MINNEAPOLIS-When a team trails by 10 points with less than three minutes remaining, after giving up more than 400 yards on the ground, few would expect a victory. Even the head coach.
\Just when you think you've seen everything, you haven't,"" Barry Alvarez said. ""I've been in some crazy shootouts, but never one like that. This is as good of a win as I've had.""
With less than one minute remaining and trailing the Gophers (2-2 Big Ten, 5-2 overall) by four, the Wisconsin Badgers (3-1, 6-1) were in search of a miracle. Under the eyes of the second largest crowd in Metrodome history, they found one in the form of freshman linebacker Jonathan Casillas.
After mishandling the snap, Gopher freshman punter Justin Kucek's kick was blocked by Casillas into the Minnesota end zone. Casillas and sophomore defensive back Ben Strickland tracked down the bounding ball, with Strickland falling on it, giving the Badgers a 38-34 victory, and the right to bring Paul Bunyan's Axe back to Madison.
""As soon as I blocked it I was like, 'We need to get this',"" Casillas said. ""I knew we had to recover.""
For the New Jersey native, it was a defining moment in his career. He had come close to blocking a couple of punts in Wisconsin's blowout of Temple earlier in the season, and finally was able to contribute in a big way on Saturday.
""The game changed around in 20 seconds,"" Casillas said. ""It was awesome. I can't explain the feeling.""
Minnesota wore out the Badger defense with a long 19 play, 80-yard drive that lasted just under eight minutes. The drive included two fourth down plays, and was capped off when sophomore Gary Russell charged in for a one yard touchdown, his second of the day. The drive was disheartening to a Badger defense that surrendered 510 yards, 411 of which were on the ground.
""To let a team drive on you like that, 19 plays,"" senior linebacker Dontez Sanders said, ""it's not really saying that you're a tough defense.
Following the Russell score, which gave Minnesota a 10-point lead, junior quarterback John Stocco, who completed 15-26 passes for 235 yards, took over with less than three minutes remaining in the game. Stocco marched his team 71 yards down the field, connecting with senior wide receiver Brandon Williams for a 21-yard touchdown. The quarterback threw a line-drive pass to the middle of the end zone, and Williams fended off Gopher defensive backs to come down with the athletic grab.
""It was a great catch,"" Stocco said of the grab by Williams, who tore through the Minnesota secondary for seven catches and 121 yards. ""He makes a ton of big plays for us and he's a guy who always wants the ball."" Sophomore punter Ken DeBauche then attempted an onside kick that bounced off a Gopher defender, then off Wisconsin, before rolling all the way down field. With both teams racing for the ball, Gopher junior running back Laurence Maroney tracked it down on the Minnesota eight yard line.
""It was a heck of a kick,"" Alvarez said. ""I've never seen one ricochet that far.""
The Badgers were then able to accomplish something that they had failed to get done the entire day: stop the Gopher offense. Wisconsin was able to force the Gophers to go three-and-out, stopping Maroney on three straight carries. The Badgers then blocked the ensuing punt and recovered the ball for the victory. Despite the victory, the Wisconsin defense had more than its share of trouble stopping the run. The one-two punch of Maroney and Russell gave the Badgers trouble all day. Maroney ran for 258 yards on 43 carries, including a 93-yard touchdown that put Minnesota up until the Strickland score, and Russell ran for 139 yards on 19 carries.
""As soon as they see one guy put his hands on his knees and he's getting a little tired, they bring the other guy right in,"" Bielema said.
Junior running back Brian Calhoun's Heisman hopes were hurt as he was held to 14 yards in the first half and 110 overall. He did, however, reach the end zone three times.
The game was an adventure for the Badgers, who now move up to No. 19 on the AP poll and No. 17 in the USA Today/Coaches poll, who needed just a little good fortune to come their way.
""No matter how much you're down, or what the situation in the game, you got to play four quarters,"" junior offensive guard Joe Thomas said. ""Sometimes you get lucky at the end.\
