UW Falls to Northwestern, 51-48
October 08, 2005 | Football
The University of Wisconsin football team suffered its first loss of the season, dropping a thrilling 51-48 decision to Northwestern Saturday afternoon at Ryan Field.
Down 51-41 with 3:31 left in the game, the 14th-ranked Badgers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) got a break when they recovered a Wildcat (3-2, 1-1) fumble and scored on their ensuing drive. Wisconsin then forced NU to punt and got the ball back on its own three-yard line. However, QB John Stocco threw an interception on the first play and the 'Cats ran out the clock for the victory.
Stocco ended up 24-for-31 for a career-high 326 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. All four went to WR Jonathan Orr, who caught five passes for 87 yards.
RB Brian Calhoun notched 23 carries for 122 yards and one score in addition to a team-high 11 catches for a career-high 128 yards. WR Brandon Williams added six receptions for 93 yards.
Northwestern QB Brett Basanez was 26-for-36 for 361 yards and three touchdowns, plus he ran for another. RB Tyrell Sutton totaled 244 yards off 29 carries and scored four times (three on the ground, one in the air).
UW led 17-10 at the half with scores from Orr (15-yard touchdown catch), Booker Stanley (five-yard TD run) and Taylor Mehlhaff (27-yard field goal). But in the third quarter, in which the Badgers have not allowed any points entering the contest, Northwestern scored 27 points to take the lead for good.
Wisconsin held on, though, and didn't trail by more than 10 points until Sutton reeled off a 62-yard TD run to make it 51-34 with 4:22 left.
Stocco marched the team right back, capping off a three-play drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Orr. The two hooked up again 1:05 later after Joe Monty recovered Sutton's fumble.
But the magic ran out for UW, as Northwestern's Reggie McPherson intercepted Stocco's pass with 1:23 left in the game.
The Badgers stay on the road next week, taking on Minnesota at 11 a.m. in Minneapolis.
