The inaugural Rose Bowl of the 21st Century won’t go down in the record books as an artistic success, but that didn’t prevent ecstatic Wisconsin fans and musicians from celebrating their team’s surprisingly narrow 17-9 victory over Stanford.
Or maybe they all had played the “under” in a game that was expected to be a high-scoring shootout.
Even though Heisman Trophy-winner Ron Dayne–only the third back-to-back MVP in Rose Bowl history–gained 200 yards, a scrappy Cardinal defense kept things interesting until the final 90 seconds. From the outset, Stanford prevented Wisconsin from sustaining any kind of momentum, but the Badgers defense compensated by totally shutting off the Cardinal running attack.
Stanford’s passing game outdistanced Wisconsin’s by a margin of 264 yards to 105, but its rushing game was buried in a hole, with a net result of a minus-5 yards. With half of the Cardinal’s game plan nullified, the team was forced to go to the air a bit more than anticipated.
But when quarterback Todd Husak was on his game, Stanford was able to move the ball with a semblance of ease–especially with wounded All-American flanker Troy Walters being cleared to join the starting lineup and making several key receptions. Throughout much of the game, however, Husak inexplicably was instructed to call plays that would start too many series with an ineffective rush.
Wisconsin didn’t get on track until early in the second half, when Dayne popped through the line for a 64-yard run. Two plays later, he thundered around left end for a 4-yard touchdown–his fifth in two Rose Bowls, a performance that tied a Padadena record that has stood for 97 years.
In the fourth quarter, the Badgers scored on a quarterback sneak by freshman quarterback Brooks Bollinger, who had moved his team within three yards of the end zone with a 22-yard sideline throw to John Sigmund, one of only two Wisconsin receivers to catch a pass. The other three points were put up by kicker Vitaly Pisetsky.
Dayne and a hobbled Barry Alvarez, who coached from the sideline for the first time in several games, credited the Cardinal for making their season-long goal–becoming the first Big Ten team with consecutive Rose Bowl victories–significantly more difficult to achieve.
“Like everyone else, we didn’t anticipate a defensive struggle,” said Alvarez at a postgame news conference. “But we had respect for them coming in. We anticipated being able to move the ball against them, but couldn’t get our rhythm in the first half.”
Dayne said the Cardinal employed a “Big Ten-style defense,” and, yes, the whole team was disappointed by its first-half performance. His crucial third-quarter run came when he “just saw a hole and ran through it.”
Alvarez also observed that Bollinger, whose coming of age as the Badgers’ quarterback occurred when the coaches and players must have been wondering if they even would get a postseason bid, “was not as sharp as he normally is. But this was a different kind of game, where the adrenaline was flowing … [and] during crunch time, I did see him step up.”
The 9-3 halftime deficit marked the Badgers’ lowest first-half scoring effort of the season, with Dayne managing only 46 yards on 12 carries.
Husak led the Cardinal with 115 yards on nine completions. Walters, who earlier in the week, appeared to have been scratched from the contest with a dislocated wrist, finished the half with 52 yards on three receptions.
After Wisconsin’s quick third-quarter score, a promising drive by Stanfordtook the Cardinal to the Badgers’ 6. But the Wisconsin defense held, and another bad snap killed this chance for Pac-10 champs to regain the lead with a field goal.
As the teams entered the final quarter, Alvarez continued to berate the officials for what appeared to be a blown call on a Badger near-interception.With about 10 minutes to go, Bollinger engineered an eight-play, 40-yard scoring drive that benefited greatly from brilliant defensive play on the previous Stanford possession. Ben Herbert sacked Husak at about the 3-yard line, forcing Sean Tolpinrud to punt from deep in his own end zone.
The Badgers got the ball on th Cardinal 40 and were rewarded with a crucial first down after Sigmund bobbled and then pulled in a Bollinger pass on fourth and 2. Sigmund had better luck his next call, hauling in a 22-yard pass and going out of bounds at the 3.
Dayne tried two plunges into the line, but it took a 1-yard quarterback sneak for the Badgers to increase their lead to 17-9.
After the game Alvarez clearly was moved by his team’s accomplishment and its unique place in Big 10 history. “This is the best senior class we’ve ever had,” he said. “Many of them are Wisconsin kids who love their university and will do anything we tell them to do. They’re an inspiration to the rest of the team.”
