UW Claims Heartland Trophy in 17-13 Win Over Iowa
September 22, 2007 | Football
September 22, 2007
MADISON, Wis. P.J. Hill rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown in Wisconsin's 17-13 victory over Iowa tonight at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers claimed the Heartland Trophy while improving to 4-0 and collecting their first conference win of the season.
After a scoreless 27 minutes to open the game, the two teams combined on a flurry of points in the last three minutes of the first half. Iowa capitalized on Tyler Donovan ''s first interception of the season, converting a 41-yard field goal with 2:28 left in the half.
UW answered immediately, going 72 yards in just 1:39, capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Donovan to Travis Beckum. The key play on the drive was a run by P.J. Hill from the Iowa 20-yard line. It looked like Hill would reach the end zone but he was stripped of the ball at the 1-yard line. The ball bounced into the end zone and a scrum ensued. During the scrum, the officials blew the whistle, though the ball was still loose. UW center Marcus Coleman ended up recovering the ball in the end zone. After it was initially ruled a touchdown, the play was reviewed and it was determined that the official blew the whistle inadvertently. Wisconsin was given the ball with a first down on the 3-yard line. After an incompletion, Donovan and Beckum hooked up for the score.
Iowa was not done before the half, however. After the kickoff, they got the ball on their own 38-yard line and went 62 yards in 32 seconds. The score came with four seconds left in the half as Jake Christensen connected with Derrell Johnson-Koulianos on a 21-yard touchdown pass.
On the opening kickoff of the second half, Iowa forced a UW fumble and took over at the Wisconsin 24-yard line. The Badger defense stiffened and Nick Hayden broke through to block Iowa''s field goal attempt, keeping the score 10-7 Hawkeyes.
The score stayed that way until the beginning of the fourth quarter when the Badgers embarked on their best drive of the game, going 68 yards on 11 plays. P.J. Hill did most of the damage, carrying the ball 10 times for 43 yards. His number was called on each of the last six plays and he went two yards for the touchdown.
Iowa answered back just over three minutes later, charting 33 yards in seven plays. On a third down and 10 situation at the Wisconsin 14-yard line, true freshman Aaron Henry (Immokalee, Fla.) sacked Christensen for a loss of five yards forcing the Hawkeyes to attempt a field goal. Kicker Daniel Murray''s 37-yard attempt was good, making the score 14-13 Wisconsin with 6:29 remaining in the game.
On Wisconsin''s next drive, UW extended its lead to four points. After going 47 yards in nine plays, UW kicker Taylor Mehlhaff''s (Aberdeen, S.D.) field goal from 40 yards out gave Wisconsin a 17-13 lead.
With just 1:55 remaining on the game clock, Iowa made a final attempt to score, but was stopped by the UW defense in four plays. The Hawkeyes attempted a fourth down and eight situation, but Christensen''s pass was incomplete. Wisconsin took over at the Iowa 27-yard line, rushing for 11 yards in four plays to end the game.
Wisconsin accumulated 166 yards against an Iowa defense that was ranked eighth in the country in rushing defense, holding their opponents to an average of 62.7 rushing yards per game.
UW held Iowa to Just 2-of-16 on third-down conversions for the game, which is the most stops since Sept. 16, 2006 when Wisconsin held San Diego State to 2-of-16.
Notably, Wisconsin''s 13-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak in the nation. It is also the second-longest winning streak in school history (the longest is 17 games from 1900-1902).
Up next, the Badgers face Big Ten rival Michigan State at Camp Randall Stadium next Saturday. The Badgers and the Spartans did not meet in 2006.
Wisconsin Post-Game Notes
General Notes
' Captains: Ben Strickland, Luke Swan, Jonathan Casillas, Andy Crooks, Ken DeBauche, Tyler Donovan
' Coin Toss: Iowa wins toss, will receive.
' Kickoff Time: 7:14 p.m.
' Attendance: 82,630 (sellout) 'Ttoday was the 27th consecutive sellout at Camp Randall Stadium. ' It was the fifth-largest crowd ever at Camp Randall. ' 80 of the last 90 games have been sellouts with the other 10 games drawing at least 70,000 fans.
Team Notes
' The Badgers are 21-1 at Camp Randall Stadium since the start of the 2004 season. ' Wisconsin is one of just four programs in the nation with no more than one home loss in that time frame.
