BY ANDY BAGGOT
MADISON, Wis. — The last time the Wisconsin football team failed to qualify for a bowl game was 2001. Some remarkable circumstances swirled about.
The Badgers had a 1,000-yard rusher in Anthony Davis and a 1,000-yard receiver in Lee Evans for the first time in program history, but still finished 5-7 overall.
UW had six first-team All-Big Ten Conference selections in Davis, Evans, tight end Mark Anelli, defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, cornerback Mike Echols and linebacker Nick Greisen — more than the one-loss club of 2006 and the league champions of 2010 — but still finished 3-5 in the Big Ten.
The Badgers had 22 players from that roster drafted by NFL teams, including three first-round picks in Evans, Bryant and defensive end Erasmus James and six total in the opening three rounds, but still had a streak of five consecutive bowl appearances come to an end.
Wisconsin beat a top-25 blue-blood (Ohio State) on the road, but lost three times when it had a fourth-quarter lead vs. Oregon, Illinois and Michigan and surrendered 63 points — 32 in one quarter — to Indiana on the way to a losing record at home for just the third time since 1990.
Of course, 2001 is remembered for more prominent things, including a horrific terrorist attack on U.S. soil, the launch of Wikipedia and the introduction of the Apple iPod to name three, but it also was a bellwether moment for UW football.
For the last 19 seasons, the Badgers have appeared in a bowl game. That streak — the longest in the Big Ten and third-longest among Football Bowl Subdivision schools — will continue Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Charlotte, North Carolina, when they face Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Bank of America Stadium.
The meeting will be the first between Wisconsin (3-3 overall) and the Demon Deacons (4-4). It's the third time in four years the Badgers will be matched with an opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference in a bowl game. They previously faced Miami (Florida) in the 2017 Orange Bowl and 2018 Pinstripe Bowl.
Here are five more things to know:
Expanding Their Horizons
The UW-Wake Forest matchup serves to extend another noteworthy streak. It marks the ninth consecutive season the Badgers have faced at least one opponent for the first time. The other newbies were Central Michigan and Kent State in 2019; New Mexico in '18; Florida Atlantic in '17; Georgia State in '16; Troy and Miami (Ohio) in '15; South Florida in '14; UMass and Tennessee Tech in '13; and Northern Iowa and UTEP in 2012.
Road Less Traveled
The Badgers will be playing in their 32nd bowl game dating back to 1953, but just their second with a redshirt freshman projected to start at quarterback. Graham Mertz has been cleared to play following an injury sustained in the regular-season finale vs. Minnesota on Dec. 19. He'll be following in the footsteps of Brooks Bollinger, who started Jan. 1, 2000, when Wisconsin outlasted Stanford 17-9 in the Rose Bowl. Earlier this season, Mertz became the first rookie to start a season opener since John Josten did it vs. Richmond in 1978. Curiously, Mertz will be the fifth different quarterback to start a bowl game for the Badgers since Paul Chryst took over in 2015.
On the Hiring Line
The history of Wisconsin football coaching searches has its share of curiosities and what-ifs. When Elroy Hirsch went looking for someone to replace John Coatta in 1969, he spoke with San Diego State's Don Coryell before hiring John Jardine. When Hirsch needed to replace Dave McClain in 1986, he spoke with Wyoming's Dennis Erickson before settling on Don Morton. When Pat Richter fired Morton in 1990, he reached out to West Virginia's Don Nehlen before going with Barry Alvarez. When Alvarez had to replace Bret Bielema in 2012, he met with Bowling Green's Dave Clawson before giving the job to Gary Andersen. Clawson, now the coach at Wake Forest, can give Badgers fans a glimpse of his style and substance.
Running on Fumes
Due largely to injuries and COVID-19 issues, UW has a single 100-yard rushing effort this season. That came courtesy of senior running back Garrett Groshek, who carried 24 times for a career-best 154 yards vs. Minnesota on Dec. 19. Going back to 1990, here are the yearly totals for 100-yard performances for the Badgers: two in 1990, one in '91, four in '92, 15 in '93, 15 in '94, seven in '95, nine in '96, 11 in '97, 10 in '98, 12 in '99, 10 in 2000, 11 in '01, 10 in '02, eight in '03, six in '04, 10 in '05, eight in '06, 'eight in '07, 10 in '08, 10 in '09, 16 in '10, 10 in '11, 16 in '12, 20 in '13, 17 in '14, five in '15, nine in '16, 11 in '17, 13 in '18 and 10 in '19.
Logistically Speaking
With this assignment, the Badgers will have played in bowl games staged in 10 states going back to 1953 (Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas). They will also have played games in NFL stadiums housing the Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the former San Diego Chargers, all during the Chryst head coaching era.
