College Teams Mon Dec 05 2011

Big Ten Football: Badgers Come Up Roses

By Kyle Sparks

With less than two minutes left in Saturday's Big Ten championship game, we seemed destined for another Hail Mary.

Michigan State forced a Wisconsin three-and-out, and would have the ball for any late-game heroics that should erase the Badgers' three-point lead. It felt only natural that the team that dropped Wisconsin from the national title race with a miracle touchdown pass several weeks ago might now eliminate beat them in the conference title game in similar fashion.

But this time, the pendulum of fate swung to the Badgers.

The Spartans sent the house to try to block the punt, and instead got a roughing the kicker penalty. Wisconsin kept the ball with a new set of downs, and had no problem draining the clock for a 42-39 win with Michigan State out of timeouts.

It was not as if Michigan State did not enjoy their own level of fortune throughout the contest. They got two points on a fake extra-point play, converted an ill-advised lateral while falling out of bounds for a touchdown, and completed a fourth-down pass play to keep the Badgers at bay and hold onto the lead with four minutes left.

But it was the Badgers' own heroics that claimed this one.

With a little over four minutes remaining and still trailing 39-34, Wisconsin went for it on fourth-and-6 from Michigan State's 44-yard line. Russell Wilson took the snap, rolled to his left to escape pressure, and fired a completion across the field to Jeff Duckworth. Like he did most of the game, running back Montee Ball took care of the rest.

Ball has been an emergent Heisman candidate, though his previously unsung status had more to do with living in the shadow of his record-breaking quarterback. But while Wilson continued to shine, completing 17 of 24 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns, Ball continued to chug the Badgers through Michigan State's stout defense. He rushed for 137 yards, scored four touchdowns, and was responsible for dropping a 32-yard pass right into Wilson's pocket.

Ball is now just one touchdown shy of Barry Sanders' all-time touchdown record for a season (39, though we must be clear that Sanders accomplished that in just 12 games, while the Rose Bowl will mark Ball's 14th).

But despite Wisconsin's tandem of Heisman hopefuls and NFL-ready line, their offense failed to convert with less than two minutes remaining, and Badgers coach Bret Bielema sent out punter Brad Nortman to try to push back an offense that had little trouble picking through the Badgers' defense all night. Running back Leon Bell was a menace, racking up 106 yards on 18 carries for one touchdown; and quarterback Kirk Cousins was his predictably efficient self, connecting on 22 of 30 throws for 281 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

It is also worth remembering that the Spartans blocked two of the Badgers' special teams maneuvers in their first meeting (one punt, one field goal), and head coach Mark Dantonio must have sniffed another chance coming. He called for a block to hasten his offense's success, and Isaiah Lewis (the Spartan who threatened physical harm the last time the two teams met, lest karma forgot) ran into Nortman for a five-yard penalty and a Badgers first down.

Last season, the Spartans were in a similar position. Tied with both the Badgers and Ohio State, they got passed over for the Rose Bowl because of BCS-minded tiebreakers. This year, they got to decide it on the field. I'm not sure how much comfort there is in that now. They'll play Georgia in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2.

The Badgers are headed for Pasadena, where they will meet a formidable match in Oregon, possibly the only team in the nation that can go toe-to-toe with the Badgers' ground game. Expect loony uniforms and touchdowns in bushels.