PASADENA, Calif.–In a season where nearly every crunch-time decision Wisconsin made turned out in its favor, a single play call will cause teeth-gnashing in Madison for a long time.
The Badgers, kept in check for the most part by a swarming TCU defense, staged a fourth-quarter touchdown drive on the broad shoulders of junior running back John Clay to close within two points of the Horned Frogs. But on the ensuing two-point conversion Wisconsin opted for a passing play out of the shotgun instead of a run and had the pass knocked down.
The decision to throw the ball was a popular topic after the game, and with good reason. The Badgers rushed eight times for 67 yards on their final scoring drive—including six rushes for 57 yards from Clay—and appeared to have the Horned Frogs on their heels. Still, Wisconsin players and coaches all defended offensive coordinator Paul Chryst's decision to throw, continuing a theme of organizational trust and continuity that has been evident all season.
""I felt confident with the call,"" UW head coach Bret Bielema said. ""Paul felt confident, and we went with it.""
Bielema said Wisconsin had worked on that particular play throughout the three weeks of preparation as their top choice in a two-point attempt situation.
""I'm not going to second-guess that call at all,"" said senior All American guard John Moffit, whom the Badgers have run the ball behind in numerous decisive situations this season. ""Coach Chryst has a real good ability to mix it up and see where there are openings and he did that. It didn't work because we didn't execute it.""
For a moment, it looked like Chryst pushed the right button at the right time again, as redshirt freshman tight end Jacob Pederson found an open area and senior quarterback Scott Tolzien located him. However Horned Frogs junior linebacker Tank Carder—who earned defensive player of the game honors with six tackles (three of them for a loss) and a crushing sack—made his biggest play when he knocked the ball down at the line of scrimmage.
""It looked like we had man coverage,"" Tolzien said. ""They batted the ball down, and that's what good football teams do. They find a way to make plays when the game is on the line.""
Despite the low point total, the Wisconsin offense managed 385 total yards, including 226 on the ground against a defense that came in allowing fewer than 90 rushing yards per game. The Badgers held a TCU offense that averaged 43.3 points per game and 261.2 rushing yards per game to just 21 points and 89 rush yards. They also managed to not turn the ball over against an aggressive, opportunistic defense.
However, six costly penalties, a missed field goal in the first half and two timeouts taken by Tolzien at the line of scrimmage in the fourth quarter loom larger because of the narrow margin of defeat.
Tolzien called one timeout with just over 11 minutes to go in regulation and another with 6:31 remaining, with each coming after the team had broken the huddle and got set at the line of scrimmage.
""One was a missed alignment and I wanted to make sure I saved the play,"" Tolzien said. ""The other I called the play wrong, so that's 100 percent on me.""
TCU disrupted Wisconsin's offensive rhythm at times with its unique 4-2-5 defense and ability to disguise coverage by moving players around before the snap, and Carder and senior quarterback Andy Dalton both had fantastic days, but Tolzien said he thought the more minute details cost the Badgers a chance at a Rose Bowl title.
""Sometimes little things add up to a big pile of junk,"" he said.
