Badger Tickets News Archive

Wisconsin received a cold slap in the face in their loss to the Florida State Seminoles in the Champs Sports Bowl on December 27^th. There were two fumble returns for touchdowns.  That certainly killed the Badger hopes.  Florida State scored two touchdown passes but that only covers 28 of the 42 points they piled on.

The Badgers kept it close up until just after the first half.  Phillip Welch kicked a 41-yard field goal to put the Badgers within eight points.  Sadly, that was as close as Wisconsin got for the rest of the day.  Two rushing touchdowns by Florida put them up by twenty-two.

In the fourth quarter Dustin Sherer lost the ball as he was sacked at midfield.  Linebacker Dekoda Watson picked up the ball and ran it back for a touchdown, pushing the Florida lead to 29 points.  The fumble was one of two that the Seminoles ran back for touchdowns. 

Bobby Bowden notched his seventh win in Orlando bowl games.  This victory also marked the largest margin of victory for a post season appearance by Florida State.  Bowden is now second in bowl game victories.

The only highlight would be P.J. Hill's 150 yards of rushing for the day.  Dustin Sherer scored a passing touchdown with six minutes to go, but the outcome was already determined. 

The Wisconsin Badgers will be facing one of the better coaches in college football tomorrow night in Orlando.  Bobby Bowden's first bowl game was in 1977.  Since that game, he has led his Seminoles to twenty-nine more bowl apperances.  Of those, three were national championship fights. 

Bowden has struggled in the past eight years when compared to the lofty records his team has produced in the past.  This will also be Bowden's third year in a row where his team plays in a non-BCS game. 

Only one other active coach has more wins than Bowden.  Penn State's coach Joe Paterno has Bowden beat in win column.  Wisconsin will have fifteen returning starters on the field for the Champs Sports Bowl.  Those starters expected better things for their team.  At one point in the season, the Badgers wondered if they could put together a winning season at all. 

With the change at Quarterback, Wisconsin hoped to create the spark they needed.  The spark was snuffed out when Travis Beckum ended his season early with a broken leg.  Wisconsin was left to rely upon their run game.  Wisconsin managed to pull out a 7-5 record overall, and go 3-5 in the conference. 

Wisconsin is ranked higher than Florida State in total yards, but not in scoring.  Florida averaged 32.7 points per game, compared to Wisconsin's 28.  The Badgers kick off at 4:30pm Central time this Saturday. 

While I waited on hold for my internet provider to fix a problem, he started to make small talk about the Wisconsin Badgers football game coming up against Florida State.  He didn't think that Wisconsin had a chance against the Seminoles.  He didn't recite stats, or player to player match ups.  He only pointed out one thing. 

Big Ten football ends a month earlier than ACC football does.  He felt that the long wait for the bowl game puts Big Ten teams at a disadvantage. 

I felt that the style of play is the biggest factor that determines the outcome.  Florida State is a team that relies upon the run, just as Wisconsin does.  Florida State benched their quarterback Christian Ponder after his terrible performance against rival Florida.  He has since come back as a starter, but Wisconsin had their share of quarterback troubles as they benched their starter in favor of Sherer. 

Ponder has thrown 12 touchdowns, and passed for over 1800 yards this season.  Sherer has thrown five touchdowns, and passed for over 1200 yards.  He had fewer snaps when compared to Ponder. 

The P.J. Hill and John Clay tandem of running backs have scored twenty-two touchdowns for Wisconsin.  The Smith and Thomas Seminole backs have scored 17 for the season. 

The Seminoles went up against two top 25 ranked teams this year, and went 1-1 in that regard.  Wisconsin went up against four top 25 ranked teams and lost three of four.

Factors that cannot be analyzed before the game include injury recovery, how the coaches use the time off to prepare for the opponent, and how well seniors will play in what could be the last game.

The Wisconsin Badger fans travel in large numbers.  One can expect to see thousands of Wisconsin fans in Orlando on December 27^th.  It may be tough to drown out the tens of thousands of Florida fans who have a short drive to the Champs Sports Bowl.

Break out the shorts, flip-flops, and sun block.  The Wisconsin Badgers are headed for Florida yet again.  They will face the Florida State Seminoles in the Champs Sports Bowl.  Both teams expected to rank higher by the end of their respective seasons, but things don't always turn out as expected.

It has been thirteen years since Wisconsin faced an ACC team in a bowl game.  The Seminoles are coached Bobby Bowden who ranks second in career victories for a coach in his division. 

Bowden will have his team ready to play the run focused Badgers on December 27^th, in Orlando.

The Badgers are now 7-5 after coming out on top of an overtime game against Cal Poly.

Wisconsin dodged a bullet, partly because Cal Poly's kicker failed on three of five extra point tries earlier in the game.  The Badgers gambled that once more, the extra point try would come up short, so they elected to go on defense after winning the overtime coin toss.

Sure enough, Cal Poly scored a touchdown, and their kicker failed at the extra point try.

Wisconsin moved the ball into the end zone, and kicked the extra point for victory.

The Mustangs ran all over the Badgers, gaining 276 yards on the ground.  They converted over half of their third down plays, and two fourth down plays.  The Mustangs had four drives with each being over sixty yards in length.

The two point conversion in the fourth quarter by Wisconsin put the game into overtime.

From there, Bret Bielema felt that taking a chance on defense would be the key to an overtime victory.  He was proved correct.  Wisconsin awaits their fate in the bowl selection.

This victory may give them a better chance at a higher profile bowl game.

The Badgers are now eligible for a bowl bid.  The close game against Minnestoa assures Wisconsin a shot at playing in the post season.  Another win against Cal Poly will put the Badgers in a better bowl option.

This Saturday, the Wisconsin Badgers will face the strange "flex" defense of Cal Poly.  When you look at the film of Cal Poly, it seems that there are gaps in the line.  Those gaps are filled instantly, and that confuses the offense as the play develops.  This "flex" defense allows pressure to come from all fronts.  Cal Poly is a top ranked team in their division when playing against the run. 

