No picture better exemplifies the Wisconsin football team's season than that of senior tight end Travis Beckum. Beckum, who missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury and later fractured his fibula against Illinois, had to be carted onto the field during Senior Day introductions.
Much like Beckum, the Badgers never lived up to the high expectations that were placed on them at the start of the season.
But it's not the start that matters; it is how a team finishes.
Finishing is exactly what Wisconsin (3-5 Big Ten, 7-5 overall) did Saturday in its season finale against Cal Poly (3-0 Great West, 8-2), winning in a come-from-behind battle in overtime 36-35. It was the first overtime since Wisconsin defeated Colorado in the 2002 Alamo Bowl 31-28.
Wisconsin freshman kicker Philip Welch was the star for the Badgers, going 4-for-4 on extra points, including the game-winning kick in overtime.
After giving up an easy touchdown to Cal Poly on the first play of overtime - a 25-yard pass from senior quarterback Jonathan Dally to senior wide receiver Ramses Barden - junior Andrew Gardiner jogged onto the field for the extra point.
Gardiner - who had already missed two extra points in regulation - missed a third time as the 80,709 fans in attendance at Camp Randall erupted.
I almost fell to my knees because I was just so happy,"" junior defensive end O'Brien Schofield said.
It was then UW's turn on offense, and the smash-mouth football style that Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema has talked about all season came through full force. Freshman running back John Clay needed only three carries to break into the end zone in OT, on runs of 16, three and six yards. Welch then came on and sent the crowd home happy with a Wisconsin victory.
""We probably would have taken him to Lake Mendota at night, throw him in with their kicker,"" senior linebacker and team captain DeAndre Levy said jokingly, as to what his teammates would have done had Welch missed the extra point.
UW may have earned the win, but it had to overcome a tough Mustang offense to avoid an upset.
The Wisconsin offense struggled early on and Cal Poly took advantage. Mustang senior wing back Ryan Mole recorded the first touchdown of the game with 6:13 left in the first quarter on a two-yard run. Cal Poly extended its lead to 13-0 as senior wide receiver Tre'dale Tolver returned a punt by UW freshman Brad Nortman 40 yards for a touchdown at the 8:42 mark of the second.
Unable to establish any type of rushing attack, the Badgers turned to junior quarterback Dustin Sherer's arm. Wisconsin quickly moved down the field, with the help of a 39-yard pass from Sherer to sophomore wideout David Gilreath, and cut the Mustangs' lead to six with a 17-yard touchdown run from Clay.
""They just came at us at some strange slants and angles and just sent in guys from strange places and we were just kind of getting confused up front I think,"" said senior right tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel on UW's early troubles offensively.
Cal Poly responded and scored on a two-yard run by Dally to make the score 20-7 on the very next drive.
Wisconsin countered again and Sherer put together a four-play, 73-yard drive that only took 28 seconds total. The drive ended with freshman wide receiver Nick Toon hauling in his first career touchdown on a 26-yard catch. Toon had to work twice as hard for the score, as he caught the ball in between defenders and had it jarred loose by a hit. Toon was able to keep his concentration and caught the ball a second time as it fell through the air.
""It wasn't the prettiest thing, but it feels real good to get the first one and hopefully there's many more to come,"" Toon said.
The second half saw more of the same, as the Mustangs were able to sustain extremely long drives of 8:49 and 7:55, scoring 10 points total.
""They were executing and we had a hard time stopping that,"" Schofield said. ""We had to play a really fundamental game today and just read our keys and at times they were just nickel-and-dimeing, getting those two or three yards and converting on third downs, and that's what really hurt us and kept our defense out on the field.""
Wisconsin wasn't helping its defense either, as the offense struck quickly in between Cal Poly's time-consuming possessions, scoring on another four-play drive that ended with junior P.J. Hill rushing for a 10-yard touchdown.
At the 5:45 mark of the fourth quarter with the score 29-21 in favor of Cal Poly, Wisconsin was in need of its first defensive three-and-out. The defense finally came through and forced the Mustangs to punt after just three plays.
With the three-and-out, Wisconsin had finally gained some momentum when it needed it most.
""When [the defense held] we were determined to score nothing but a touchdown,"" Clay said.
With four minutes left, Wisconsin orchestrated an 89-yard drive that took 2:18 off the clock. The drive was capped with Hill's second touchdown of the game, this time from three yards out. The two-point conversion was successful, as Hill rumbled in to tie the game at 29 a piece.
Cal Poly had one last chance to win the game, but its special teams again faltered, this time in the form of a 46-yard field goal by Jake West. The kick was incredibly short and wide right, signaling overtime at Camp Randall.
On the day, Dally led both teams with 118 rushing yards. For Wisconsin, Clay had 107 and Hill had 59, and both scored two touchdowns. In the passing game, Sherer was 13-of-22 with one interception and one touchdown, and threw for 245 yards. Gilreath led both teams with 125 receiving yards on just four catches.
With the win, the Badgers avoided embarrassment and finished the season on a three-game winning streak.
""The part that our guys have emphasized all year, obviously because certain games turned out a certain way was to finish things, to finish things off,"" Bielema said. ""You can't get more of a finish than an overtime win.
