It took all of twelve seconds on Saturday night for the Badgers to make it known that No. 1 Ohio State was in for a fight. For the 59:48 following senior wide receiver David Gilreath's opening 97-yard kick return touchdown, UW used a lethal combination of offensive balance and defensive intensity to ensure that everybody heard the message.
For a second straight week, the top-ranked team in the nation lost. This week—in the moments following Wisconsin's 31-18 victory over Ohio State—it is Madison's turn to celebrate.
Wisconsin turned the momentum from Gilreath's opening return into offensive production early, as junior running back John Clay—who finished the night with 21 carries for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns—racked up 51 yards on the opening drive alone, capping it with a 14-yard run that put UW up 14-0 just five minutes into the contest.
The teams traded blows for much of the middle portion of the game, with Wisconsin taking a 21-0 lead after a punishing 19-play, 89 yard drive. Ohio State responded with a field goal before half, and then opened the third quarter with two long touchdown drives of their own, including an equally impressive 19-play, 94 yard drive that closed the Badger lead to 21-18.
Previous Wisconsin teams under Bret Bielema collapsed under this type of late-game pressure. On Saturday, however, the Wisconsin offense turned in a sparkling 73-yard drive culminated by a dynamic 12-yard TD run from star freshman James White.
Six minutes and fifty-seven seconds later, the team—and 81,194 others—celebrated Wisconsin's first win over a top-ranked opponent in nearly three decades.
For full coverage of Wisconsin's win over Ohio State, check out Monday's edition of the Daily Cardinal or visit us online at dailycardinal.com/sports.