IOWA CITY, Iowa-When senior running back Anthony Davis was not in the backfield to begin the game Saturday, everyone watching in the stadium and on TV knew it would mean trouble for the Badgers. Sixty minutes, 30 carries and just 41 rushing yards later, it was quite evident the absence of Davis, and furthermore the inability of the backup running backs to step up, ruined the Badgers' Rose Bowl hopes.
Junior running back Matt Bernstein struggled, running just 10 times for 26 yards in the first half. After being injured, he was able to muster only one carry in the second half. Sophomore running back Booker Stanley fared even worse, running 10 times for just 12 yards on the game.
\You've seen us with [Davis] and you saw us early in the season and we're a different team with him and without him,"" Head Coach Barry Alvarez said.
The Badgers were unable to gain more than eight yards on any single rushing play.
The lack of help in the backfield forced sophomore quarterback John Stocco into his worst game of the season. With just 35 rushing yards as a team in the first half, Stocco tried, a little too hard, to make things happen.
""He got a little rattled, probably for the first time all year,"" offensive coordinator Brian White said. ""We didn't have enough ammo, and you're not going to win a championship scoring seven points.""
Stocco turned the ball over on four of five possessions during a stretch in the second half. When Davis was in the lineup earlier this season, the pressure was off Stocco, which allowed him to control the game. Saturday showed that while they were able to get by without Davis early in the season, he is too vital to the team for them to emerge victorious without him down the stretch.
""They have a very good defense, but the turnovers were just bad mistakes,"" Stocco said. ""We've had a hell of a season ... but obviously we had some higher goals.""
The defense did its job. After its worst outing of the season at Michigan State the previous Saturday, it allowed just 262 yards, but due to the lack of offense, the Hawkeyes started all but two of their second-half drives in Badger territory.
While the defense was held accountable for the loss against the Spartans, the blame rests solely on the shoulders of the offense. If Wisconsin has any hope of winning the Outback Bowl, it better hope that Davis can get back to full strength.
