Goal: To thoroughly experience gameday at every FBS college football stadium. STADIUM COUNT: 113/134
The Broncos didn’t stand much of a chance entering the cavernous concrete mountain known as Camp Randall in Madison…or did they? Wisconsin opened this season ranked in the top five and coming off two Big Ten and Rose Bowl titles led by Heisman trophy winner, Ron Dayne. Even with Dayne’s graduation, the Badgers appeared like an impenetrable monster for visiting squads.
At the close of September, the nation essentially had written off the Badgers for a Big Ten contender. Seven straight victories later, they land back in Pasadena for their second consecutive trip to the Rose Bowl. In addition, tailback Ron Dayne made history by eclipsing the national rushing record and winning the Heisman Trophy.
Perfect is a word that shouldn’t be thrown around that often. However, there is no better word when in those rare moments every word of the script, every choreographed movement, and every musical note is not only right on, but performed effortlessly.
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.