Despite a national championship appearance for basketball and a successful 2014 football season, the 2015 Outback Bowl between the No. 18 Badgers and No. 19 Auburn Tigers proved to be the most memorable sports moment for me during my freshman year.
Coming off of an abysmal 59-0 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship, I was worried about how well Wisconsin would stack up against Auburn’s electrifying offense. Not only were the Tigers in the BCS National Championship the season before, but Auburn also retained prolific players Nick Marshall and Sammie Coates from their championship squad. Many experts projected the Badgers to lose by at least two touchdowns, undoubtedly making Auburn the heavy favorite.
To make matters worse, Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen unexpectedly fled Madison to Corvallis, Ore. to coach Oregon State, leaving the 2014 football squad flabbergasted. With no head coach immediately available, renowned athletic director Barry Alvarez decided to coach the team. Deep down I knew this game would be fueled with emotion.
Finally, New Years Day arrived and I tuned into the bowl game from my living room in Pittsburgh, Pa. From the beginning of the game the Badgers had early momentum, as their stout defense shut down Auburn’s spread offense and then-sophomore running back Corey Clement shredded through the Tiger defense with a 43-yard jet sweep run and a seven-yard touchdown catch. This fast start from Wisconsin truly gave me a sense of hope that the Badgers could hang with Auburn.
As the game continued, the two teams continued to have an offensive shootout, until the last seconds of the third quarter. It was during this moment when running back Melvin Gordon received a handoff up the middle, juked out a few defenders and stiff armed another as he plummeted into the endzone to give Wisconsin the lead. The 53-yard run sparked new energy for Badger fans, showcased why Gordon was deserving of a Heisman trophy and undoubtedly was one of the best plays I’ve seen all year.
With under a minute left in the game, quarterback Joel Stave stepped up immensely for Wisconsin, overcoming three interceptions earlier in the game. Facing a 4th-and- five, Stave threw a strike to tight end Sam Arneson for a first down, which allowed kicker Rafael Gaglianone to tie the game at 31 and ultimately send it into overtime.
In overtime, Gaglianone kicked another field goal for the Badgers and when Auburn had its final opportunity to tie the game, their kicker botched a mid-range field goal, allowing Wisconsin to take home the win.
The win was simply a perfect way to end the Badger season. After losing four straight bowl games, coming off of an embarrassing 59-0 loss to Ohio State and being heavily projected as an underdog, Wisconsin proved to themselves and to their fans that they could drastically exceed expectations. Ultimately, this game continues to be my favorite Madison sports moment of 2014-’15.
