Wisconsin has played its first four games at home and all of them have been
plagued by crippling suspensions resulting from Badger players receiving
free gifts from a local shoe store. Up to now, Wisconsin has hobbled
through the first three games undefeated by the slimmest of margins
escaping
Western Michigan,
Oregon, and in
overtime, Cincinnati.
Still missing some
major players, Wisconsin has one more game to fight through before they
return to full strength. Knowing of Northwestern’s slump the past few
years, Badger fans harbor strong confidence that Wisconsin will prevail.
However, the Wildcats own a lethal offense that makes victims out of
unprepared opponents.
Today, only the splatters of purple that dotted the
stadium would have guessed that the Badgers would struggle. Wisconsin led
most of the game until late when it became a battle between tailbacks Damien
Anderson for NU and Michael Bennett for UW. They exchanged long touchdown
runs, which sent emotional ripples through the stadium. With the game tied
at 31, the Badgers set up for a long field goal that kicker Vitaly Pisetsky
successfully nailed giving Wisconsin a 3 point lead with 51 seconds
remaining.
However, Northwestern plays the two-minute offense throughout
the full sixty minutes. Getting down to field goal range was as easy as
having Hulk Hogan open a pickle jar. Wildcat kicker Tim Long knocked
through a 46 yarder on the final play of regulation. De ja vu? Last week,
Cincinnati tied the game in the same fashion on the same side of the field.
Unfortunately for the Badgers, that is where the familiarity would cease.
The game reached double overtime where Wisconsin only managed a field goal. Northwestern’s possession concluded with Damien Anderson slicing around the
edge for a touchdown hitting the breaks on this game and on Wisconsin’s
undefeated journey. Every pin that dropped in a three mile radius could be
heard. Fans stared at the field where a wave of purple collected in the
endzone celebrating the shocking victory.
Painfully, it was the same area
of the field where Wisconsin celebrated their overtime victory a week
earlier. A friend of mine who used to go to Badger games with me, but now
attended Northwestern, showed up in purple causing a small rivalry to break
out between us. The rivalry between the Badgers and Wildcats has grown
intensely due to these heart-halting outcomes. Wisconsin came just yards
short of sliding through suspension land unbeaten. They would have to
regroup quickly for their trip to Michigan. On the purple side, the
Wildcats were bound to prove that their victory was far from flukish as they
took their upset show to Michigan State…
