Lucas at 50: History against Northwestern full of twists and turns
September 27, 2019 | Football, Mike Lucas
A look back at the Badgers’ most memorable matchups with the Wildcats
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer Mike Lucas is celebrating 50 years of covering the Badgers in 2019. Join us throughout the season as we take a look back at some of the most memorable moments from his career in Madison.
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — From heartbreaking to heartwarming …
It was one of the most gut-wrenching setbacks of the Barry Alvarez era, a 34-30 loss to Northwestern in 1996 that was so improbable that nearly a decade later, upon retiring from coaching, Alvarez confided, "That was one of the toughest losses I've ever been through and I've never gotten over it. That was a game that we had in the bank, a game that we were going to win."
With a Camp Randall crowd looking forward to a joyous Fifth Quarter celebration, Wisconsin took over the ball on its own 38 after Northwestern's Brian Gowins missed a potential game-tying field goal attempt from 55. The Badgers merely had to run out the final 1 minute and 33 seconds to secure their first Big Ten win after down-to-the-wire losses to Penn State (23-20) and Ohio State (17-14).
But on second down, tailback Ron Dayne bobbled a handoff from quarterback Mike Samuel and Wildcats safety Eric Collier recovered the fumble. Two plays later, Steve Schnur hooked up with D'Wayne Bates for the winning touchdown pass. Alvarez was criticized afterwards for not directing Samuel to take a series of knees though he did the math and noted, "We couldn't run out the clock."
Thus, it would have still necessitated a Wisconsin punt with time remaining and Alvarez rationalized that there was a greater risk from a high snap or blocked kick than a quarterback-tailback exchange. Among the head coaches who came to his defense was Michigan State's Nick Saban, who pointed out that he would have made the same decision under the circumstances.
Following the game, Alvarez met with the media and maintained, "If I had to do it over again, I would have run the same play and given the football to the same kid."
That kid went on to win the Heisman Trophy his senior year and was the meal ticket for back-to-back Big Ten championships and Rose Bowl victories.
Dayne thanked Alvarez for his supportive postgame comments. "I think he bounced back quicker than me," Alvarez quipped. "I know he did."
Alvarez had to deal with that sick feeling for nearly 12 months.
Or until the Badgers and the Wildcats met again on Oct. 4, 1997 at Ryan Field.
This Wisconsin team had an unmistakable resolve and resiliency that came to the forefront a week earlier at Camp Randall Stadium after Indiana, a two-touchdown underdog, took a 26-24 lead with 53 seconds remaining on Andy Payne's 43-yard field goal.
The game, and maybe the balance of the season, came down to fourth-and-15 from the UW 49. Quarterback Mike Samuel, who struggled most of the day, delivered a strike to Tony Simmons for a gain of 22 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Matt Davenport (pictured above (#28)) was summoned to kick a field goal.
Asked if he had any last-second words of encouragement or inspiration for his 5-foot-7, 160-pound placekicker, Alvarez said, "I didn't say anything to him because I normally don't talk to him and I sure as hell wasn't going to now — if I show up, I may rattle the kid.
"I remember one year being with Lou (Holtz) at Notre Dame and Lou got all over the kicker in practice. The kicker said, 'You know, you make me nervous.' And Lou shot back at him, 'Well, I do plan on being at the game.' So, I really was thinking about going over and saying something to him (Davenport), but I thought that's the worst thing I could do."
Wisconsin defensive end John Favret did go up to Davenport and told him, "Whether you make it or not, we still love you." Tim Rosga, the holder, reminded Davenport that he made three straight field goals from almost the exact same distance and spot on the turf during the pregame warmup.
"I've made this kick 100 times before (in his mind) — this type of kick with the game on the line is a kicker's dream," said Davenport, who calmly booted the game-winner from 43 yards with six seconds left. "To be honest, I knew it was going to be good before I kicked it."
Alvarez was thinking the same thing on the sideline. "He's a confident little rat," he said of Davenport. "What do the kids call him? Money? Our players call him Money — like money in the bank."
During the on-field victory celebration, long snapper Mike Schneck tackled Davenport and fell on his right arm. Schenck dislocated his elbow. His loss was felt the following week at Northwestern.
When Schneck's sub, Mike Sowald, airmailed a snap over his punter's head into the end zone and the Wildcats fell on it for a touchdown, it was keeping in character with a game of momentum swings that aired on ESPN and featured six lead changes, six lost fumbles and 708 yards of total offense.
"I'm sure whoever tuned in," suggested Northwestern coach Gary Barnett, "didn't tune out."
The Badgers kept getting in their own way with a fumbled quarterback-center exchange at midfield, a blocked extra point, a lost fumble on the goal line and a blocked punt. Trailing 25-23 with 3:59 remaining, they were on the brink of dropping their fifth game in their last six trips to Evanston.
The odds mounted as the Wildcats were in the process of draining the clock and driving for more points to seal the verdict, a drive that took them to the UW 8-yard line. In the defensive huddle, linebacker David Lysek implored everyone "to relax, go for the ball and let's make something happen."
On the sideline, Davenport assured Solwold, if the Badgers did get a stop and one last chance to win the game with a field goal, "You get it back to me and I'll knock it through."
Meanwhile, Lysek kept reminding his defensive teammates, "Stay calm and keep your poise" and something good will happen. And it did. Lysek and cornerback Soup Campbell combined to knock the ball loose from Northwestern tailback Faraji Leary, who was subbing for the injured Adrian Autry.
The Badgers recovered the fumble and started the series from their own 4 with 1:16 left. As Samuel confidently and steadily moved the chains, guiding the Badgers to midfield, Alvarez was thinking that they'd have to get the ball to the Northwestern 30 for a reasonable crack at a game-winning kick.
Davenport begged to differ, "I said, 'Hey, Coach, if you can get the ball to the 35, I feel like I've got plenty of distance.' When the offense got it to the 30, he asked me, 'You got it?' I said, 'Got it.'" That was enough for Alvarez, who replied to Davenport, "What the hell, let's get it."
As he was running on the field, Sowald remembered what Alvarez had said to him after his errant punt snap, "He told me, 'Stay positive. We're going to need you to win this game.'"
Davenport never had any doubts and boomed a career-long 48-yard field goal. For the second week in a row, the winner came with six seconds left. "We worked too hard for me to miss that kick," he said. "I knew I hit it solid. You could just feel it — the sweet spot. And I saw it go right down the middle.'
Gushed Alvarez, "They call him Money and there's a reason they do."
During his postgame remarks, Barnett related how Alvarez shook his hand and observed that the crowd in Evanston got its money's worth (no pun intended) from such a roller-coaster ride to which Barnett revealed, "That's about the same thing I said to him last year" after the game in Madison.
From heartbreaking to heartwarming …
A fitting headline for the last 28 games in the series, split down the middle, 14-14.
