By halftime, Wisconsin running back Montee Ball had gained 60 of the Badgers’ 93 meager yards thanks to an inspired Illinois’ defense on Senior Day at Memorial Stadium.
Then, Ball ran away for 164 yards and two touchdowns in the second half and the Badgers (9-2, 5-2) erased a 17-7 halftime deficit to move within one win of a berth to the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game after a 28-17 win over the Fighting Illini (6-5, 2-5). Ball rushed 38 times on the afternoon, gaining 5.9 yards per carry against the nation’s 24th-ranked rushing defense.
The effort was crucial for the Badgers, as quarterback Russell Wilson was unable to establish much of a passing attack outside of his six completions for 67 yards to wide receiver Nick Toon. Ultimately, Wisconsin’s offense lined up for 58 total plays and handed it off to Ball more than 65 percent of the time.
“That’s what I was telling myself during halftime; I’ve got to make plays, playmakers have to make plays,” Ball said. “Me, Toon, Russell and players on the defense, too, and we did. It shows that we’re capable of overcoming adversity.”
After opening the game with an eight-play drive that lasted 5:21 but only resulted in 26 yards, the Badgers failed in the first half to string together anything longer than a four-play, 41-yard drive early in the second quarter that ended with a Wilson fumble. The Illini, meanwhile, gained 224 yards on 42 plays in the first half. Quarterbacks Nathan Scheelhasse and Reilly O’Toole, combined, completed 17 of 19 passes for 113 yards. Both of Illinois’ first-half scoring drives lasted at least six plays, the first consuming 64 yards in 3:01 and the second taking 13 plays, 56 yards and 2:53.
Wisconsin’s first touchdown came at the 2:55 mark in the second quarter on a 1-yard rush two plays after Illinois punter Justin DuVernois mishandled a punt that the Badgers recovered at the Illini 2-yard line.
“To come over here, [we] knew we were walking into a little bit of a storm,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “We kind of told our guys to be braced for an initial surge and [we] obviously didn’t play well in the first half.”
But in the second, with the score kept manageable by a series of Illinois miscues, Wisconsin’s offense looked to its running attack even more, handing the ball off to Ball 36 times. After linebacker Mike Taylor recovered a fumble at the Illinois’ 25-yard line, the Badgers took 12 plays to go just 30 yards, rushing Ball 10 times. Ultimately, Wilson capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Ball, who had been left wide open after his defender got trapped over the middle of the field.
Later in the quarter on a 3rd-and-1 from Illinois’ 35-yard line, the Badgers chose another run and Ball rushed up the middle, broke two tackles and then surged near the right sideline 34 yards to the 1-yard line. On the next play, Wilson faked the handoff to Ball and scampered easily to his left on a naked bootleg that caught the run-weary Illinois defense off guard on the last play of the third quarter and put Wisconsin up 21-17.
“Me and him talk about it all the time – just be great, don’t settle for anything less,” Wilson said of Ball. “During practice, we talk about that and it shows up on the field.”
The Badgers never relinquished their lead, and Ball tacked on another score with a dazzling 17-yard run with 12:12 remaining in the fourth quarter. Ball took the handoff from Wilson, cut right, stiff arming one defender with his left hand and then spinning to his left, leaving Illini defensive back Terry Hawthorne completely spun around.
By the end of the game, Ball had set forth a Herculean effort that struck a distinct tone in the UW locker room.
“Best in the country, the best in the country – hands down,” Henry said of his impressions of Ball. “The stats speak for themselves; he’s cut weight from last year and he looks good, man.”
