EVANSTON, Ill.—With 42 seconds to go in Wisconsin's game against Northwestern, the Badgers took possession at their own 20. Despite trailing 33-31 when the drive started, Wisconsin's players were confident their team could mount a quick scoring drive and steal a win over the Wildcats despite a mistake-filled game.
On the first play of the drive, however, those hopes were dashed as junior quarterback Scott Tolzien's long pass to junior wide receiver Isaac Anderson instead sailed into the hands of sophomore Northwestern cornerback Jordan Mabin. The Wildcats took a knee to kill the rest of the game, Northwestern's students stormed the field and the Badgers suffered their third loss of the year.
""I guarantee you there wasn't anybody on our sideline that didn't think that we could win that football game with our offense taking the field,"" head coach Bret Bielema said.
Wisconsin, who was steadily climbing up the rankings with each victory, fell completely out of the AP Poll with the defeat.
For Tolzien, his performance in the dying minutes of the game stuck with him.
""Right now the thing in my mind is the last three drives, the last three passes that I threw: two incomplete [passes] and an interception,"" he said. ""That's crunch time, that's where big players come up big, and we weren't able to do that today.""
Wisconsin's final plays were in no way the start of their issues against Northwestern. The Badger secondary struggled, allowing 248 passing yards through the first half and 364 total, while Northwestern's defense frustrated sophomore running back John Clay.
Wildcat senior quarterback Mike Kafka had a great performance on Northwestern's Senior Day, flying past the Wisconsin defense with quick throws for big gains. Senior linebacker Jaevery McFadden said the team's weak first half, which gave the Wildcats a 27-14 lead at the break, hurt the Badgers' chances later in the game.
""That was probably the worst first half that we've played all year,"" McFadden said. ""We dug ourselves too deep of a hole to get out of, and it hurt us in the second half.""
Sophomore defensive lineman J.J. Watt traced Saturday's loss back to the defense's struggles.
""We need to create turnovers, we need to stop the run, we need to stop the pass, we need to get sacks, and we really didn't do any of those things today,"" Watt said. ""And that's not going to win you a football game in the Big Ten.""
Despite those issues, Wisconsin had two chances in the last 3:43 of the fourth quarter to take the lead and the victory, but a pair of turnovers led to the close loss.
The Badgers moved the ball well down the field on their first late drive, benefiting from a third-down pass-interference call against Northwestern. However, a Clay fumble on the next third down handed the ball back to the Wildcats. Although it looked like Clay never got far enough to convert the 3rd and 1, the fumble made it a moot point and put the pressure on Wisconsin's defense.
The Badgers held Northwestern to a three-and-out, preserving the clock but costing Wisconsin the last of its timeouts. Tolzien's interception ended the Badgers' last drive, leaving the quarterback to reflect on the missed opportunities.
""That's the tough part about it—we have been good in those situations,"" he said. ""But you're only as good as your last play and you're only as good as your next play.""
Bielema said the loss took a big toll on Wisconsin's morale and that the team needs this next weekend to recover before facing Hawaii on the road Dec. 5.
""I'm glad that we have a bye week, because it'll take some time to heal the wounds with these guys,"" Bielema said.
