For just the fourth time in program history and the first in nearly 30 years, the Wisconsin football team took down a top-ranked team as the Badgers upset No. 1 Ohio State 31-18 Saturday night in front of a raucous Camp Randall crowd—igniting an unparalleled celebration that lasted long into Sunday morning.
Riding the wave of emotion that swept through Madison the entire day, the much-maligned special teams brought the crowd into hysteria early, as David Gilreath followed a huge block by Bradie Ewing en route to a 99-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff.
After a defensive stop, junior running back John Clay silenced the critics by rushing five times for 51 yards on the opening drive. The six-play, 58-yard touchdown drive set the stage for Clay's big night and gave Wisconsin a quick two-score lead.
Clay's 104-yard effort, the first 100-yard rushing performance allowed by the Buckeyes in 29 games, was made possible by the stellar work of the offensive line.
""If we're gonna have success, it starts with both sides of the ball on the line,"" head coach Bret Bielema said. ""I think that they put a hat on a hat. They played with good fundamentals, good base.""
After a goal line stand held the Buckeyes to just a field goal, Wisconsin senior quarterback Scott Tolzien made his only real mistake of the night as linebacker Andrew Sweat intercepted Tolzien's errant pass, putting the Buckeyes at the Wisconsin 23-yard line.
Once again the Badger defense made the big play. With the Buckeyes facing third down at the Wisconsin 22, J.J. Watt burst through for a key sack, prompting one of the loudest roars heard at Camp Randall in recent memory.
""After that interception, we had to shut them down,"" Watt said. ""Those are the kind of things you have to do to beat a number-one football team, and that's what we did tonight.""
Ohio State concluded the first half with a misses 45-yard field goal attempt from kicker Devin Barclay.
Down 18 at the half, the Buckeyes quickly made it known that they would not go down quietly. The defending Rose Bowl champions dominated time of possession and cut the Wisconsin lead to three with two long touchdown drives to start the second half.
Leading by just three, the Badger offense took the field early in the fourth quarter looking to take back the momentum.
Turning to their power rushing attack, the Badgers slowly moved into the redzone. There, they handed the ball to freshman running back James White, who ended any Buckeye hope by exploding into the endzone with a touchdown run that put the Camp Randall crowd into a frenzy.
""We ran [that play] four times in a row on that drive so I guess they expected it a bit,"" White recalled. ""But coach said sometimes you've got to be your own blocker and make your own hole and that's what I did"".
After a field goal pushed the Badgers' lead to 31-18, senior linebacker Blake Sorensen's late interception capped off arguably the best performance of his career and put all thoughts of a Buckeye comeback to bed.
""I felt like I was there for about an hour just waiting for it,"" Sorensen said. ""It was a good play but a total team effort.""
Two kneel-downs later, the sidelines and student section unloaded simultaneously onto the field in celebration of the Badgers' first victory over a top-ranked team since 1981.
""It was very fulfilling to walk off the field,"" Bielema said. ""The plan is to enjoy and celebrate today's victory, but tomorrow we'll go to work. We'll grade the film and move on and look to get a jump start on Iowa, get ready for the next leg of this race.""
And now with the Big Ten title up for grabs and Rose Bowl hope resuscitated, the Badgers' work is far from complete.
