Smellin' Roses

Hopes of a Rose Bowl season are alive for Badger
fans after a big day of football yesterday.

ALIVE,IT’S ALIVE, ITS ALIVEEEE!!!  Badger fan’s, our Rose Bowl dreams our back on track after the best day of football we have had all year.  Although we had aspirations of heading to New Orleans, after Halloween weekend it seemed like we might not even have a New Year ’s Day bowl.  However, after yesterday, destiny is back in our hands. 

As many expected, Nebraska was able to take care of Penn State.  I was more worried about this game after the Penn State scandal because I thought the players would be playing with a fire now that Paterno no longer roamed the sidelines.  Yet, their offense could hardly move the ball (Nebraska was not that much better) and fell just short of a game tying drive.  Penn State still has to lose one more game but with a trip to Camp Randall, I do not see that being an issue.

Purdue special team's blocked a crucial extra
point to send the game into overtime. 

Ohio State was the game that many over looked.  However, this was a classic trap game for any team.  Ohio State has two massive games ahead of them, Penn State at home and at Michigan.  It was very likely the players could have over looked this game especially since Purdue looked so weak in their last game against the Badgers.  Purdue had the lead for the majority of the game yet it looked like Ohio State was going to pull out a victory with a last minute touch down.  However, a blocked extra point sent the game into OT where the Buckeyes were unable to find the end zone.  Robert Marve’s one yard touchdown run squandered any hopes the Buckeyes had at a Rose Bowl berth. 

Then there were the Badgers, who seemed to playing like they were right at home against Minnesota.  For the eighth consecutive year, the Badgers were able to claim the Paul Bunyan Axe.  Although it was Minnesota, they had been playing their best football as of late and we had yet to win a true road game.  Every Badger fan should be impressed with our performance and should expect to see the same thing next week as we head to Champagne to take on the Illini.  We now seem to be on a collision course to play Michigan State in the first ever Big Ten Championship game.  The winner of course will head to Pasadena, and I can assure you that Russell and company have their sights set on SoCal.    

*The losses of Stanford and Boise State had major implications on the Heisman race as well which directly affect Russell Wilson and Montee Ball