When the Badgers face Cal Poly this coming Saturday, they must use their size to wear down the smaller, faster defensive opponents.  Cal Poly chose speed over size when putting this defense together. 

Wisconsin wide receivers should have a good day against this team.  They rank below the top 100 against the pass.  It sounds like they are "all in" against the run, and weak against the pass.  The Badgers, a run dominating team will have their work cut out for them.

The Badgers trounced Indiana 55-20 this past weekend.  At the half, the game was close.  By the end, the game was a runaway for Wisconsin.  The rushing record of 441 yards for Wisconsin tied the school record.  The seven rushing touchdowns for the Badgers was also a record tying event.

David Gilreath gained 168 yards for the game.  He had two touchdowns in the contest.

P.J. Hill ran for three touchdowns gaining 126 yards.  His teammate John Clay piled up 112 yards, and ran for one touchdown.  In total, the Badgers had three players with over one hundred yards each.

The game broke open for the Badgers in the second half.  Indiana was held to just over fifty yards, while the Badgers ran up 321 in that same time.  Indiana's quarterback never made it to the field in the second half, and the Badgers took advantage of that fact. Bret Bielema saw an opportunity to run against Indiana.  Early in the third quarter David Gilreath peeled off a 90 yard run.  Six minutes later, Philip Welch had a 39 yard run for a touchdown.  Bret was right on the money with that plan.  The running touchdowns crushed the hopes of Indiana.

The big plays made for great highlights, and it put Wisconsin up by fourteen points.

Three more rushing touchdowns, and the Badgers rout was on.  This was the second Big Ten win for Wisconsin, who now have a 5-5 record overall. 

When the Wisconsin Badgers pulled ahead by eleven points, some of us thought that they were going to pull out the upset of the year.  22^nd ranked Michigan State was on the ropes.  The running performances of both P.J. Hill and John Clay put the Badgers in position to win.  The Badgers defense stuffed the run game.

Unfortunately, a series of mistakes, some of which rest squarely on the shoulders of Bret Bielema brought it all crashing down. 

Was it the choice to punt late in the fourth quarter, rather than try a field goal to go up by six points?  Was it the penalties?  Was it the blown coverage on the last Michigan State drive?  As always, it was a combination of everything.

We got no lucky breaks at the end.  The Spartans fought their way back, and won it with a field goal in the last four seconds of the game.  They didn't rush the field in Michigan because they just defeated a non-ranked team. 

Wisconsin halted their four game losing streak, and they did it against a team known for scoring early and often.  The Badgers scored 27 points, and pulled down three interceptions.  At the half, the score was tied.  Illinois had the lead 17-10 in the third quarter, when Dustin Sherer hooked found Gilreath in the middle of the field.  Gilreath dodged the defense in that catch and crossed into the end zone.  That 49 yard play was Gilreath's longest of the season. 

The Badger defense allowed only 221 passing yards for the day.  That number was over 120 yards below Juice Williams' average.  Wisconsin stuffed the run all day long, kept the passing in check, and kept the opponent in front of them.  There were very few downhill plays for the Badgers defense.

Dustin Sherer kept key drives alive with short passes, and a touchdown run of his own. 

He finished the day completing 12 of 21 passes, for a total of 221 yards.  He threw two TD passes on top of his own rushing touchdown. Wisconsin running back John Clay piled up 88 yards. 

Badgers fans hope that this is the spark that keeps the team winning throughout the year.

The Wisconsin Badgers have yet to win a Big Ten game.  Sadly, the loss to Iowa will probably be one of many more to come.

When a team can run up 220 yards on you, the problems are deep and many.  Shonn Greene was slashing and dodging the Badgers defense.  Although Wisconsin had the ball for a majority of the time, that did not mean a thing.  Iowa did not need all that time to score touchdown after touchdown. 

A pair of Wisconsin quarterbacks combined for three interceptions in that game.  The turnovers killed The Badgers yet again. 

Iowa did not turn the ball over in the game.  Perhaps Barry needs to come back and coach this team. Bret put together a great defense when he was coordinator.  Something happened in between that time.  The porous defense might have trouble stopping Cal Poly, let alone another Big Ten team. 

Team building is all that Wisconsin should focus on.  Wins may come after that, but for now the men need to work together to find a way to tackle. 

On the offensive side of the ball, Dustin Sherer will start as quarterback against Illinois.  Yes, he threw two interceptions in the Iowa game, but Bielma thinks he will make up for that.  The team has not scored more than 17 points in a Big Ten game.  It cannot get much worse, unless your record ends up as 1-7 in the Big ten. 

P.J. Hill injured his leg in the Iowa game, and he may not play this week.  X-rays revealed nothing broken, but he is certainly in pain.

Mario Goins is recovering from a concussion, but is expected to play.

After the loss to Penn State, Bret Bielema spoke to the media about how he had changed up the routine with his players.  He gave the team some time to think about what is going on in Badger Country.  After the break, he called his players and coaches together and went over films.  Players have filed in and out of the coaches offices, giving their opinions on how to remedy the situation, according to reports. 

Bret spoke about going back to the goal of working day to day, noted that his players were not finishing blocks or runs, and finally assessed the chance of winning the last six games.    

The debacle against Penn State is a new low for a high flying Badger team.  Bielema is now focused on the next game.  Iowa has a great defense, and the team has settled down behind their quarterback.

It will be a tough road game to be sure.  Both Badgers quarterbacks are listed as starters for the upcoming game.  A guess would put Sherer seems to be getting the nod as the true starter, but we won't know that until closer to game time.  The Wisconsin Badgers will be facing an Iowa team that has been intercepting the ball, and rushing their safeties quite a bit.    

The Badgers were looking good going into the second half of their game vs. Michigan. 

Unranked and beaten twice already, Michigan was teetering on disaster.  Badger fans were looking at their first Big Ten win of the year.  Then it all came undone. 

Michigan raged back, and Bucky shut down.  The Badgers could not move the ball in the air or on the ground.  Late in the fourth quarter, Michigan took the lead, and went up 27-19.  Wisconsin managed to get the ball into the end zone one last time and came within two points of a tie. 

