This wasn't Appalachian State over Michigan. It wasn't Stanford knocking off USC at the Coliseum. Heck, if you believe the odds makers in Vegas, this wasn't even an upset.
The Fighting Illini snuck up on the Badgers about as quietly as a Range Rover sneaks up on squirrel.
So I guess it wasn't too surprising that the Illinois students didn't tear down the goal posts, or that the streets of Champaign were about as rowdy as College Library on a Friday night, after UI downed UW 31-26.
What I'm wondering is, how can a unit ranked fifth nationally in total defense a year ago have so many difficulties after losing only four starters to graduation?
To properly answer this question, I had to take a brief look at a previous trip to Champaign when I watched another undefeated Badger team duke it out with the Illini.
Cue the visual effect that makes everything wavy.
It was 1998. Will Smith was busy Gettin' Jiggy with it,"" Brittney Spears still had some semblance of dignity and you could actually identify more than three people on the cast of ""Saturday Night Live.""
There were a lot of things different about my trip as well.
For starters, I got to sleep in a comfy hotel room with my dad, not on a rather ""unsupportive"" floor in the Daily Illini sport's editors apartment. I also did not have to wait 20 minutes for the brilliant McDonald's workers in Mendota, Ill., to manufacture a few chicken sandwiches and some fries.
(Before you send me e-mails defending the hardworking, burger-flipping, young men and women of America, keep in mind that last comment is coming from, quite possibly, the most incompetent food service employee in the history of University Housing.)
In 1998, Chief Illiniwek still performed his controversial dance during halftime. Now the Chief exists as a memory within the hearts and minds of the orange-clad fans.
Although the lodging, the cuisine and the absence of the Chief all represent marked differences between the trips, the starkest contrast between my journey in 1998 and the one I took this weekend was the way the Wisconsin defenses played.
With defensive linemen like Wendell Bryant and Tom Burke putting pressure on Illini quarterbacks, linebacker Donnel Thompson heading the linebacking corps and corner Jamar Fletcher anchoring a solid secondary, Illinois did not have a chance.
If I remember correctly, the Illini failed to advance the ball beyond midfield in the first half. Fletcher capped the 37-3 victory with an interception return for a touchdown and the Badgers improved to 7-0.
The 1998 Wisconsin squad finished 11-1 and defeated UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
This year's unit might actually have more athletic ability than the unit that held opponents' offenses under 10 points seven times.
Yet while the 2007 squad may be athletic, they lack one major intangible present on all championship-caliber football teams - leadership.
The Badgers say all the right things. They talk about each individual stepping up and making plays. They pitch the ""1-0 philosophy."" They talk about how one or two plays could change the game.
But the truth remains the Badgers miss Mark Zalewski, Roderick Rogers and Joe Stellmacher. Were they solid players? You bet. But more importantly, they were leaders.
(I'd include Joe Monty on that list, but I hesitate to label anyone who drove his moped into the back of a truck a leader.)
With Zalewski in the middle sporting his bright red mohawk, the Wisconsin linebackers had a ""don't mess with us, we're crazy"" mentality. They flew to the football and hammered offenses at the point of attack.
Now, the mohawks are gone and so is the fearlessness that made this unit so tough a year ago.
In the secondary, Rogers and Stellmacher didn't have blazing speed, but they made up for it with toughness and smarts. Any receiver running a route over the middle knew No. 16 was waiting to lay them out as soon as the ball arrived. Every quarterback had to be leery of Rogers playing center field and scooting in to pick off a pass.
Now Badger defensive backs look like they're performing some kind of intricate dance with running backs as they scamper down the field.
When asked following the Illinois game if the defense had the leadership to reverse their recent fortunes, junior linebacker DeAndre Levy gave this response:
""I definitely think so. Nobody particularly stands out, but I think a lot of guys are very confident, ready to lead. [There's] a lot of passion on the defense. A lot of guys want to win, so I think collectively, we're a good group.""
I, for one, believe Levy. I think collectively the Badgers still can have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten before the season ends. I think they have a lot of confident young playmakers who are passionate about winning.
But if the Badgers have any thoughts of challenging for a Big Ten Championship, somebody ""in particular"" is going to have to stand out and step up.
If you think someone needs to step up on the Badger defense or if you still enjoy getting jiggy with it, e-mail Ryan at reszel@dailycardinal.com.
