The Wisconsin student section looked bad, as they pelted the cheerleaders with snowballs, but the Badgers (5-2 Big Ten, 8-3 overall) on the field didn’t look much better, losing to the No. 20 Northwestern Wildcats (5-2, 9-2) 13-7.
The first half was relatively slow, with Northwestern leading 10-0, and it could’ve been worse were it not for a missed 27-yard field goal. The two teams punted back and forth for the majority of the half with the Wildcats’ scores coming early in the first, and a field goal as time expired in the second.
Redshirt senior quarterback Joel Stave looked rough in the first half, stumbling for a loss on the first play of the game and later fumbling the ball away unforced. He also threw an interception after being hit during his throwing motion, going 8-of-12 for 69 yards in the first half. He ended the day 20-of-34 for 229 yards, two interceptions and two fumbles, one of which he lost. On the cold day, it seemed as if the weather affected the quarterback, but senior receiver Alex Erickson didn’t feel that way.
“I thought the conditions were fine, it was obviously a little chilly, but I felt like the weather didn’t have any factor in the game at all,” Erickson said.
The first drive of the second half looked better for the Wisconsin offense, as the team moved down the field in chunks and eventually scored to lessen the Northwestern lead 10-7. Stave found redshirt sophomore receiver Jazz Peavy twice, picking up 58 yards on the drive to get the Badgers a first-and-goal. Junior running back Corey Clement made another injury return as he took the ball nine yards into the endzone.
On the ensuing Wildcat drive, a sack by redshirt junior linebacker Vince Biegel forced a punt, which Erickson took for a touchdown thanks to solid blocks and broken tackles. The referees saw it differently however, saying Erickson called for a fair catch, and the ball was placed at the Wisconsin 21-yard line. The stadium rained down boos for the rest of the quarter, but the call stood nonetheless.
“I figured when I waved my hands the play would be done, but I didn’t really wave them much. In my mind, I was about to stop… I still didn’t hear no whistle, but that’s the rule,” Erickson said.
The Badgers moved the ball fairly well on the following drive, but were forced to punt, and once again, the teams traded the ball back and forth for the rest of the third quarter. On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Northwestern was able to move the ball downfield, but again missed a field goal, this time a 40-yard try, keeping the otherwise hapless Badgers in the game.
With four minutes left in the game, Northwestern made a 37-yard field goal to make it 13-7. The Badgers and Wildcats traded the ball before the Badgers got it with 1:47 left on the clock at their own 26 and a chance to win the game.
UW marched down the field, and Stave threw what seemed to be the game-winning touchdown to redshirt sophomore tight end Troy Fumagalli, but after the review, he was ruled down at the one.
After an incompletion on first down, Stave found Peavy in the corner of the endzone, who took a few steps, then fell out of bounds. For the second time, it seemed as though the Badgers won the game but, again, the play was reversed on the review. It seemed like Peavy had control of the ball, and head coach Paul Chryst drew parallels to an earlier play.
“I thought he had gotten a couple feet down, a couple steps, very similar to what happened on [wide receiver Tanner McEvoy]’s fumble,” Chryst said.
After the reversal, Stave was sacked, and seemed out of sorts, so junior running back Dare Ogunbowale stepped up to spike the ball, in a heady play that could’ve made him the hero. Instead, junior quarterback Bart Houston came into the game and wasn’t able to complete a pass to McEvoy in the endzone.
The loss doesn’t affect the Badgers’ chances to win the division, as Iowa’s win earlier Saturday clinched a trip to the Big Ten championship game, but the team still wanted to earn a win on Senior Day.
“I want to come out here and play for my seniors. We have so many great guys who did so many great things here at the university… For us not to send those guys off on the right note, it’s a disappointing thing,” Biegel said.
The Badgers’ final game of the regular season is Saturday as they travel to the Twin Cities to take on Minnesota in the Battle for the Axe. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.