Wisconsin lined up for a two-point conversion and scored to tie it up.  A flag was thrown for a down field lineman, and Bucky was pushed back for a do-over.  This time, the pass was too high and fast for the Badger receiver.  With 14 seconds left in the game, Wisconsin tried an onside kick that dribbled out of bounds. 

Michigan took a knee, and the game ended. 

Facing Ohio State next week, the Badgers need to redeem themselves on their home field this Saturday.  Ohio State is another Big Ten team that started with high hopes.  They are just as desperate to win as Wisconsin.

During this bye week, the Wisconsin Badgers football fans get to reflect on the close game that nearly ended in their first loss of the 2008 season.  The badgers pulled out a 13-10 win against the Fresno State Bulldogs on September 13th.  Travis Beckum got to play his first game this year.  Both teams punted a couple of times before something got going.  The Badgers put together a great drive that included a number of first down runs, and a reception by Beckum.  A try at the four yard line after four tries gave the ball back to the Bulldogs.  The Badgers made an intercteption and turned it into the first and only touchdown of the day. 

Bucky managed to go up 10-0 with a field goal later in the first half.  After trading punts, Fresno scored on a short pass play that had a long run after the catch.  The Badgers scored another field goal just over nine minutes into the third quarter.  Fresno state scored three points on a field goal making it 13-10 Badgers.

The fourth quarter was simply a back-and-forth event with no team scoring.  The Badgers pulled it out and went home to Wisconsin.

The Akron Zips were the first team to go up against the run attack of the Wisconsin Badgers.  The Zips kept it close for one half, but the Badgers were pretty-much in control throughout the game.  All the Badgers had to do was run the ball.  They ran it, and ran it, and ran it.  Patrick ran for 210 yards.  John Clay ran for over seventy, scoring a TD. 

All told, the Badgers ran for 405 yards.  Allen Evridge passed a total of ten times, completing 7 and gaining 75 yards.  The passing game needs to improve if the Badgers want to make the Rose Bowl.  Allan threw an easy interception early in the game.  That pick-off play fired up the Zips, but that inspiring interception didn't put them over the top for long.    

The Marshall Thundering Herd is next up for Bucky.   

The Wisconsin Badgers football team is ranked 14^th by the Sporting News.  Bret Bielema has a fantastic win-loss record since taking over as head coach, but his sights are set higher.  This year, the goal is a Rose Bowl bid. 

To make that goal a reality, The Badgers will need to get better on defense.  They must put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.  The lack of pressure gave opponents lots of time to find the open receiver. 

DeAndre Levy and John Casillas need to increase their outside threat in order to shore up the porous sideline holes.  Jack Ikegwuonu is no longer in the secondary, and that could also bring trouble when playing against the pass. 

Bielema may wish for a Big Ten Championship, but we lowly Badger fans want to see a better defense, and get the chance to book a room in Pasadena.

When we think of Wisconsin Badger sports, three sports come into mind: football, basketball, and hockey. However, we forget that as a large university there are many sports that the Badgers participate in. Most recently and notably is rowing. Congratulations to the men and women's rowing team. Both teams finished first in the national competition beating out the heavily favored University of Washington and the pretentious Ivy League schools.

The future looks good for the rowing team. The junior varsity and freshman team both finished competitively with the rest of the field. Along with football, hockey and basketball as a Wisconsin power sport, we can not include rowing to the list which will surely grow.

It's unanimous; the Wisconsin Badgers are predicted to be one of the better teams in college football this year. According to popular preseason college football magazines, Phil Steele and Athlon, the Badgers are ranked 12 and 21 respectively. Along with this accolade, their are individual honors on the team. The most notable is pre-season All-American and All-Big Ten Travis Beckum who came off a stellar season last year with 75 touches, 982 yards and 6 touchdowns. This year should look no different as long as the quarterback situation is resolved and the two can sync together before the seasons starts. Along with Travis, there are 15 other players on the Badgers who are considered to be pre-season All Big Ten and All American.

            Thou the season has not started, you can feel the energy in Mad Town. With the 12 games that are on their schedule, the Badgers should be able to move up on the polls... Along with this new season will be Brett Bielema third year at the helm. The first two years were a great success and no one could have predicted the outcome. Now the bar is set and expectations are high. GO BADGERS GO.

Looks like the Wisconsin Badgers Football team has some much-needed good news for the upcoming season.  After visiting more than a dozen schools, Jon Budmayr, quarterback from Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock, IL has made a verbal commitment to play for the Badgers. He is rock solid.  Wisconsin offered a spot on the roster to Budmayr last year, before any of the others who came calling including: Arizona, Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern and Notre Dame.  As a quarterback, his completion rate as of the end of last season reached 61%. Budmayr has thrown for over 5,000 yards in his last three years playing high school football. Could this be the making of an in-state hero to lead the Green Bay Packers to the 2015 Super Bowl? Now I am ahead of myself, but I do give my alma mater a big Yippee for landing a nice catch like this to bring us Badgers straight up the rankings.

Wisconsin Badgers football team doesn't have its passing game settled, with no official starting quarterback and no wide receivers with much experience is teh air game going to suffer? But the Badgers shouldn't have many problems moving the ball on the ground because they have lots of talented runners and lots of good linemen. It doesn't hurt when you have the nation's best pass-catching tight end in Travis Beckum to give room for the running backs. The defense could also be a strength, but only if all of the guys too injured for spring ball are fine come August. It's not a crazy to expect Wisconsin to contend for the Big Ten title. As always Ohio State will be tough, but i think it is time for the Badgers to enter a BCS game this year. The Badgers have an easy non-conference schedule, yet the true test is going to be conference play. Lets go BUCKY!!

Wisconsin Badger football season is near. The 2008 football schedule is out and looks like the competition can be summarized as mediocre. As always, the Badgers like to play weak non-conference football games. Maybe this is a moral booster for the Badger football team or Barry Alvarez has a hard time finding quality teams to play. Anyhow, the fact remains that Akron, Marshall, Fresno State, and Cal Poly are in non BCS conferences and beating these teams does nothing for the RPI. However, we should be guaranteed at least four victories this year.

