It just wasn’t the Big Ten’s day as #5 Wisconsin topped off a humiliating 0-5 record in New Year’s Bowl Games for the conference in a 21-19 loss to the #3 TCU Horned Frogs in the 2011 Rose Bowl.
UW’s loss snapped a run of three consecutive Rose Bowl wins and brought their record to 3-4 in the game played annually in Pasadena, CA.
Give credit where it’s due as the Horned Frogs (13-0) proved they can play with the big boys. QB Andy Dalton was magnificent while accumulating 219 yards and a touchdown on an efficient 15-of-23 passing.
Meanwhile, the Badgers (11-2) came out strong in a record-setting first quarter, but couldn’t revive themselves from some costly penalties and suspect pass defense.
By: Nick Grays
It was especially disappointing to see the Badgers hurt them selves via the yellow flag after ranking first in the NCAA with only 2.92 penalties per game. The Badgers were set back 41 yards from six penalties, none bigger than a couple of pass interference calls against the defensive backs which kept a couple of key Horned Frog drives alive.
As expected, TCU’s #1 ranked defense was great, but the offense was even better. Despite holding the ball for 13 minutes less than the Badgers’ offense, Dalton and company were able to storm down the field and do just enough to control the game.
The Badgers made sure the game was close with a late touchdown from RB John Clay with two minutes left, but it was TCU’s Junior LB Tank Carder (fitting name for his game) who came up with a huge pass deflection on the two-point conversion to seal the win for the Horned Frogs. Carder also had two big sacks of Badgers QB Scott Tolzien.
The TCU defense held Wisconsin to their lowest scoring output of the season. The Badgers can’t say they didn’t have their chances as they failed to punch it in the end-zone on numerous occasions. Another surprise for a team which converted 77.7 percent of their red-zone trips into touchdowns during the regular season.
Nevertheless, an unbelievable and historical season for Head Coach Bret Bielema and the Wisconsin Badgers. With Montee Ball rushing for 132 yards (1,013 for the season) and Clay rushing for 76 yards (1,012 for the season) the duo joined James White (1,052) to become the first running back trio in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season for the same team.
The Badgers will most likely take a step back next season when they lose key seniors to graduation and the NFL Draft but at the same time, I wouldn’t count them out in what seems to be a soft Big Ten conference.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will have one more chance to try to limit the criticism of the conference when they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Tuesday, January 4th.
What did you think of the 2011 Rose Bowl and the Badgers 2010-11 campaign? Let me know by commenting below!
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