EAST LANSING, Mich.'The game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans this past Saturday was predicted by many people before the start of the season to be an integral game in deciding the Rose Bowl hopes of these two teams. However, the situation was quite the contrary on a cold, fall night.
The Badgers (1-3 Big Ten, 6-3 overall) were coming off three straight loses while the Spartans (1-3 Big Ten, 3-5 overall) were losers of four of their last five games. Both teams were in must-win circumstances, but the Badgers came out with the intensity needed to get off to a good start. UW scored 21 unanswered first quarter points en route to a 42-24 victory.
\We're certainly pleased to come in here and get a win on the road. We knew it would be difficult, but our guys really handled it well,"" UW Head Coach Barry Alvarez said.
Things started out shaky for UW as they missed a few opportunities to score in the opening plays of the game, but they took control after senior defensive end Jake Sprague recovered a MSU fumble on a punt at the UW six yard line. Senior quarterback Brooks Bollinger started off the offensive onslaught with a yard touchdown run. Bollinger ran for another touchdown and threw for 135 yards and three touchdowns as he appeared fully healed from his concussion which occurred last week against Ohio State.
""We needed a win so bad and I just wanted wanted to get us a win. I felt a little quicker than other games but there were holes out there too and the offensive line did a good job,"" said Bollinger.
""I really thought he was crisp,"" Alvarez said about Bollinger. ""He came back midweek and he was very crisp then. He saw everything.""
Wisconsin sophomore running back Anthony Davis ran all over the MSU defense, accumulating 170 yards on 29 carries. He was not the only 100-yard rusher though as freshman tailback Dwayne Smith broke the 100- yard barrier for the first time in his short career with 110 yards on 14 carries including a 33-yard touchdown run.
""I think everything kind of game together. We were reading things better and we were more patient out there and everything kind of came together for us,"" Davis said.
Jonathon Orr kept up his impressive freshman campaign with four receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown, but it seemed that the stadium lights made it difficult for the receivers to locate the ball on long pass plays.""
""That's something I'm going to have to learn how to do better, you know focus through those lights,"" Orr said.
The Badger defense also played solid football as they held Heisman hopeful junior wide receiver Charles Rogers in check most of the game. The wideout had only 88 yards on three receptions, but did have two touchdowns late in the game.
""He still made plays, but we gave him special attention. We doubled him just about every play. When you do that you take one other guy out of the scheme, and that's why we were a little soft against the run. We just felt like he was so dangerous, he's such an outstanding receiver that we had to do something special to try and contain him,"" Alvarez said.
Junior defensive back Ryan Aiello played a phenomenal game, recording 16 tackles and keeping the MSU running backs from breaking off any long runs.
""Ryan's a good tackler. We played him at free safety where he's close to the line of scrimmage but I thought he was involved an awful lot,"" Alvarez said.
Sophomore safety Jim Leonhard also kept up his consistent play this season by recording another interception, his sixth of the season, which is good enough for first in the Big Ten in picks.
Broderick Williams, a junior linebacker, also contributed to the defensive success of the Badgers with an interception late in the fourth quarter. Sprague had UW's only sack of the night.
Michigan State didn't get its offense in gear until late in the second half when it was too late. Part of that can be attributed to the absence of junior quarterback Jeff Smoker, who was suspended indefinitely for violating team rules.
Sophomore Damon Dowdell replaced Smoker, but it was evident that he couldn't run the offense as efficiently and was often forced to run when the UW secondary tightly covered the Michigan State receivers.
The Badgers travel to Iowa City Saturday to take on the first-place Iowa Hawkeyes in another key Big Ten matchup.