The Wisconsin Badgers hockey team has announced their schedule for the upcoming 2008-2009 season. Thou this years season was not as highly totted as previous years, it was still a season to remember. They finished the season over .500 and they advanced to the Midwest regional hockey finals before losing to power house North Dakota Fighting Sioux.  Along with a great hockey season, the Wisconsin Badgers also had a great football and basketball season as well. This past year was not a disappointment at all for Wisconsin sports. The football team again went to a post-season bowl game and the Badgers Basketball team went three rounds in the Final Four. The new academic year is coming ahead and expectations are again high for Wisconsin sports. Lets go Bucky.

Wisconsin Badger football season is near. The 2008 football schedule is out and looks like the competition can be summarized as mediocre. As always, the Badgers like to play weak non-conference football games. Maybe this is a moral booster for the Badger football team or Barry Alvarez has a hard time finding quality teams to play. Anyhow, the fact remains that Akron, Marshall, Fresno State, and Cal Poly are in non BCS conferences and beating these teams does nothing for the RPI. However, we should be guaranteed at least four victories this year.

 

Tonight at the Kohl Center in Madison is the annual post-men's-basketball season reception. If you want to attend, but aren't in the Madison, WI area, you may log on to http://www.uwbadgers.com/ and select "live broadcast" to watch the celebration.

This is a sold-out event and given the year the Badger Men's Basketball team, well-deserved. Included in the festivities is an introduction of the players, a speech by Badgers Head Coach Bo Ryan and a showing of a highlight reel from the 2007-2008 men's basketball season.

Badgers fans were given an extrodinary team to watch this year. Led by fantastic coach, Bo Ryan, the team went 31-5. This record set a new University record for wins.

Go Badgers!

The Wisconsin Badgers will play Davidson in the Midwest Regional Semifinal on Friday, March 28. The Wisconsin Badgers, seeded third in the Midwest Region, defeated No. 14 Cal State Fullerton and No. 11 Kansas State to advance to the Sweet 16 while 10th-seeded Davidson defeated No. 7 Gonzaga and No. 2 Georgetown.

The winner of the Wisconsin-Davidson game will face the winner of the game between top-seeded Kansas and No. 12 Villanova in the Midwest Regional Final on Sunday.

Wisconsin and Davidson have played just once before. The Wildcats won the only previous meeting, 67-63, on Dec. 12, 1980 in the opening round of the First Union Classic in Charlotte, N.C.

The Wisconsin Badgers will not win any accolades for best talent or most entertaining style, but they were the Big Ten's best team this season. Hard work, discipline, and teamwork pays off. It shows, teams do not need an all star to succeed.  

Despite losing Big Ten Player of the Year Alando Tucker, Wisconsin continued to thrive behind dominant defense and disciplined scoring, winning its first outright league title since 2002-03. The Badgers led the nation in scoring defense (54.3 ppg) and had two players (guard Michael Flowers and forward Joe Krabbenhoft) named to the Big Ten's All-Defensive team.

Wisconsin blitzed through the Big Ten regular season, losing only to Purdue twice. If there's a Badger weakness it manifested itself in nonconference losses to teams with tremendous speed and perimeter shooting. They were pounded 82-58 at Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and fell 81-76 to Marquette on Dec. 8 at the Kohl Center. Since the Marquette game, Wisconsin has allowed more than 66 points just once. It secured a huge road win against Texas as Flowers displayed his crunch-time dependability by hitting the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left.

However great Wisconsin has been in the regular season, they have struggled in the last two NCAA tournaments, falling in the first round to Arizona in 2006 and getting upset by UNLV in the second round last year in Chicago. Hopefully this year can make a run.

The Wisconsin men's basketball team will play Michigan in the quarterfinals after the Wolverines beat Iowa 55-47 in opening round play Thursday.

The Badgers have beaten the Wolverines twice this season, but that doesn't guarantee a victory in the post-season. Wisconsin opened conference play this year at Michigan with a Badger victory, 70-54 win. 20 days later the Wolverines traveled to Madison where the Badgers won a close one, 64-61

Last year's tournament, the second-seeded Badgers lost in the championship game to top-ranked Ohio State 66-49. The Badgers won the tournament in 2004 after beating top-seeded Illinois 70-53 for their only tournament title so far. Wisconsin has been the No. 1 seed twice before (2002, 2003), losing in the quarterfinals both times.
Should the Badgers win on Friday they will then await the winner of the Ohio State/Michigan State game Friday afternoon to play in the first semifinal game on Saturday.

The last home game of the year over Penn State 77-41 solidified Wisconsin men's basketball team a share of the Big Ten Championship Wednesday night at the Kohl Center. All the seniors on the team played on senior night and contributed to the lopsided victory over Penn State. What is left for the No. 8 ranked Badgers?  Wisconsin can clinch the out-right title with a win over Northwestern on Saturday at Northwestern. If the badgers than win the conference tournament in Indianapolis starting next Wednesday,  they might have a chance at a number one seeding in the Final Four tournament given some other teams lose. If looking for cheap tickets for either the conference tournament or the Final Four tournament and see Bucky go... all...the...way, get them here while they last.

Wisconsin men's basketball team heads to Indiana today for what I hope is another victory for the Wisconsin Badgers. The Wisconsin Badgers beat Indiana 62-49 two weeks ago in Madison and they should be able to do it today as well. After coming off a disappointing lose to Purdue, the Badgers are fired up to do some butt kicking. Tickets are still available for the three homes left this year: Minnesota, Michigan State, and Penn State. Get them while you can because they are going fast.

The 5th ranked Badgers women's hockey team will put its eight-game winning streak on the line when it plays North Dakota Feb. 2-3 at the Kohl Center. The Badgers most recent action, the Badgers posted their fourth straight weekend series sweep Jan. 25-26 against No. 9 St. Cloud State at the Kohl Center. Wisconsin won 4-1 on Friday and 4-0 on Saturday to improve to 18-6-2 overall on the season and 14-4-2 in league play.

