Badgers bounce back, roll over Purdue
By Parker Gabriel | Nov. 7, 2011This was not a statement win.
This was not a statement win.
It is no secret that the Wisconsin football team prefers to play its games in Madison. But after Saturday’s 62-17 victory over Purdue (2-3 Big Ten 4-5 overall), a victory that came on the heels of two-consecutive losses on the road, it is clear that the Badgers (2-2. 7-2) are a different team inside the confines of Camp Randall Stadium.
The Wisconsin men’s hockey team (3-4-1 WCHA, 4-5-1 overall) traveled to St. Cloud, Minn. this weekend, looking for its first road win of the season against St. Cloud State, but after a disappointing loss on Friday and a hard-fought tie on Saturday, the search goes on.
The Wisconsin men’s basketball team got its season off to a solid start with an 80-54 win over Division III powerhouse UW-Stevens Point in the Badgers’ lone exhibition game of the season.
It was business as usual for the No. 1 Wisconsin women’s hockey team (5-1-0 WCHA, 11-1-0 overall) as it completed another sweep this weekend.
The Wisconsin men’s soccer team took the field in State College, Penn. on Saturday with the promise that a win would get it a No. 3 seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament. The Badgers went into two overtimes with Penn State and pulled out a win in the second overtime with a goal in that second extra period for a 1-0 win.
For the second straight week, the No. 19 Badgers (2-2 Big Ten, 6-2 overall) will look to rebound from a tough road loss. For the second straight week, UW’s Big Ten title chances will stay alive with a win.
Through the first month of the season, the Wisconsin men’s hockey team (3-3-0 WCHA, 4-4-0 overall) has surpassed the expectations many had for it coming into this year.
The No.1 Wisconsin women’s hockey team (5-1-0 WCHA, 9-1-0 overall) will play an opponent ranked outside the top-10 for the first time in five weeks this weekend. The Badgers will travel to Columbus, Ohio to challenge the Buckeyes (5-2-1, 5-2-1).
While Saturday’s spotlight will certainly be on Camp Randall and the 6-2 UW football team, Wisconsin men’s basketball kicks off their season Saturday night at the Kohl Center with an exhibition matchup against UW-Stevens Point.
This Saturday, the Wisconsin men’s soccer team (3-2-0 Big Ten, 8-7-2 overall) will play its final regular season game against a struggling Penn State team (0-5-0, 7-7-4) in State College, Penn. The Badgers will look to finish the season strong, particularly in third place in the Big Ten Conference, while the Nittany Lions are searching for their first conference win of the season.
It was deja vu for the Wisconsin women’s soccer team Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Evanston, Ill. In their previous meeting with Minnesota on Sept. 29, Wisconsin trailed 2-0 in brutal weather conditions but ended the game with a win. The same scenario presented itself Wednesday, but there would be no comeback this time. Instead, the Badgers as they were eliminated at the hands of their archrival.
Through the first six games of the season, the Wisconsin football team buried opponents so fast and so early that little doubt about the outcome was left by halftime.
It is no secret that the Wisconsin men’s hockey team came into this season with plenty of questions left unanswered.
Coming into the showdown against Ohio State, the No. 19 Wisconsin football team (2-2 Big Ten, 6-2 overall) was poised to make a statement and redeem itself after a devastating loss at Michigan State. Yet, in spite of the Badgers late rally, the nightmare from MSU returned when Buckeyes freshman quarterback Braxton Miller connected on a 40-yard touchdown to freshman wide receiver Devin Smith to nullify Wisconsin’s incredible comeback and give the Buckeyes a 33-29 victory.
According to head coach Mike Eaves, if you had told him at the beginning of the season that his young Wisconsin men’s hockey team (3-3 WCHA, 4-4 overall) would be .500 at the end of the season’s first month, he would have taken it, and that is exactly where the Badgers find themselves after their first four weekends of play.
The Badgers’ men’s hockey (3-3-0 WCHA, 4-4-0 overall) team was flying high after an impressive sweep on then-No.5 ranked North Dakota last weekend, but the team couldn’t capitalize on its momentum, splitting this weekend’s series with Nebraska-Omaha (3-1-0, 4-4-0).