Wisconsin Stuns Michigan 23-20
September 24, 2005 | Football
John Stocco's 4-yard touchdown run with 24 seconds remaining gave No. 24 Wisconsin a 23-20 win over No. 13 Michigan in the Big Ten opener Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. Junior running back Brian Calhoun, who entered the game leading the nation in rushing, carried the ball 35 times for 155 yards and also posted his ninth score of the year. It was the first victory over Michigan for the Badger program since 1994.
The win also marked the ninth-consecutive home win for the Badgers, tying a school record that was last accomplished during the 1960s.
Following a Michigan punt, Wisconsin, trailing 20-16, received the ball on its own 48 yard line with 4:29 to play in the game. The Badgers marched 52 yards in 4:04, highlighted by 20 rushing and 19 receiving yards by Calhoun during the drive. Stocco capped the drive with a score from four yards out on third and goal. Taylor Mehlhaff kicked the extra point to give the Badgers a three-point lead.
Michigan would get in four plays in the final 24 seconds, including a 24-yard pass from Chad Henne to Jason Avant. On the last play of the game, Henne slipped and was sacked at his own 20 yard line.
The Badgers tallied 21 first downs in the winning effort and totaled 287 yards of offense. Wisconsin also entered the game as the Big Ten's leader in time of possession and had the ball for 34:31 compared to Michigan's 25:29.
Calhoun led Wisconsin's rushing effort with 155 yards to mark the seventh 100-yard rushing game of his career. Calhoun also was a threat on the receiving end, hauling in seven catches for a team-best 59 yards. Stocco went 15-of-32 for 147 yards in the air.
The Badgers, who are 4-0 for the second consecutive season and the fourth time under Barry Alvarez, played in front of 83,069 fans at Camp Randall. The crown was the second-largest in the history of the facility.
A Michigan field goal at 9:44 in the second quarter followed by a Jason Avant touchdown later in the period gave the Wolverines a 10-0 lead. Wisconsin would get on the board later in the second when Mehlhaff connected on a 35-yard field goal. Michigan would answer with a field goal of its own in the closing seconds of the first half to take a 13-3 lead into the locker room.
At 8:59 in the third quarter, Melhaff hit a career-long 43-yard field goal to help the Badgers inch closer, 13-6. That would prove to be the only scoring in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Melhaff hit a 27-yard field goal at 12:47 to mark his first career multi-field goal game and cut Michigan's lead to four, 13-9. The Badgers would take their first lead of the game almost a minute later when Calhoun scored from six yards out. The touchdown was set up following a Michigan fumble that was caused by Johnny White and recovered by Max Martin. Wisconsin took over at its own 12 yard line and took two plays to take the lead.
With just over nine minutes to play, Michigan retook the lead after Henne connected with Mario Manningham for a 49-yard touchdown. The Wolverines led 20-16 following the extra point.
Wisconsin (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) will play host to Indiana next Saturday in Camp Randall Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcast live by ESPN2.
Game Notes
Tonight's crowd of 83,022 was the second-largest in Camp Randall Stadium history. The biggest crowd to watch a Badger game at Camp Randall was 83,069 vs. Minnesota on Nov. 6, 2004 ... The win was Wisconsin's ninth consecutive at Camp Randall Stadium. That ties the school record for consecutive home wins. The Badgers also won nine straight home games from Oct. 31, 1953-Oct. 1, 1955 and from Nov. 18, 1961-Oct. 12, 1963 ... Wisconsin defeated a ranked team for the first time since defeating fifth-ranked Purdue 20-17 on Oct. 16, 2004 ... The Badgers are 4-0 for the second consecutive season and the fourth time under Barry Alvarez ... It was also the Badgers' first win while trailing in the fourth quarter since the Purdue game and the 22nd fourth quarter of the Barry Alvarez era ... Wisconsin defeated Michigan for the first time since 1994 ... Brian Calhoun, who entered the game leading the country in scoring, ran for his ninth touchdown of the season, a six-yard score in the fourth quarter. Calhoun also recorded the seventh 100-yard rushing game of his career, carrying the ball 35 times for 155 yards ... Johnny White, who forced the fumble that set up a Wisconsin touchdown, also recorded the first interception of his career in the fourth quarter. The two turnovers came on consecutive Michigan possessions ... Mark Zalewski's fumble recovery in the fourth quarter was the second of his career ... Wisconsin entered the game leading the Big Ten in time of possession and held a 34:31-25:29 advantage over Michigan in tonight's game ... Taylor Mehlhaff's 43-yard field goal in the third quarter was the longest of his career. Melhaff also kicked a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 27-yarder in the fourth quarter. He entered the game with just one made field goal in his career ... Ken DeBauche's 59-yard punt in the first quarter was his career-long. He also had a 57-yard punt in the third quarter. DeBauche, who entered the game as the Big Ten leader in punting average, averaged46.0 yards on six punts.
Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin Head Coach Barry Alvarez
Opening comments: 'It's a great win for our program, for the kids. They really fought hard. We beat a very good football team, beat them in a four-quarter game. Just really pleased with the effort our guys made and the plays they made down the stretch. They did what they had to do to walk off there with win. A lot of guys really fought hard. I thought the atmosphere was second to none. I thought it was fantastic, I'm really pleased with the win and pleased with my players.'
On his emotion following the game: 'It 's a big win. It's a big win and we put a lot into it and it's a good team that we beat. I'm thrilled with the win, it's one of the bigger wins we've had in our program, I think. I'm just excited for the players because of how hard we've worked, how they've improved since we started camp and how they just get better. And the thing I really like about it is how they compete.'
On the thought going into the last drive: 'Well, we weren't milking the clock, we were aware of the clock, but we also knew that we had two timeouts. Brian Calhoun really helped us and made it a little easier with the yardage he got when he got out on the flank. Boy, you can see what a sprinter's speed does, and that is a fast defense and they ran it down the inside a couple times, but he made some tremendous runs and got us some extra yardage down in there where it's tough and crowded. As we progressed, when we decided to run the quarterback draw, we had an extra timeout, I thought it was a good call. Henry Mason is the one that mentioned it on the sideline, he said, `Look at them inside, they are flying out of there, ' and I thought it was a good call, rather than hand it off or to throw it in the end zone. I thought it was very safe because we had an extra timeout and we'd have another throw. I thought we managed it well, I would have liked to take it down to 10 seconds. I didn't want to give them the ball. We saw in that Bowling Green game that a lot can happen in a few seconds.'
On Michigan's defense keying on Brian Calhoun: 'Well their defensive linemen were flying out of there and if Brian isn't touching the ball, running the ball, we're going to throw it, so I'm sure the last thing on their minds was John (Stocco) on the quarterback draw.'
On John Stocco: 'John didn't have a lot of time to throw. I thought he managed the game well. Bottom line, he won the game. He took us down against a very good defense, they don't give you anything easy, you have to earn everything you get. John did what he had to do to win. I think he said it best, you don't look at the number and say, `Wow, that's impressive, ' but he managed the game and moved the sticks and got the ball where it needed to be. We got it in the end zone and we got more than they did and that's all that counts.'
Wisconsin Quarterback John Stocco
On touchdown run: 'I was a little surprised by the call, but it was unbelievable. Those guys did a great job of running.'
On mindset going into game: 'The number one goal is to win games. Obviously it's nice to have some success throwing the football and moving the chains. That's all pretty and good, but I just want to win games. That's the number one goal.'
On the atmosphere: 'That was the most unbelievable atmosphere I've ever been in in my entire life. The fans were incredible. I couldn't believe how loud it was. It just feels great to do this for coach. I'm really happy for him.'
Wisconsin Linebacker Dontez Sanders
On Alvarez's emotions: 'This is my fifth year. We have never beat Michigan since I've been here. I have never seen Coach that excited. He was pumped, he was emotional, it was good.'
On the atmosphere: "The crowd was so great. I was feeding off of it. My teammates were pumped. It was such a great experience. I cannot describe how I felt out there.'
On doubts: 'Never any doubts. We are Wisconsin. We came out, we practiced all week. We've got Coach B, who is just a great coach. There were never any doubts. We just went out there and played hard. '
Wisconsin Kicker Taylor Mehlhaff
On experience in game: 'This was great for me. It takes a little bit to get into a rhythm out there. I think I had a couple of short ones out there, so it was nice to bring a couple of short ones through. I knew that this game was going to be close, and it was.'
