By the time junior third-string quarterback Nate Tice plunged into the endzone on a 17-yard bootleg with 1:57 showing on the clock, the only question that remained was whether 83 push-ups would be too much for Bucky to handle.
In the process of scoring the most points by any team in a Big Ten conference game since Ohio State hung 83 points on Iowa in 1950, Wisconsin's offense showed a near-perfect balance.
They ran the ball between the tackles. They ran the ball outside. They ran the ball with multiple running backs. They threw the ball from the shotgun. They threw the ball off of play action. They threw to backs, receivers and tight ends. At times they scored fast. At times they sustained drives.
Surgical might be a good word to describe Wisconsin's offensive stats, as the Badgers scored on every single one of their 13 possessions.
Senior quarterback Scott Tolzien finished 15-18 for 181 yards and three touchdowns and did not turn the ball over. After relying heavily on the run for much of the first half, Tolzien engineered a four-play drive—all passes—in the final 1:22 that put Wisconsin up 38-10.
""I thought our guys took a very aggressive mentality,"" UW head coach Bret Bielema said. ""They go out and execute, and they play clean.""
Not only did Wisconsin throw the ball effectively throughout, the running game found all kinds of daylight on an otherwise dark and dreary day at Camp Randall Stadium. Sophomore running back Montee Ball established a career high in rushing yards by halftime and finished with 167 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman James White also topped the century-mark with 144 and two scores of his own.
For a rushing game that has controlled play for much of the season, a two-play sequence in the second quarter might have exhibited the best execution of the season. Ball turned a stretch to the right in to a 36-yard pickup. On the next play, White took a handoff to the left and went 30 yards to the endzone untouched. That sort of quick strike offense allowed UW to score 28 points in the second quarter and turn a competitive game into a blowout.
""I don't think we've really done that much this season … and on two running plays at that,"" White said. ""That was perfect execution.""
All said, the Wisconsin offense racked up 598 yards of total offense—the 11th-best mark in school history.
With a point total as stunning as 83, the knee-jerk reaction might be to assume Bielema and the Badgers ran up the score in an effort to impress the BCS computers.
However, Bielema said he did not think about bowl implications in the second half, and UW never showed any malicious intent. Even a 74-yard touchdown from redshirt freshman quarterback Jon Budmayr to redshirt freshman wide receiver Jared Abbrederis in the fourth quarter came when Budmayr rolled left on third-and-five and heaved a jump ball back to the right.
Even the final touchdown run did not add up to anything more than back-ups playing hard, according to Bielema, who joked about the speed and athletic prowess of his third string quarterback.
""I don't think Wisconsin will ever be accused of trying to be sexy or [full of] style points,"" Bielema said.
