As Miami quarterback Jacory Harris slowly rose to his feet following a vicious takedown to his lower legs, junior right guard Joel Figueroa approached the signal caller with some words of comfort. Whatever it was that Figueroa said to Harris, judging by Harris’ body language, the quarterback was not impressed.
Harris’ frustrated demeanor was evident Tuesday night, as the sophomore quarterback struggled to find the right timing with his receivers in a 20-14 loss to the Badgers. Part of this failure to connect with receivers resulted from the constant pressure the Badgers defense put on Harris all night. The Badgers defense sacked Harris five times and hurried him countless others.
While Harris never found a rhythm until his team was already down by ten late in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, as he consistently was able to get rid of the ball right before defenders could reach him. Tolzien methodically picked apart the middle of the field with short routes to his tight ends Garrett Graham and Lance Kendricks. Graham and Kendricks combined for 13 receptions and 201 yards.
On the ground, Wisconsin RB John Clay did his best workhorse impression by carrying the ball 22 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Clay busted a 52-yard run early in the second quarter that led to his 3-yard touchdown run that gave Wisconsin a 14-7 lead. The touchdown, which was set up by a brilliant block by tight end Lance Kendricks, proved to be the go-ahead score for the Badgers.
The Hurricanes did look sharp in the first minute of the game. After an 86-yard kickoff return by kick returner Sam Shields, Miami running back Graig Cooper beat everyone to the left corner of the endzone on a 16-yard touchdown run. Up 7-0 with 14:45 left in the first quarter, the Canes would be unable to score again until there was 1:27 left in the game. The Wisconsin defense seemed to set the tone for every Miami offensive play in between those two scores.
The MVP of the Wisconsin defense was DE O’Brien Schofield who led the defensive effort with three sacks including a forced fumble that led to a Philip Welch field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Though Clay was the official MVP of the Champs Sports Bowl, Schofield and the rest of the defense were the decisive factors in the Badgers win.
With the win, the Badgers capped off their sixth ten-win season in school history. The win also was the Badgers’ first against a ranked opponent this season and a huge step in convincing the coaches and media that the Badgers should be a top 25 team to start 2010.
With a long offseason approaching, the Badgers are hoping a 10-3 record and Champs Sports Bowl win can serve as motivation for next year. After all, Badger fans are hoping that next year around this time, they can book tickets to Southern California instead of Orlando.
Comments
A hell of a game, and a hell of an article.
Go Badgers!! It was a great game for the D.
Put his name on the ballot, clay proved hes a legitimate candidate for next year's heisman race,and don't be surprised if monte ball helps him get there. Ball had a great game, and the ability to switch it up with only makes Clay more dangerous.
It will be great to watch Champs Sports Bowl, i have bought tickets from TicketFront.com looking forward to it.
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