| 
Badgers Whip the Spartans By BigE |
IdataSports.com Sports Staff Writer
BigE
Posted Tue Oct 29 13:18:33 2002
The Wisconsin Badgers stopped their three game losing streak in a big way, crushing the Michigan State Spartans
42-24, in front of a sellout crowd in East Lansing. This was a huge victory for the Badgers, as they got out of the gate
quickly, and mangled the Spartan defense for 448 total yards. Many of those yards can be attributed to the running
game and the big men up front. The offensive line opened huge holes as Anthony Davis and Dwayne Smith ran with
authority, racking up a whopping 356 rushing yards. Brooks Bollinger also had an outstanding game, rushing for 71
yards and two scores. He also passed for three touchdowns, accounting for five of the Badgers six touchdowns.
On the Badgers first possession, Davis took the hand off left and made a great cutback for a 40-yard gain. From
there it took the Badgers four more plays before Bollinger took it in for the 1-yard touchdown to make it 7-0.
After the defense stopped the Spartans attack, the Badgers offense went back to work. Starting with great field
position, the Badgers took only six plays to drive 46 yards, finishing with a 7-yard touchdown on a bootleg by
Bollinger to make it 14-0.
The Badgers were starting to play with some confidence, and that meant bad news for the Spartans. The Spartans
were still struggling on offense, and with an early lead the Badgers defense was able to take a few more gambles. The
defensive backs blanketed the All-American Charles Rogers with double teams, as the Spartans playmaker was held
to 3 catches for 88 yards and two meaningless scores.
After the Spartans offense stalled once again, the Badgers grinded out another beautiful drive, this time going 80
yards in 9 plays and finishing with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Bollinger to Mark Bell to make it 21-0. On this
drive Bollinger gashed the Spartans defense for a 33-yard run after dropping back to pass, and failing to find an open
receiver.
The Spartans followed with a 36-yard field goal to make it 21-3. But the Badgers responded by covering 62 yards
in 32 seconds, scoring a touchdown with just 5 seconds left in the half to make it 28-3. Facing second and goal from
the 9, Bollinger threw a bullet to Brandon Williams, giving the Badgers the big half-time lead.
The Spartans came out of the gate quickly in the second half; with an impressive 13 play drive that covered 84
yards. The Spartans offense finally got in the end zone on a three-yard touchdown pass from Damon Dowdell to B. J.
Lovett to make it 28-10.
Just when it looked like the Spartans had gotten themselves back into the game, the Badgers had another excellent
drive. After the Spartans kicked it out of bounds on the kickoff, the Badgers just kept pounding it right down the
field. This time it was Dwayne Smith blasting up the middle for a 33-yard score to make it 35-10.
That was a huge drive that told the Spartans that the Badgers were not about to let up. The Badgers pummeled the
Spartans run defense, which made their passing game much more effective. And offensive coordinator Brian White
never let off the throttle.
The Spartans scored a touchdown on their next drive to make it 35-17, but the Badgers weren’t finished yet. The
Badgers obviously wanted to keep things rolling after suffering three straight losses. The Badgers finished their final
scoring drive with a 23-yard touchdown from Bollinger to Jonathan Orr to make it 42-17. The Spartans tacked on a
meaningless touchdown to make it a final of 42-24.
This game was just what the doctor ordered, as the Badgers ran up and down the field on the Spartans. Despite
the tough loss to Ohio State the Badgers started to play well on defense, and that carried over in this win over the
Spartans. Now the offense is rolling and the Badgers have regained their confidence.
Now the Badgers go into Iowa City to face the 13th ranked Hawkeyes, who just crushed Michigan at the Big
House. The Badgers will have to be on top of their game against this very tough Hawkeye team. The Badgers are
young and getting better every week, but will they have enough to upset the Hawkeyes?
|
