Toward the end of Wisconsin's 27-17 win over Illinois Saturday, UW head coach Bret Bielema did something completely out of character. With time running down and the Badgers in possession of the football, Bielema's offense graciously took a delay of game penalty, stopping the clock with six seconds left in the game.
I told those guys, I know we've been taking a lot of beatings because we are taking penalties too much, but we're going to enjoy this one with a smile,"" Bielema said.
Junior quarterback Dustin Sherer dropped back to pass on the following play and launched the ball out of bounds, running out the rest of the clock. As the team ran into the tunnel, the Camp Randall crowd cheered with more enthusiasm than the last two home games combined, signaling the end of a dark four-game stretch in Wisconsin football.
Last week, Bielema emphasized that his team had fallen into a ""woe-is-me"" mentality. But this week, everything was brighter and the team was beaming with confidence.
""Everyone has heart. I give the credit to the seniors, the older guys who keep everyone up,"" senior guard Andy Kemp said. ""I don't think anyone lost anything, and just kept pushing through and worked on the little things during practice and came out with a win today.""
The team got back to basics last week in practice and came out the victors against a potent Illinois squad. Over the last four weeks, the Badgers have basically been even in the turnover department, but needed to come out Saturday and make some big plays to energize the team and the 81,241 in attendance.
Junior safety Chris Maragos set the tone early, returning a Juice Williams interception 51 yards. Senior cornerback Allen Langford and sophomore corner Niles Brinkley also had interceptions - with Brinkley returning his 47 yards.
The defense's ability to step up and not only stop the Fighting Illini but flip the battle for field position was huge for the Badgers.
""We're not always going to have the good field position, so we have to swing it back for the [offense],"" senior linebacker and team captain DeAndre Levy said. ""That starts with getting the turnover and then being able to get the long returns like that.
I think on one of them they were in scoring position and Niles [Brinkley] got it and took it back and put our offense in scoring position, so that's always a good thing for us.""
Good things seemed to come in bunches for UW, as the big plays that have eluded the team all season came frequently against Illinois.
Sophomore wide receiver David Gilreath tied the game 17-17 in the third quarter with a 49-yard touchdown catch, is the longest touchdown play of the season for the Badgers.
""We just needed those sparks to get the whole team initially into it and playing well,"" Kemp said.
The Badgers not only got big plays from its playmakers, but also showed resiliency during some tough times.
Gilreath's touchdown came after a holding penalty pushed Wisconsin into a third-and-17, and the Badgers' ability to overcome these obstacles played no small role in the team's success.
""For us to overcome stuff like that is something that we have not been able to do the last couple weeks, so it is big for us,"" Sherer said. ""We didn't really shoot ourselves in the foot, which is good. It's a lot easier to play football that way.""
Truer words were never spoken.
