Sixty minutes of football — the best football Barry Alvarez said he has seen his team play — came down to one botched punt return.
Michigan beat Wisconsin’s football team 20-17 Saturday on Hayden Epstein’s 31-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining. The Wolverines kicked on first down, after recovering a muffed punt by Brett Bell.
Michigan had been stopped on its own 47-yard line with 26 seconds remaining in the game with the score tied at 17. Alvarez said he decided to go after the punt and, failing a block, take a knee and go to overtime. Hence, the Badgers did not bother to line up a deep returner to field the punt.
Epstein took the snap and punted the ball 40 yards to the Wisconsin 13, where it took an awkward bounce and glanced off UW freshman Bell’s thigh.
Bell was in the area trying to block the Wolverines’ Brandon Williams, who had run to cover the punt, but after Bell touched the ball Williams recovered and strolled into the end zone. According to the rules, the punting team cannot advance a ball recovered after it touches a player on the receiving team but the recovery.
But the damage was done. Officials awarded Michigan the ball where Williams touched it, on the 13.
Then Epstein gave Michigan the lead.
Just over a minute earlier, Wisconsin’s Mark Neuser missed a 36-yard field goal attempt that would have put UW ahead 20-17.
The Badgers had finished a 15-play drive that lasted 7:26 and ended on the Michigan 19 after Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger was sacked. But the drive was the only significant offensive push by either team in an increasingly tense fourth quarter.
UW tied the game with 1:38 left in the third on a successful 46-yard Neuser field goal. The Badgers had climbed back from a 17-7 deficit early in the third, mostly with momentum gained from defense.
Prior to the Neuser kick, UM’s John Navarre was subject to severe pressure on two consecutive plays. On third and 14 from his own 26, Navarre was knocked hard by senior Nick Greisen and lost his grip on the ball, which was promptly scooped up by Anttaj Hawthorne.
A drive earlier Wisconsin moved 71 yards in 3:14, powered by Mark Anelli’s 22-yard catch on third and three from the 30. Freshman Anthony Davis capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown. Davis took a handoff and feinted left before switching field and breaking around the right side and diving over the end zone pylon.
Davis led Wisconsin with 103 yards on 27 carries as the Badgers outgained Michigan 292 to 163. Navarre was just 11-24 with an interception and freshman Jermaine Gonzales was ineffective in one drive.
After Epstein’s game-winning field goal Bollinger’s two attempts in the final 10 seconds were incomplete.