On pressure to score: 'I guess I wasn 't put in a real pressure situation. We got the field goals throughout the game. It was great for me to get a few field goals in.'
On Alvarez's remarks regarding Mehlhaff: 'I'm glad he's happy for me. I'm happy for myself. I think he means my confidence level. I've worked really hard and haven't had a lot of opportunities and this was the perfect game to get them.'
Wisconsin Defensive Back Brett Bell
On the crowd in the game tonight: 'The crowd always gets us going. It's great to have them on our side. When they have our back it's always going to get us going. We're a good team though and the crowd just helps us. '
On Michigan's final drive: 'There were no doubts in my mind that we were going to stop them. We had the right game plan, we had the right team and we just executed.'
On beating a team like Michigan: 'I always wanted to beat Michigan. When you come into the Big Ten you always want to be the teams like Michigan and Ohio State. After what happened a couple years ago it's really great to get this win.'
Wisconsin Punter Ken DeBauche
On having Zach Hampton in the game with him: 'It's really nice to have someone out there who knows what I am doing and how I am going to be punting. He always has an idea of where I am going to punt the ball and he has great awareness of where he is on the field. It's really great to have him on my side.'
How can you tell where the ball is going: 'I can feel by how I punted it where its going to be. After you punt for a while you are able to see how the ball is going through the air and then have an idea of how it 's going to bounce, how far, where it's going to roll and so on. '
On making a difference in the game: 'It 's a great feeling knowing I can help the team. It's nice to help the defense out, and see how I am affecting the game, seeing the changes in field position. It 's a good way for me to tell how I am doing, on whether the field position changes in our favor or not. It keeps me in the game knowing I am making a difference. '
Wisconsin Linebacker Nick Hayden
On this win being 'a defining win for the program ': 'It was amazing. It was always my dream growing up to beat them. We gave an outstanding effort, coming back in the fourth quarter like that, there 's not much to say but just amazing. It was awesome.'
On never giving up: 'We believed from the begging that we could do it. We stuck in there and fought our butts off just to get back where we were and win the ball game.'
On being a Michigan fan growing up: 'I was a Michigan fan growing up, but now it's great to beat them. I love being on the winning team.'
Wisconsin Defensive Back Johnny White
On coming off the bench to replace Joe Stellmacher: 'I wasn't really thinking about redeeming myself. I just didn't want to bring us down.'
On talking with defensive coordinator Bret Bielema during this past week: 'He just sat me down and told me to keep my head up. He told me you never know when your opportunity is going to arise. I guess my opportunity was today.'
Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr
Opening Statement: 'I think Wisconsin did a great job; give credit to their coaches and their players. It was a tremendous second half. We had our opportunities; we just made too many mistakes. I think particularly in the second half, their offense established an effective running game; hurt us a little bit with the screens. The big problem we had in the second half was offensively. With the exception of one big play, we just couldn't get much going. We hurt ourselves with very, very poor field position because of two turnovers and a couple of mistakes in the kicking game. Wisconsin did the things they had to do to win and we just couldn't make that happen.'
On the performance of Brian Calhoun: 'I gained a lot of respect for him. I liked him coming into this game but he is one tough guy. He keeps coming. He's proved to have incredible endurance. He does not fumble the football. For the most part, he does a great job, taking and reading his block, making great cuts in the 6-7-8 yarders. Those runs keep the chains moving, maintain possession and that's what allows you to do some great things with time of possession. '
On expecting the run on the game-winning touchdown: 'We expected them to run the football on that down because they had a time left. Even if the run isn't successful, the way they had run the football, we fully expected them to run on that down. They just did a good job of executing a good play. It was a good call on their part. We felt like we were in a decent defense. We expected the run on that down but they executed their assignments.'
On Michigan's defense getting tired in the second half: 'We were out there too long. We made some mistakes in the kicking game and gave them great field position in the entire second half. Really, we had great field position the entire first half and left some points on the board. As we got into the second half, everything changed. That probably in my mind was the biggest change. We just did not, we couldn't get a drive going where we could do some things. As we went on, our defense played extremely hard. It was a hard-hitting football game; it was a great football game.'
