Last week, many were questioning whether the (then) 7-5 Wisconsin Badger Football team deserved a spot in the Big Ten Title Game. After Saturday’s 70-31 win over Nebraska at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the Badgers validated their appearance and punched their ticket to a third straight Rose Bowl.
Wisconsin will take on #6 Stanford, the Pac-12 Champions, January 1st in Pasadena. The Badgers will be the first Big Ten team since the 1977 to 1979 Michigan Wolverines to play in three straight Rose Bowls.
Wisconsin did all their damage on the ground. The Badgers piled up 539 rushing yards, the most ever given up by a Nebraska team. Melvin Gordon racked up 216 yards on 9 carries, Montee Ball added 202 yards on 21 carriers while James White added 109 yards on 15 carries. The game marked the 2nd time Wisconsin had 3 players rush for over 100 yards and was the first time 2 players hit the 200 yard plateau. The Badgers also set a school record with 8 rushing TDs.
Quarterback Curt Phillips completed 6 of 8 passes in the game for 76 yards. He also caught a pass thrown by WR Jared Abbrederis. White also tossed a pass, a 3-yard touchdown to Sam Arneson.
The 8-5 Badgers will take on 11-2 Stanford in the 99th Rose Bowl game. The Cardinal squeaked by UCLA 27-24 Friday night in the Pac 12 championship game. Stanford showed up at #6 in the final BCS Standings released Sunday night. The two schools met back in 2000 in the same game. Wisconsin won 17-9 and Ron Dayne was named the MVP.