It is said that one play cannot win or lose a game for a team.
Throughout the course of a football game, there are approximately 150 plays that occur.
While each play has its own significance in the context of a given series, there are about 15 plays that have a greater effect on the game as a whole. These 15 plays give a football game its ebb and flow.
However, there are plays that shift the momentum so drastically that the context of the game is irrevocably altered.
Saturday's Wisconsin-Fresno State game provided one of those plays.
Leading 20-10, Wisconsin seemed to be in command of the momentum. Not only was the offense operating on all cylinders, but the defense was forcing Fresno State quarterback David Carr to make quick and poor decisions.
Then came the second-half kickoff and the Badgers would never be the same.
Kicking with the wind, Badger place-kicker Adam Espinoza could only boot the ball down to Fresno State's four-yard line.
Receiving the short kick, Bulldog kick returner Bernard Berrian roared through the Badger kick coverage untouched for a 96-yard touchdown, setting off an eruption on the Fresno State sideline.
The run had a ripple effect that shook the young Badgers to their core. With an interception by quarterback Jim Sorgi two plays later and another quick score by the Bulldogs, the Badgers found themselves behind 26-20, just 2:34 into the third quarter.
Wisconsin would never recover, falling 32-20.
Had the kickoff never gone for a touchdown, Fresno State would have had to go the length of the field for a score, slowly building momentum and allowing the youthful Badgers to adjust.
Without the kickoff return, the Badgers might not have forced the action, causing turnovers.
Without the kickoff return, the Badgers might have won.
One play truly can make the difference between losing and winning.