North Dakota enters the weekend series having lost four straight games, however all four came against the top two teams in the WCHA, Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota. This weekend will mark UND's third straight series against a team ranked among the top 5 squads in the nation.

Wisconsin is 18-0-0 all-time against UND including a series sweep earlier this season at North Dakota. UW went 6-0-0 against North Dakota last season, out-scoring them 33-2. Wisconsin is 10-0-0 in games between the two teams in Madison.

The men's basketball team (16-2, 6-0 Big Ten) go on the road for a conference battle against Purdue on Saturday.

Wisconsin has won ten-straight games and currently sits in a share of first place in the Big Ten with Indiana. Last week the Badgers took care of Northwestern 62-50 and edged out Michigan 64-61 at the Kohl Center.

The Badgers trail the Boilermakers in the all-time series 62-98, but have won four of the last five, including a 69-64 win last season in Madison.

Purdue (14-5, 5-1 Big Ten) leads the series in West Lafayette 64-16 and has beaten the Badgers nine of the last ten times at Mackey Arena. The Badgers last won at Mackey on Jan. 5, 2005 behind Zack Morley's 22 points on 6-of-8 from behind the 3-point arc. That was the first time Wisconsin had won in West Lafayette since 1972.

Donovan took a big hit in the first quarter running in a 6-yard touchdown in ending with helmet to helmet contact but scoring for Wisconsin.  But the biggest disappointment besides the final score (21-17) was the last play of the game for Donovan.  Having the chance to come back and win the game, Donovan threw an interception to Antonio Wardlow as the final throw in the last seconds of the game. 

With Tennessee playing without six players because of academic ineligibility and both teams having equal season records, the Badgers seemed to have an advantage.  But Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge played a great game with the aid of a fantastic defense winning the Outback Bowl and ending the season with a 10-4 season. 

This New Year's, the Badgers will have just the holiday to celebrate instead of a win, but at least they have an overall successful season of 9-4 to look back on.  And for Donovan, who may be going on to the Canadian football league, this last weeks Outback Bowl is just a bad day in what looks to be a promising career.

Wisconsin Badger's hockey hopes to break a three-game losing streak when it goes against the Wolverines on Friday. The Badgers have beaten the Wolverines three of the last four meetings in the College Hockey Showcase, but did lose a 4-3 score last year to the Wolverines at the Kohl Center.

Also against Michigan State, the Badgers have also won three of the last four games in the College Hockey Showcase, including wins in the last two seasons. The Badgers knocked off the eventual NCAA-champion Spartans by a 2-0 count last season at the Kohl Center.

The Badgers are 8-19-1 at the College Hockey Showcase in the previous 14 years, but are 6-2-0 over the past four seasons of the event.

University of Wisconsin men's basketball team concluded its exhibition season Wednesday defeating UW-Eau Claire (innerstate) 74-35 at the Kohl Center.

The Badger defense was the story of Wednesday's game. After taking a 38-23 lead into the half, UW held the Blugolds to only 12 points in the second half. In the game, Wisconsin had ten steals, forced 17 turnovers and grabbed 47 (29 defensive) rebounds to Eau Claire's 21. Wisconsin held the Blugolds to only 26.1 percent shooting on the game and scoreless over a nine minute span in the second half.

The Badgers were led by junior Joe Krabbenhoft and sophomore Trevon Hughes who each tallied 13 points. Krabbenhoft, whose regular-season high is 11, also added seven rebounds and three assists. In 14 minutes of play, Madison native, freshman Keaton Nankivil, scored four points and had six rebounds.

The Badger big men controlled the paint, outscoring the Blugolds 38-8 in the lane and had a 17-0 advantage on second chance opportunities.

Eau Claire was led by Geoff Probst who tallied a game-high 16 points. With just over ten minutes to play in the first half, the Blugolds were only trailing by two, 18-16. Over the next ten minutes, the Badgers went on a 20-7 run to take the 38-23 halftime lead. Steve Hoelzel added four points and four rebounds.

The Badgers open up their regular-season Sunday against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne at 5 p.m. at the Kohl Center. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and can be heard on the Badger Radio Network.

The fifth-year senior had two touchdowns this season for the No. 19 Badgers and was averaging 18 yards a catch. He was hurt near the end of Saturday's game against Illinois, landing awkwardly following a 17-yard reception.

Swan's loss is a blow to the Badgers (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) following the team's second defeat in a row. Freshman punt returner David Gilreath is expected to replace Swan at wide receiver.

In six games this season, Swan had 25 catches for 451 yards and was the Badgers' top receiver. His 170 yards receiving against Washington State was 11th best in school history. Swan joined the team as a walk-on in 2003.

The Wisconsin Badgers football team start their Big Ten Conference games  at home this Saturday night playing the Iowa Hawkeyes.


The Wisconsin Badgers have the nation's longest active win streak at 12 games and have won nine straight home games since their loss to Iowa in 2005. The Wisconsin Badgers are 3-0 this season with wins over Washington State, UNLV, and The Citadel



The Wisconsin offense is anchored around RB P.J.Hill, and who is coming off a game that tied a school record by scoring five touchdowns. Hill wound up logging his 10th 100-yard rushing game in the win over The Citadel, helping take some of the pressure off senior QB Tyler Donovan, who moved to 5-0 as a starter with last week's win. Donovan has yet to be intercepted this year and has six TD passes.

With the nation's longest winning streak on the line, Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema wants to make sure his team isn't taking any opponent lightly.

Bielema looks to keep his seventh-ranked Badgers focused as they try for their 12th straight victory in a home matchup with The Citadel on Saturday.

After trailing for most of the game, Wisconsin (2-0) rallied to keep its run alive with a 20-13 road win over UNLV last week. The Badgers' 11th consecutive victory matched their win streak from Oct. 2, 1999-Sept. 16, 2000, a run that's six wins shy of the team record set Nov. 10, 1900-Oct. 25, 1902.

