And The Football Gods Smiled On Us » Brats & Beer

January 2, 2007
posted under: Badgers football, Capital One Bowl, effin Bears, Packers

I love the way the holidays always come to a close with over-indulgence in food, drink and football, though I’m not sure which hangover is the toughest to beat.

Well, it was a fine couple days for Wisconsin football with both the Packers winning in Chicago and the Badgers closing out their season with a win at the Capital One Bowl. What better way to ring out the old year and start the new.

Green Bay put on a fine defensive clinic against the Bears, scoring twice off the five interceptions from Rex Grossman and Brian Griese. The offense again sputtered in the red zone but it was enough to get the 26-7 win and finish the season 8-8. How about that Ruvell Martin? Seven catches for 118 yards. Greg Jennings better be watching his back next year.

Of course all the talk is about Brett Favre’s on-camera waterworks when Andrea Kremer stuck her big microphone in his face and asked if this was the end of the line for No. 4. Yeah, the guy was emotional and all, I mean he just played a pretty good game and his team responded in kind. The season is over. Who wouldn’t be a little emotional? I think after a few weeks in Mississippi with his favorite tractor, Favre will be back for another year at least. The parts are starting to fall into place for this team and he wants another shot at a Super Bowl.

The day afterwards, though, it was the Badgers time to shine, beating Arkansas 17-14 in Orlando. Again, it was the defense that carried the day, holding back the Piggies throughout the second half while the offense sputtered. I’m still not sure what was not working that they couldn’t move the ball on the ground — the month of rest did not do Wisconsin any favors — but they did enough for the ugly win. Brett Bielema is certainly off to a good start to his career, finishing his first season with a school-best 12-1 record. Hopefully this will help recruiting this spring and lead to another good season in 2007.