Dec. 4, 2011
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes
Postgame Notes
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State
Big Ten Football Championship Game
Dec. 3, 2011
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, Ind.
Team Notes
• Wisconsin wins its second-consecutive Big Ten championship and earns a second-straight Rose Bowl berth.
• Wisconsin will make its eighth appearance in the Rose Bowl all-time, including four appearances in the BCS era.
• The Badgers claimed their 13th Big Ten championship and repeated as Big Ten champions for the first time since the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
• At 11-2, the Badgers have secured at least 11 wins for the fourth time in school history.
• The Badgers are now 32-7 since the start of the 2009 season, the best record of any Big Ten team over that span.
• Wisconsin’s senior class now owns a four-year record of 39-13 and can tie the school record for wins by a senior class (40) with a victory in the Rose Bowl.
• Since the start of Big Ten play, Wisconsin has forced 21 turnovers and turned 17 of those into touchdowns.
• Wisconsin turned each of its five red-zone opportunities into touchdowns, improving its nation-leading red-zone touchdown percentage to .871 (61 of 70).
Individual Notes
• Senior QB Russell Wilson has thrown at least one TD pass in 37-straight games, breaking the NCAA record of 36 held by Graham Harrell of Texas Tech.
• Wilson was named winner of the inaugural Grange-Griffin award as the Big Ten championship game MVP.
• With three TD passes today, Wilson has 31 for the season, becoming just the fourth QB in Big Ten history to throw at least 30 touchdown passes in a season (Purdue’s Drew Brees, 1998 – 39, Purdue’s Kyle Orton, 2004 – 31, Ohio State’s Troy Smith, 2006 – 30). The 31 TD passes is tied for second-most in Big Ten history.
• Junior RB Montee Ball has scored at least two touchdowns in every game this season. Ball has 38 touchdowns on the season, second-best in NCAA history, trailing only Barry Sanders (39 in 1988).
• Ball has scored at least three touchdowns in eight of Wisconsin’s 13 games this season.
• Ball is now 2-of-2 passing on the season, with both completions going to Wilson. In addition to his 32-yard pass tonight, Ball and Wilson hooked up on a 25-yard TD pass against Indiana.
• Sophomore WR Jeff Duckworth’s TD reception in the first quarter was the first touchdown catch of his career. Duckworth matched his career high with 3 receptions for 53 yards
• For the second-straight week, sophomore LB Conor O’Neill forced a fumble on a kickoff return. Sophomore TE Jacob Pedersen came up with his first career fumble recovery.
• Junior SS Shelton Johnson has recorded an interception in each of the last three games and has four on the season.