The Badgers -- who have not lost since falling to Michigan on Sept. 23 for their only defeat of last season -- were one of three teams that entered play last weekend with lengthy win streaks. Boise State (14 straight wins) and Brigham Young (10) had theirs snapped.

Bielema wants Wisconsin to keep those teams in mind if it is to avoid a similar fate, especially since The Citadel (2-0) has won four straight and six of its last seven games. The Bulldogs' only loss in that stretch came Nov. 4 to Southern Conference opponent Appalachian State, whose stunning upset of the Wolverines on Sept. 1 has made all teams vigilant of opponents from the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA).

Source: ESPN.com

This Saturday evening the Wisconsin Badgers Football team will play the UNLV Rebels for the first time in five years in Las Vegas.  The last time these teams met there was a suspicious power failure which ended the game early and screwed up many a bet for Badger fans.  The Las Vegas gaming board looked in to the events.  As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. 

The stories of the venue running out of beer still are told years later.  This year, I would suspect they have loaded up on all sorts of cold brew and bloody mary mix!

Thanks to the uwbadgers.com site, here is their list of activities happening in Las Vegas for fans heading in to town:

Thursday, September 6

Badger Las Vegas Weekend Kick-Off Street Party 4pm-1:30 am Las Vegas Hilton

Ride the Las Vegas Monorail and arrive right at a party for Badger fans featuring a
Live band, outdoor bars, and a barbeque. The Wisconsin Marching band will arrive to play at 5:15 pm so get there early to meet your friends. This will be major outdoor party that should not be missed!

The Las Vegas Hilton Sports Book will feature the opening NFL game Saints vs. Colts 5:30 pm start. The Badger party will be right outside the Sports book. The Las Vegas Hilton Sports book is Las Vegas' largest with over 28 screens. It will feature the NFL game and Badger football highlights.

Following the Street Party join Badgers fans inside to the Shimmer Cabaret featuring the hottest band in Las Vegas, The Sunset Strip Band 9:30pm - 1:30am

Sirens of TI® Special Performance for Badger Fans TI-Treasure Island 7 pm, 8:30 pm and 10 pm (weather permitting)

Kahunaville Party Bar-- Party at the pool TI-Treasure Island 7- 10 pm

This is a true Badgers fan comfort zone with an outdoor, tailgate-style party featuring Johnsonville® Brats and Miller® Beer specials.

Wisconsin Marching Band Concert TI-Treasure Island 8:30 pm
Special "pep rally" concert featuring the Wisconsin Marching Band. This is the best way to see the band and hear the full array of music for a 90 minute show in the air-conditioned, non-smoking TI Ballroom. All those attending will have a chance to win a vacation package to the Kalahari Resort & Water Park in the Wisconsin Dells! General admission, standing room only tickets $30 in advance, or $40 on the day of performance. Go the Treasure Island Box Office or call 877-2-SHOW-LV. If you can't make on Thursday, try Friday, September 7 instead.

Friday, September 7

Fashion Show Mall Welcomes the Wisconsin Marching Band 12:30 pm

See the Wisconsin marching band take the Fashion Mall by storm featuring video boards and a spectacular performance!

Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino 2-2:30 pm The Playing Field/Sports book Appearance by the Wisconsin Marching Band

Wisconsin Badger Pep Rally Mandalay Bay Events Center 4-6 pm The famous Mandalay Bay events center transforms into a giant pep rally featuring music and a festival atmosphere. Badger greats Barry Alvarez, Pat Richter and Al Toon will be featured. The Wisconsin Marching Band arrives to drive the enthusiasm to a feverish pitch at 5 pm. Please arrive early to enjoy food and all your favorite Wisconsin beverages.

Sirens of TI® Special Performances for Badger Fans TI-Treasure Island 7:00 pm, 8:30 pm and 10:00 pm (weather permitting)

Wisconsin Marching Band Concert TI-Treasure Island 8-10 pm

Special "pep rally" concert featuring the Wisconsin Marching Band. This is the best way to see the band and hear the full array of music for a 90 minute show in the air-conditioned, non-smoking TI Ballroom. All those attending will have a chance to win a vacation package to the Kalahari Resort & Water Park in the Wisconsin Dells! General admission, standing room only tickets $30 in advance, or $40 on the day of performance. Go the Treasure Island Box Office or call 877-2-SHOW-LV. If you can't make it on Friday, try Thursday, September 6 instead.

Kahunaville Party Bar Badger Party TI-Treasure Island 7 pm-2 am

Badger party featuring drink specials and live entertainment. All those in attendance will have a chance to win a vacation package to the Kalahari Resort & Water Park in the Wisconsin Dells!

Saturday, September 8 - Badger Game Day!

Badger Blast/Huddle East of Sam Boyd Stadium 4:30 -6:30 pm

Attend the World's Largest Tailgate party featuring live entertainment, Las Vegas Showgirls, the Sirens of TI®, and of course the Wisconsin Marching Band. Over 10,000 Badgers fans come together in a pre game event to beat them all! Tickets are $40 at the gate.

UNLV vs. Wisconsin Game Sam Boyd Stadium 7 pm local time 

The Wisconsin Badgers attempt to win again in Las Vegas. Featuring the famous 5th Quarter with the Wisconsin Marching Band.

Sunday, September 9 -Packer Game Day!

Green Bay Packer Parties 10 am-1 pm Kahunaville Party Bar at TI-Treasure Island Or The Playing Field at Planet Hollywood

Note: There will not be a scheduled event at Fremont Street on this trip. Sorry we know it was a great tradition!

Have fun and travel safe Badgers fans! Go Bucky!!

The Wisconsin Badgers Football team certainly got a little help from Appalachian State this past Saturday afternoon.  Then ranked #5 Michigan Football team had two field goal attempts blocked by a team looked as as sure win by Michigan fans, players and coaches.

