Game 108: Indiana @ #17 Wisconsin

A battle of Big Ten undefeateds set the stage in Madison on October’s first day. Indiana’s unscathed record may be impressive by Hoosier standards, but the competition they scheduled including Papa Smurf, Strawberry Shortcake, and Dora the Explorer didn’t exactly make the pollsters stands at attention. Wisconsin, on the other hand, validated their perfect mark with an incredible last minute victory over Michigan last week. We sat in the student section to absorb the aftershock of the win over the Wolverines.

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Game 106: Temple @ Wisconsin

Temple is worse than a doormat. They are the dirt kicked off onto it. Need a confidence builder? Invite Temple to your stadium. Guaranteed to make your offense sharper and your defense tighter. Wisconsin’s offense already lathered up the week before with a shootout victory over Bowling Green. It wouldn’t be long before the 80,000 plus compacted into Camp Randall knew to relax and kick back. Quarterback John Stocco and tailback Brian Calhoun were relieved of their duties in the first half. Wisconsin hunted the Owls all afternoon and knocked out a 51-0 halftime lead causing everyone to wonder if this was Temple University or Temple High School.

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Game 105: Bowling Green @ Wisconsin

Who would win in a race between the Road Runner and Speedy Gonzalez? Finding out the answer would be similar to watching the Falcons and Badgers clash this past Saturday. Every respiratory machine in Madison wouldn’t have aided the wheezing occurring on the sidelines from this high scoring battle. Wisconsin donned their throwback helmets and jerseys to “celebrate the legacy” of Camp Randall Stadium as the entire renovation project finally reached its completion. They may have been wearing the old school attire, but they didn’t play like their daddy’s Wisconsin. Bowling Green doesn’t normally pose a threat, but this year they promoted their star quarterback, the elusive Omar Jacobs. Badger fans would soon learn that they had offensive weapons, as well.

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Game 104: #4 Wisconsin @ Michigan State

At the end of a college football Saturday, most fans catch the scrolling scores at the bottom of their television screen. There always is at least one score that results in a double take. This game provided that astonishing score. The Badgers rolled into East Lansing carrying a hefty 9-0 record and top five ranking. Michigan State has experienced nothing but extreme inconsistency and disappointment. Next week’s game at Iowa was supposed to be the struggle, but the Spartans gave Wisconsin much more than they could handle. The pride of the Badgers is their defense having held every team they played under twenty points. Wisconsin’s offense doesn’t exactly ignite fireworks, but they haven’t needed to light up the scoreboard with their suffocating defense leading the way.

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Game 102: Minnesota @ #5 Wisconsin

A storybook season has been unfolding for the Badgers. November has arrived and they are undefeated pointing at Pasadena and perhaps a national title. However, their method for success has been far from pretty. Wisconsin’s dump truck offense collects yards slowly and monotonously. Defense has been the Badger’s calling card as they have held every opponent they have played to under twenty points, and most under ten. They win convincingly even though by small margins.

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Game 92: #17 Iowa @ Wisconsin

So much change is developing around Camp Randall Stadium. The historic venue has been undergoing an expensive face-lift intended to expand capacity over 80,000 while adding more luxury press boxes. Can the new changes bring good fortune in the final regular season game? Invitations to New Year’s bowl games hung in the balance as the final conference week commenced. Iowa and Wisconsin only share around one hundred miles worth of border, but it’s enough to develop a sincere hatred for one another. Today’s game only intensifies the discord because the winner gets grabs at a prestigious bowl berth. With both teams coming off convincing victories, confidence saturated both sidelines almost as much as the chilly fog that enveloped Camp Randall Stadium.

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Game 91: #21 Michigan State @ Wisconsin

There must have been a deliveryman between quarterback Jim Sorgi and wide receiver Lee Evans because everything Sorgi sent, Evans received. The student section bowed down to Evans as though he achieved deity status with his school record five-touchdown performance. Backup tailback Dwayne Smith packed in a career day with three scores of his own, but his efforts seemed overshadowed by the mystical receiving skills of Lee Evans.

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Game 89: #13 Purdue @ #14 Wisconsin

Purdue opened their highly anticipated season with a mind-bending loss to lowly Bowling Green. The Badgers absorbed a similar fate with an early season stumble against struggling UNLV. It would have been difficult to imagine College Gameday, ESPN’s premier pregame show, coming to Madison on month later to broadcast live before the Boilermakers and Badgers prepared to duel on the field. Sure enough, the show’s celebrated hosts, Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit descended upon Wisconsin because of the astounding resurgence that propelled these two teams into the top fifteen.

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