PASADENA, Calif. — Coming into the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin’s up-and-down year had been defined by thrilling, last-second finishes. Monday night, the Badgers’ season culminated in surprisingly anticlimactic fashion.
Trailing by seven points with the ball at their own 13-yard line, Wisconsin nearly crafted a new chapter in Rose Bowl lore, advancing 64 yards in less than 15 seconds. But with a handful of ticks remaining and the game on the line, the clock struck midnight on a Cinderella season.
In a perplexing finish, time ran out before the Badgers could take one final shot at the Oregon end zone.
“They made the call and it is what it is,” said senior quarterback Russell Wilson. “I think that we could have won the game in a lot of other areas too, though. It would have been nice to have a chance there. Obviously, with one second left, I think we could have capitalized.”
Wisconsin players walked off the field looking disappointed and shocked. But if you consider that most pundits ruled the Badgers out of the conference championship race in late October, the team has to feel like it achieved something worth commemorating.
“I’m not going to apologize for a group that … won a Big Ten title, and earned a chance to come out here and play a quality football team,” said head coach Bret Bielema. “Unfortunately (we) came up a little bit short.”
It’s preposterous to expect Wisconsin to celebrate a second straight defeat in Pasadena. But in a sport where winners and loser are often designated by a matter of inches, the bounces just didn’t go the Badgers way.
“Every game, that’s how it is,” said sophomore receiver Jared Abbrederis, who gave Oregon an edge with a critical fumble late in the fourth quarter. “You can miss a pass, you can miss anything, but you can’t really dwell on it.
“You can’t dwell on the past; you have to look forward to next year.”
That being said, the 2012 Rose Bowl likely closes the book on two of the more storied careers in Wisconsin history.
Wilson, a 2011 All-Big Ten first team selection, joined the team as a senior transfer on July 1. He used his time as a Badger to build a legacy that will live on in Madison for decades.
In his three previous college seasons, all played at North Carolina State in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wilson was recognized as an above-average starter and admirable leader. This season, Wilson emerged as one of the headiest playmakers in the nation, setting an NCAA record for single-season pass efficiency rating (191.78), topping the previous mark of 186.0, set by Colt Brennan of Hawaii in 2006.
“I’m just blessed to have been with these guys, with Montee and the rest of the team,” Wilson said. “It was a great experience for me. Working with Coach Bielema, and the fact that he recruited me and took me in and the players took me in, and working with Coach Chryst is truly a pleasure. He’s a tremendous coach.”
Wilson connected on two TD passes Monday, giving him 33 for the season. That total is the second most in Big ten history, trailing only Purdue’s Drew Brees, who threw 39 scores in 1998.
“When he came in here, I thought, ‘Who knows?’” said All-American center Peter Konz. “Maybe this guy’s a big shot, a big recruit type of guy. He’s further from that than anything else … You could never tell whether it’s his first day or if he’s been here four to five years. I felt like he was a fifth-year senior.”
“Every single day I’ve cherished, and every single moment is truly special,” said Wilson. “To lose the way we did is only going to make me stronger in the future and help me figure out something else down the road.”
Another likely departure is running back Montee Ball, an All-American selection and Heisman finalist this season. Though Ball has has one year of eligibility remaining, it seems unlikely the unanimous All-Big Ten selection will forego the riches of the NFL for another season with the Badgers.
“I have a big decision to make,” said Ball after the game. “I’m going to make it within the next couple of days, and I’ll make sure to let you guys know and let my teammates know.”
If Monday was Ball’s final game in a Wisconsin uniform, he leaves the program with a number of outstanding distinctions. His three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was his 39^th score the season, tying Barry Sanders’ single-season record set in 1988.
“It’s been an honor since day one when I was being mentioned with him, and it will stick that way,” Ball said.
Wisconsin is the first team in FBS history to have a player throw for 30 touchdowns and have a player run for at least 30 touchdowns the same season.
Change will be a major theme for the Badgers in the coming months. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Paul Chryst is leaving the program to assume head coaching duties at the University of Pittsburgh.
In addition, Wilson will be moving on along with several other key seniors. Those losses include four all-conference selections from this season: defensive lineman Patrick Butrym, defensive back Aaron Henry, and guards Kevin Zeitler and Josh Oglesby.
Though Bielema’s boys again came up short the BCS, 2011 will be remembered as a year when an underdog team nearly strung together an improbable run to notoriety.
“That’s what separates good teams from great: When you’re able to come together and say, “We’re still gonna do it,” said Konz. “Whether the score is 50-0 or it’s tied. So I look back and I’m just impressed by the maturity of this group.”