Now you can't even see Michigan ranked in the top 25! I have a feeling they will be back.  But for now let us enjoy the glory.  The Wisconsin Badgers had no trouble with Washington State. This weekend they play at UNLV.  This will seem like a home game, as Badger fans are heading out to Las Vegas in droves to wear red and white and sweat out brandy and cokes in the 100 degree Vegas heat!  Then after Citadel comes to Camp Randall Stadium, the Wisconsin Badgers will get in to Big Ten Football play with Iowa Hawkees being their first opponent at home on September 22.  Wisconsin Badgers tickets for this and other Big Ten games aren't plentiful and they aren't cheap; which you could assume given the first statement.  I just spoke with a few first timers to Camp Randall and they were on the fence with what is more fun; a Green Bay Packers home game at Lambeau Field or a Wisconsin Badgers football game at Camp Randall Stadium. Thoughts?

Expectations are high in Madison this year for the Wisconsin Badger football team. The Badgers, last year, had their best season since their Rose Bowl trips in the late 1990's going 12-1 and finishing number seven in the nation. However the most impressive aspect of last years season is that it was head coach Bret Bielema's first season Barry.

Last year, the Badgers cruised through the Big Ten schedule with one lose against Michigan, they had many doubters due to the ease of their schedule. Their non-conference games last year featured Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego St., and Buffalo. In the conference they missed out on playing Ohio State. Despite their 11-1 record they went into the bowl season ranked #12. They played a good Arkansas team in the Capital One Bowl. The Razorbacks dominated most of the stats, but the Badgers still managed to pull out a 17-14 win.

This year the Wisconsin Badgers are starting the season ranked in the top 10. They return a lot of last years starters from last season, but they do have to replace some key players and this years schedule will be more difficult than last.

This years schedule is definitely harder than last year. The non-conference schedule is bit more challenging this year with Washington State as their home opener. Washington State Cougars are projected to be a bowl team. UNLV, The Citadel, and Northern Illinois should pose no problems. However, the conference schedule looks to be a challenge. They have to travel to Ohio State and Penn State, but luck out in getting Iowa and Michigan at home. This year Purdue and Northwestern will not be featured on Wisconsin schedule.

The Badgers return a lot of talent from last year. There isn't much elite talent, but that is how Wisconsin wins. They put better than average players at each position and play sound football. The end result is the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Their style of play is one of grinding it out, playing solid defense, and hoping you can pull out a 17-14 win. You can win a lot of games that way, but going undefeated is extremely difficult, especially through a tough conference like the Big Ten where with just a few big plays you can find yourself down by a couple of scores very quickly. If the Badger offense has to come back from behind they are done.

The Wisconsin men's basketball team will face teams from the Big East, Big 12, SEC and ACC, among others, during its 12-game non-conference schedule. Like the last two seasons, UW will open its exhibition season with a pair of games vs. in-state schools, this year facing Edgewood College and UW-Eau Claire.

The Badgers open the regular season on Nov. 11 at the Kohl Center against IUPU-Fort Wayne. UW will then host the America's Youth Classic, a four-team round-robin tournament, on Nov. 15-17. As part of the tournament, Wisconsin will play Savannah State (Nov. 15), Florida A&M (Nov. 16) and Colorado (Nov. 17). The tournament, which benefits the Eddie Robinson Foundation, is in its ninth year and has been hosted by schools such as Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Oregon.

On the Saturday following Thanksgiving, Georgia will head to Madison to face UW. The Badgers close the month with their first road game of the season, at Duke on Nov. 27, as part of the annual Big Ten-ACC Challenge. That game will start at 8 p.m. and be televised nationally by ESPN.

December opens with a home game vs. Wofford on Dec. 3. Wisconsin then welcomes long-time rival Marquette to the Kohl Center on Dec. 8. That starts a three-game stretch of in-state opponents for UW. On Dec. 12, the Badgers make their first trip to UW-Milwaukee since 2001, Bo Ryan's first season in Madison.

Wisconsin's final two non-conference home games, both against members of the Horizon League, sandwich finals week. The Badgers host UW-Green Bay on Dec. 15 before facing Valparaiso on Dec. 22. UW closes the non-conference schedule with a game at Texas on Dec. 29. That game will start at 11 a.m. and be televised nationally by ESPN2.

The Big Ten portion of the Badgers' schedule has not been released. The Big Ten Conference will release that schedule later in August.

2007-08 Wisconsin Men's Basketball Schedule

Day Date Opponent Time TV

Sunday Nov. 4 edgewood college (Exhibition) 7 p.m.

Wednesday Nov. 7 uw-eau claire (Exhibition) 7 p.m.

Sunday Nov. 11 IUPU-Fort Wayne

Thursday Nov. 15 Savannah St. (America's Youth Classic)

Friday Nov. 16 Florida A&M (America's Youth Classic)

Saturday Nov. 17 Colorado (America's Youth Classic)

Saturday Nov. 24 Georgia

Tuesday Nov. 27 at Duke (Big Ten-ACC Challenge) 8 p.m. ESPN

Monday Dec. 3 Wofford

Saturday Dec. 8 Marquette

Wednesday Dec. 12 at UW-Milwaukee

Saturday Dec. 15 UW-Green Bay

Saturday Dec. 22 Valparaiso

Saturday Dec. 29 at Texas 11 a.m. ESPN2

Lance Smith, a running back with the University of Wisconsin football team, has been suspended for violating the University's Athletics' Student-Athlete Discipline Policy. Smith is suspended from playing the 2007 season pending further information relating to his case. According to a statement from the Madison Police Department, Smith and his girlfriend argued over how much money she owed him for cab fare ( he said $10, she said $5).

The woman told police that during the dispute, Smith -- whose legal name is Smith-Williams would not let her out of his North Randall Street apartment and pushed her down as she tried to leave. Smith then told the woman to go to a nearby convenience store to get change for a $20 bill, still arguing, Lance Smith pushed her down in the store, the woman told police.

As she fell, the woman dropped the $20 bill and Smith allegedly picked up the cash and took her shoes. The woman called police to report the incident Saturday afternoon, and Smith was arrested. During the suspension, Smith will remain on the official squad lists and may continue to receive support service in the sports medicine facility, the academic support center and the weight training room.