' Wisconsin''s 13-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak in the nation. It is also the second-longest winning streak in school history (the longest is 17 games from 1900-1902).
' Wisconsin is on a 10-game winning streak at home. The streak is the fifth-longest in school history.
' Wisconsin is 20-1 in its last 21 night games and has won the last 10 night games in a row.
' The Badgers improve to 56-51-4 overall in Big Ten Conference openers and are 31-24-1 at Camp Randall in conference season openers.
' The Wisconsin defense registered its first, first-quarter shutout this season and held Iowa to just 10 yards in the quarter
' The defense also stopped Iowa on five attempted third-down conversions in the first ' they held Iowa to 2-of-11 on third-down conversions in the first half.
' Wisconsin held Iowa to just 2-of-16 on third-down conversions for the game ' that's the most stops since Sept. 16, 2006 when San Diego State finished 2-of-16 against UW.
' The Badgers sacked Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen a season-high five times ' this was the most sacks for Wisconsin since it tallied five against San Diego State last season.
' The defense did not allow a single Iowa rushing yard in the first half.
' Wisconsin allowed a season-low three points in the second half tonight. This season, the Badger defense has allowed an average of 6.5 points in the second half.
' Travis Beckum''s three-yard touchdown at the end of the first half marked the 10th time in the last 13 games (and third time this season) that Wisconsin has scored in the last two minutes of the first half '. It was also the 12th time in the Bielema era.
' Tonight was the second fourth-quarter comeback for the Badgers this year and the third during the Bielema era.
Individual Notes
' With his 113 yards tonight, P.J. Hill became UW''s 11th 2,000-yard rusher. ' He is now 10th all-time in career yards with 2,081 yards. His two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter puts him tied at 10th all-time with Brian Calhoun in career rushing touchdowns (22). ' It was also the 11th time Hill rushed for 100 or more yards.
' Ken DeBauche''s 58-yard punt in the first quarter is a season long. He averaged a season-best 47.63 yards per punt tonight; ' that' 's his best game average since a 48.0-yard average against Purdue in 2006.
' Kyle Jefferson caught Donovan''s first pass of the game for the second straight game. 'The 22-yard reception is a career long for Jefferson.
' Nick Hayden''s blocked field goal in the third quarter was the first blocked field goal since Sept. 11, 2004 when Reggie Cribbs blocked a FG against UNLV. 'It was Hayden''s second blocked kick of his career (blocked PAT vs. Northwestern Oct. 7, 2006).
' Luke Swan moved up again on the Wisconsin all-time record for career yards. His 62 yards tonight moved him from 23rd all-time past Jimmy Jones (1963-64) and Thad McFadden (1980-81, 1983-84) and into 21st place with 954 yards.
' Freshman defensive back Aaron Henry registered three sacks for a loss of seven yards. 'They were the first sacks of his career.
' Taylor Mehlhaff's 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter moved him past Matt Davenport into fourth place on UW's career list (33).
Wisconsin Head Coach Bret Bielema Post-Game Quotes
Opening Comments: 'I knew it wasn''t going to be an easy game. We talked about playing a four-quarter game in our preparation. I think the guys gave us a better practice this week than anything this year up to this point.
We started out really well offensively. If I''m not mistaken, we had three turnovers and some penalties that hurt us. I think (Iowa) played a pretty clean game, they didn''t turn the ball over much and had few penalties against them. I think the way that we won this game tonight says a lot about our program, the resiliency and the beliefs that our guys have being able to pull off fourth quarter wins.'
On the final TD drive: 'P.J. (Hill) has prided himself on re-defining his body and being able to play longer fourth-quarter games. The huge part of (the TD drive) was when Lance Smith got in there and changed the game with his feet and bounced around in the end and made the huge play.'
On the defense: 'They played well. Towards the end of the second half, we called a deep kick to our left, and Taylor kind of got rushed a little bit with the new rule that the clock starts when the ball is handed to the kicker and the ref kind of rushed him. We''ve got to clean that up in the future. I thought our defense came with the right attitude. They tackled and attacked the ball well, and in the play right before the end of the first half, we had great execution and (Iowa''s receiver) was able to pull the ball down and was able to catch the ball with one hand.'
On the blitz on 3rd down: 'We knew Iowa''s quarterback is just in the beginnings of his career. He''s very athletic and agile and can obviously throw the football well. We wanted to make him make decisions, instead of letting him think through his decisions. I thought our defensive coaches in particular did a great job changing up what they do.'
Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz Post-Game Quotes
Opening Comments: 'Wisconsin''s a good football team. They deserved to win
certainly. I thought it was an outstanding football game. I thought both teams played
extremely hard. Both teams were aggressive. I just feel very badly for our guys. We
didn''t come up here to play close. That wasn''t our goal. I thought our guys played with
phenomenal effort. That''s a good football team. With what our guys did and how we
played, I''m disappointed we didn't get out of here with a win. '
On the youth of the receiving corps: 'We''re running out of playmakers; at least
experienced playmakers. But from situations like that, opportunity arises. Certainly
had some guys step up and play well. They didn''t act like freshmen out there. I didn''t
see anybody look intimidated. Certainly Derrell (Johnson-Koulianos) made some great
plays. Here''s a guy who forgot to tie his shoes on Friday at practice, but he made some
great plays, competed hard. James (Cleveland) stepped up and really did a good job and
(Colin) Sandeman stepped up and did a good job. We''ll go with what we got. The big
thing is keep improving.'
On Wisconsin''s Defense: 'You know there''s been some talk and banter up here about
the defense, but I think they answered that question tonight. They stepped up their
efforts certainly. I don''t want to say their efforts have been poor, but they played real
well on defense tonight.'
On his team: 'I thought our guys showed great resiliency. We ran out of experienced
playmakers at several positions, but they didn''t seem to hang their heads. '
On QB Jake Christensen: 'I thought Jake (Christensen) really grew today; continued
to grow. Last week was a learning experience for him. He kept his poise all the way
through, competed hard. I thought he played a smart, heady game out there. I like the
way the guy''s built, the way he thinks, the way he operates. It''s just a matter of time.
He''ll continue to show his form. I thought he did some good things. We got to get in
some more help in certain situations, but that''s going to come. That definitely was one
of the positives.'
Wisconsin Player Post-Game Quotes
Punter Ken DeBauche
On developing a punting rhythm: 'Yea I think that happens in anything you do. I felt like I was in a rhythm and I guess it showed.'
On overcoming his struggles of the first three games: 'It was nice to get out there and punt like I have been. I never lost confidence. I knew I could punt like that the whole time. It was just a matter of doing it.'
Cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu
On Iowa''s touchdown at the end of the first half: 'I think he got a little bit on my back but you have to move on. (The referee) made the call and you have to live with it.'
On the defense''s performance today: 'I think today we really came out and played well and faced a conventional offense for the time this year and we really played well as a defense.'
Wide Receiver Luke Swan
On starting the Big Ten season with a win: 'It is very important for us. I think starting off with a loss would have been very hard. Iowa came out to play and did a great job today and we were very fortunate to get the win.'
On the difficulty of moving the ball against Iowa: 'The defensive line for Iowa is very good. We knew they were going to be very good and they did a great job against us and we were just able to just come together at the right times and put together the right drives at the right time.'
Kicker Taylor Mehlhaff
On his second-half performance: 'That was nice coming through at the end there. I wasn''t real happy with the way I kicked off at the beginning of the game, but I was happy with the way I responded. Kicking that field goal was huge for us, as well as the way I kicked off in the second half.'
On preventing an Iowa return touchdown with a tackle: 'It''s never a good thing when the kicker is making tackles, but if I have the opportunity to do that, that''s what I need to do. The team is counting on me. I don''t chase the ball, but if something happens, I''m the last line of defense.'
Defensive Back Allen Langford
On UW''s new mindset with the Big Ten season underway: 'The Big Ten season arrived, so we had to go out there and make plays. We got out of the non-conference schedule, but the Big Ten season is a whole different season, so we had to step it up. We played with a lot more confidence and swagger and had a good day.'
On a hard week of practice paying off: 'We were really disappointed with ourselves after the Citadel game, so we came out there and practiced hard. We had a real good week of practice and it showed today. We went out there and played hard and swarmed the ball. Everybody was around the ball and that''s what we want.'
Defensive Lineman Nick Hayden
On the defense''s support of the struggling offense: 'We knew we had to do our jobs and we knew we had to help the offense out. They helped us out in the past games, so we came out there ready to play.'
On comparing the defense''s performance against Iowa with UW''s past three contests: 'We practiced hard all week. We knew the Big Ten season was starting so we had to get our minds right. This was one of our best performances to date. '
