In 2003, one of the greatest games in the history of Wisconsin football was played, and hardly anyone seems to remember it. The Badgers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 17-10 that wet and windy night in October, ending Ohio State's 19-game winning streak, and most UW students don't even know it happened.
It doesn't seem like it has been that long, only five years since the Buckeyes came in ranked No. 3 in the nation as the defending national champs, and faced a Badger team ranked No. 23.
But in football years, especially student-athlete football years, five years is a long time. Players come and go a the blink of an eye, and the fans sitting in Camp Randall Stadium have to constantly learn new players.
So on the fifth-year anniversary of Wisconsin's upset win over the Buckeyes, as Wisconsin looks toward this weekend's Big Ten home opener against OSU, it seems fitting to look back at how it all happened. But be warned, this is not your typical Cinderella story. It was a game full of drama, scandal, sloppy conditions and bad weather.
The Badgers had started off the season 5-1 overall, with a 2-0 record in the Big Ten. Ohio State came in with a 5-0 record and appeared ready to continue its 19-game winning streak. But things didn't seem to be heading OSU's way as soon as the team got off the plane.
We did our traveling the day of the game and got into Madison that afternoon, and it was sunny and nice and warm, and then right before kickoff it turned into a monsoon,"" said Paul Keels, the play-by-play announcer for Ohio State.
The weather that fateful night, something that both teams had to deal with, only added to the drama. What was a sunny October day quickly turned into a damp and windy night in Wisconsin. With winds up to 15 mph, there was enough air flowing through the Camp Randall tunnels to suck up any pedestrian who left their seat.
""It was a rainy, nasty mess the whole game,"" Keels said. ""I can even remember looking outside of our booth where we were and seeing friends of mine from Cincinnati who were at the game and seeing them look like drowned rats out there right before kickoff.""
It was soggy, it was dark, it was windy. And with Jim Sorgi at the helm for Wisconsin, it seemed as if the Badgers would be in for another long night against the Buckeyes. But we all know what assumptions do.
Wisconsin held the Buckeyes without a first down in the first quarter and were able to take the lead early in the second quarter on a 2-yard run by Booker Stanley. The running game in itself was a major story, as starter Anthony Davis was out with an ankle injury he had suffered the week before in Wisconsin's 30-23 victory over Penn State. Wisconsin entered the game planning to use Jerone Pettus, Dwayne Smith and Stanley to replace Davis, and in that order.
Pettus and Smith split time on Wisconsin's first possession, but it was Stanley who had the biggest impact. He rushed for 138 yards on 31 carries and, of course, scored Wisconsin's first touchdown.
Wisconsin went into halftime with a 7-3 lead, giving up a field goal to Mike Nugent with 4:02 left in the second quarter - which was set up after Wisconsin safety Jim Leonhard fumbled a punt return. The Badgers added to their lead with a Mike Allen field goal from 38 yards out with 5:09 left in the third. The field goal was set up by a Chris Gamble fumble on a Buckeye punt return, and long snapper Matt Katula recovered, avenging Leonhard's earlier lost fumble. Everything seemed poised for another unbelievable upset in Wisconsin history.
That is, until the unthinkable happened.
While running for yards on 3rd-and-18 from the OSU 28, Sorgi was tackled by linebacker Robert Reynolds. As the players picked themselves up off the pile, Sorgi laid motionless on the ground. While Wisconsin coaches and players assumed Sorgi was just late to get up, the replay showed a shocking revelation.
After he was on the ground, Sorgi was choked by Reynolds, who put his hand on top of Sorgi's throat and pushed down. Sorgi was able to get to the sidelines, but had trouble breathing and couldn't talk. With Sorgi out, the game plan rested on the shoulders of backup Matt Schabert.
Schabert came in and managed the offense, but with Wisconsin up by a touchdown, there was no need or hurry to throw the ball.
That is, until OSU quarterback Craig Krenzel hit Michael Jenkins for a 6-yard touchdown catch a little over midway through the fourth to tie the game at 10. The hopes and dreams of Badger fans were slowly dying and, as the Buckeyes stole back the momentum, the outlook of the game was as dreary as the weather.
With every fairy-tale story, there obviously is a happy ending. For the Badgers, it couldn't have come a better way.
On Wisconsin's very next possession, the Badgers led off the drive with a 1-yard rush up the middle by Stanley. On the second play, Schabert hit a streaking Lee Evans down the sideline for a 79-yard touchdown pass. On the play, Evans had run an out-and-up, a route that consists of a 5-yard out route to the sidelines, but with a quick turn upfield. Gamble provided the coverage on the play, but Evans was able to beat Gamble to the ball, and subsequently the end zone.
""We ran a couple things where I double moved him earlier in the game, but never that route,"" Evans said after the game. ""We were just out there playing. I knew I was able to get open at certain points. When it came down to make a play for the team, I got open.""
It was Evans' only catch of the game, and it couldn't have come at a better time.
That touchdown would be the winning score, as the Badgers held off the Buckeyes to break OSU's winning streak. The game sent a ripple effect throughout both locker rooms.
For the Badgers, it was one of jubilation.
""To walk off that field and break the nation's longest [current] winning streak and stay undefeated in the league, it's one of my most gratifying wins,"" said then-head coach Barry Alvarez. ""I'm really proud of the staff and the players. It was a great win for us and our program.""
For Ohio State, it was one of confusion and disbelief.
""It had been so long since they lost a game, for a lot of people, they just didn't know what to do,"" Keels said. ""More than anything, no one knew how to act because they hadn't been there in a while.""
- The Wisconsin State Journal contributed to this report.
