Fumbling Badgers Still Win Big Over Wildcats » Brats & Beer

October 8, 2006
posted under: Badgers football

The UW Badgers have been battling a variety of mistakes all season, and those miscues very nearly came back to haunt them Saturday against Northwestern. Looking at the offensive stats, the first half of the game should have been a blowout, but when they went to the locker room, Wisconsin only held a 17-9 advantage because of three costly turnovers.

Wide receiver Paul Hubbard was guilty of two fumbles, both in Wildcats territory. His first turnover resulted in a field goal for Northwestern, the second came when he was hit hard by linebacker Campbell Black, a hit that sent Hubbard to the sideline for the rest of the afternoon. John Stocco also had a pass intercepted in the end zone.

Luckily, though, UW was playing the happless Wildcats, who were unable to really capitalize on those mistakes. The second half was much better for Badger Backers as Wisconsin rolled through to a 41-9 blowout. PJ Hill had an incredible day with 249 yards rushing and one touchdown, while Stocco completed 16 of 21 passes for 220 yards and one score. The defense played well all afternoon, allowing just 216 total yards by Northwestern and pitching a shutout in the second half.

The win puts Wisconsin in a tie with Iowa for third place in the Big 10. Next week the Badgers host Minnesota, who lost in overtime yesterday 28-27 to Penn State on a missed extra point by Jason Giannini. The Hawkeyes, who whipped up on Purdue, play Indiana, so UW needs a strong showing against the Gophers to maintain their position in the conference standings.