Seniors Joe Thomas  and Sara Bauer are the University of Wisconsin's recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor

The Big Ten's oldest award, the Medal of Honor, is given annually to a student athlete in the graduating class of each university who has shown proficiency in academics and athletics.

Joe Thomas, Wisconsin's first winner of the Outland Trophy, which honors college football's top interior lineman. He was selected first-team All-American, Walter Camp, Rivals.com, SI.com, Associated Press, The Sporting News, CBS Sportsline.com, Pro Football Weekly and ESPN.com. The Brookfield native was one of 11 finalists for the Wuerffell Trophy which recognizes student athletes for their community service, academic and athletic achievements.

A business major, Thomas was chosen as a second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American  and is a three-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 and Academic All-Big Ten selection. He was just the fourth Badger to receive a National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame post-graduate scholarship. Thomas was picked No. 3 overall in the 2007 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.

Sara Bauer was a top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award which she won in 2006. She was selected as the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player after leading the Badgers to their second-straight national title. The USCHO National Player of the year and WCHA Player of the year, Bauer was named first-team All-American for the second time. The St. Catharines, Ontario, native finished first in the NCAA with 48 assists and second in the NCAA with 72 points in 41 games.

A kinesiology major, Bauer is one of only seven players in NCAA history to surpass 200 career points and holds 17 Wisconsin records including career points (218), career assists (138) and career game-winning goals (18). She was selected as the WCHA Scholar Athlete, ESPN the Magazine At-large Academic All-American of the year a second year, and was an Academic All-WCHA and All-Big Ten honoree.

Wisconsin Badgers basketball player Alando Tucker was named the male University of Wisconsin Athletes of the Year.

Alando Tucker, a finalist for every national player of the year award in the country, is one of the most decorated University of Wisconsin men's basketball players in school's history. He won the Lowe's Senior CLASS award, given to the top senior in the country and became just the third consensus first-team All-American in school history. Tucker was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year averaging 20 points and leading the Badgers to a remarkable school-record 30-6. Along with Brian Butch, he was the first UW athlete featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was instrumental in helping the team earn the first No. 1 national ranking in school history.

A red shirt senior who graduated in May, Tucker set a number of career records at the University of Wisconsin. He passed Michael Finley becaming the school's all-time scorer, finishing his career with 2,217 points, ninth-best in Big Ten history.

Former Badger goaltender Dave McNab, an assistant general manager with the Anaheim Ducks, will  see his name etched on the most famous trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup

A 1975 draft pick of the St. Louis Blues, McNab skated in 16 games for the Wisconsin Badgers during his career and posted a respectable 2.85 goals-against average to go along with a sparkling 10-2-0 record. He was a member of the UW's 1977 NCAA Championship team.

Now McNab has reached the pinnacle of the ice hockey world by helping put together a Stanley Cup championship team.

Former Wisconsin men's basketball player Michael Finley and the San Antonio Spurs captured another NBA title Thursday night with an 83-82 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Michael Finley is the second Wisconsin Badger to play on an NBA title team. Wes Matthews won two rings with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987 and 1988.

Finley started all 20 games of the Spurs' championship run through the playoffs, averaging 11.3 points and shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range in 26.9 minutes per game.

Finley is in his 12th season in the NBA. Drafted in the first round by the Phoenix Suns in 1995, Finley was traded to Dallas midway through the 1996-97 season. He went on to play eight seasons for the Mavericks and averaged more than 20.0 points per game in five of those seasons.

Former Badger standout Michael Finley and the San Antonio Spurs play Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2007 NBA Championship.

Michael Finley, who played at the University of Wisconsin from 1992-95, is currently number two on Wisconsin's all-time scoring list with 2,147 career points. He averaged at least 20.0 points in each of his final three seasons

In his 12th season in the NBA, Finley is making his first appearance in the NBA Finals. He and the Spurs defeated Denver, Phoenix and Utah, losing just four games in the playoff series. Finley has started all 16 games during the playoffs, averaging 13.1 points in 28 minutes per game.

Finley  in his second season in San Antonio, averaged 22 minutes per game this year while playing 82 regular-season games. Drafted in the first round by the Phoenix Suns in 1995, Finley was traded to Dallas midway through the 1996-97 season. He went on to play eight seasons for the Mavericks.

The Wisconsin Badger football team has to play against tougher opponents. As we all saw last year, you may go 12-1 which is a great season, the Badgers football team only went to the Capital One Bowl. Not to say that the Capital One Bowl is not a great bowl game, but to play a BCS game in my eyes is a little better. Last year the only ranked team the Badgers played was the Michigan Wolverines. Throw in one or two more competitive teams to play against the Badgers and we may have seen another BCS controversy: three Big Ten teams in the BCS. That being said this years schedule for the Wisconsin Badgers may look a little better than last. At least they added Ohio State and Washington State to their schedule. Along with those teams they added the Citadel, UNLV, and Northern Illinois to their schedule which are not fluff teams, but teams that will likely not help the Badgers football ranking.

All that being said, would it not be great to see the Wisconsin Badgers football team play teams such as USC, Notre Dame, University of Miami, LSU, and Texas in the regular season. I know one thing for sure, it would make for some exciting regular season games. Of course with a schedule like that, a team likely going 12-1 is unlikely, yet it may help fix the BCS controversy. I know I would rather buy a ticket to see Wisconsin Badgers play Notre Dame than I would the Badgers play the Citadel.

The University of Wisconsin football team finished the 2006 season with a school record of 12-1 (7-1). Under new head coach Bret Bielema, the Badgers football team concluded their record breaking season with a victory over the University of Arkansas to win the Capital One Bowl 17-14. Closing out the 2006 season, the Badgers finished with a national ranking of number seven in the AP Polls and fifth in the USA Today/Coaches poll.

The 2007 University of Wisconsin Badgers football team will be returning most of their starters minus last year anchor Jon Stocco and Joe Thomas. However, they are already considered one of the top teams in the nation and should be able to make another bowl trip if not the national champion ship game in New Orleans.