Camp Randall Stadium prepared to play. Not even two minutes had been erased from the game clock – hardly enough time for Badger butts to warm the cold, metal bleachers – and Ohio State receiver Michael Jenkins hauled in a pass from Craig Krenzel, spun off a Badger defender, and sprinted solo forty-seven yards into the end zone. He made it appear as though one Buckeye player could single handedly defeat Wisconsin. After that play, I recall turning to my group and remarking on how that play defined how a top five squad should look like. The Badgers were far from such a lofty distinction since after winning five in a row, they coughed up two hairballs against Penn State and stumbling Indiana. With this inauspicious start, it was hard to imagine anything greater than an 0-3 Big Ten debut.
Well, here’s Wisconsin’s opportunity to bounce back after a disappointing defeat to Penn State last week – take advantage of the little guy and restore confidence. Someone didn’t inform the Badgers that the little guy has decided to choose this weekend to retaliate for being incessantly pounded into the Big Ten cellar. Everything appeared right with the world at the onset of the battle. Wisconsin fans showed in tremendous numbers hollering obnoxiously while Indiana fans reacted as dainty and docile as those attending a debutante ball. Wisconsin students huddled in the end zone preparing to bully everything related to Hoosierland. Indiana students sat quietly and patiently preparing for another Big Ten heartbreak.
As of September 21st, the Badgers had matched their win total from last year. Such a statistic as this only inflates expectations. This undefeated Wisconsin squad trekked along a rocky path to get to this point – more like boulders falling from above. Slim margins of victory over feeble opponents caused hearts to palpitate in irregular fashions. However, impressive triumphs also accompanied their win streak providing the confidence they needed versus their Big Ten opening opponent, Penn State.
Wisconsin will have to swap their recipes for success. Last week, their cake nearly fell in the oven with the stumbling and bumbling that occurred in the kitchen versus a docile Northern Illinois team a week prior. The undefeated Wildcats from Tucson certainly would not be as forgiving as the Huskies were. New ingredients needed to be added to the mix in order to present a delectable victory that all Badger fans can savor.
DeKalb, Illinois isn’t exactly a cauldron of college football thrills, but Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak has been generating a feisty team in his Huskies. Both Wisconsin and Northern Illinois have been rather volatile in their beginnings. The Badgers stumbled, but succeeded against Fresno State and returned with a pounding of West Virginia. The Huskies stunned Wake Forest at home and then got buried by South Florida. Which teams would appear on this overcast day in Madison?
By halftime, it was evident that the Northern Illinois fans making the trip up I-90 to Madison might be going home with a second straight win over a BCS team this season. From the upper deck looking down, it was challenging to imagine a 22-point underdog giving Badger fans such heartache. Wisconsin clung to a tenuous 10-6 advantage going into the second half. They stretched that lead to 17-9 offering some relief to befuddled Badger fans trying to make sense of this team.
The Huskies wanted to be the stars in this thriller and took center stage right from the first play of the fourth quarter scoring a touchdown and slicing Wisconsin’s lead to two with a missed conversion. At 17-15, Wisconsin looked far too charitable against the Huskies. NIU found more holes than a cheese grater in the Badger defensive line. Unfortunately, they were not as small and Wisconsin’s cheese got grated.
Failing to move the ball, Wisconsin continued to return it to Northern Illinois who found the paint again with their backup tailback Michael Turner scoring his second of the day and transforming Camp Randall into a church – both in noise level and amount of prayer.
Nerves shook and hearts dropped when Wisconsin had to give up the ball with just under three minutes remaining. However, an impetuous defense kept the Huskies from progressing and assisted by a few flags, the Wisconsin offense started what would be their final complete drive at the fifty-yard line. Quarterback Brooks Bollinger dashed to a phone booth and changed into his superhero costume before he took the field. Tossing a few key completions and forcing a few more penalties surged the Badgers to the two-yard line where Bollinger snuck it in himself. With that dive, Wisconsin avoided a degrading loss, but still became the most dubious 4-0 team in the country. With Arizona swooping in next week, a multi-point inspection is in order because heroics can only go so far.
Two undefeated teams from major conferences highlighted this confrontation in Madison. The game alone lent itself to heat up conversations. But, the controversy over a musket brought discussions to a boil. Yes, a musket. For sixty years, West Virginia and its mountaineer mascot has shot a traditional musket celebrating each touchdown. Like most places, laws in Wisconsin state that no firearm of any kind is allowed in stadiums or arenas. The Mountaineers got the green light on the issue when it was made clear that only gunpowder is used and blasts would be limited. The prop was not well received by Badger fans as West Virginia poured onto the field led by the Mountaineer who pulled the trigger to announce their arrival. The musket was startling and made a sound that can only be heard on the History Channel or war reenactments at Williamsburg. A cacophony of boos shattered the air and pointed down at the visiting team.
