[media-credit name=’Ben Smidt’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]TAMPA, Fla. — After a late charge came up short, No. 17 Wisconsin (9-3) fell 24-21 to No. 7 Georgia (10-2) in the 2005 Outback Bowl Jan. 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Wisconsin trailed 24-13 with less than five minutes on the clock when linebacker Andy Crooks intercepted a David Greene pass deep in Georgia territory and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown to bring the Badgers within a field goal at 24-21 with 4:13 to play in the fourth quarter.

“We needed a play, otherwise the game was over right there,” safety Jim Leonhard said. “You felt like it was our game. You need a play so bad and everyone knows it and to come up with a play like that, you just kind of feel like everything is swinging back in your favor and you got it.”

After scoring 15 unanswered points to battle back from a 24-6 third-quarter deficit, Wisconsin needed a defensive stop to give the offense a chance to complete the comeback. But the Badger defense could not control tailback Thomas Brown, who picked up three first downs on the final drive to run out the clock.

After Brown led the Bulldogs into the red zone, the Badgers stopped the freshman tailback just short of the 14-yard line to bring up a fourth down and one with 1:38 remaining.

“Everybody wanted to go for it,” Georgia head coach Mark Richt said. “You make it and the game’s over.”

Brown got the call with the game hanging in the balance, and the freshman broke an 11-yard run to move the chains and put the game out of reach. With no timeouts remaining, Wisconsin could do nothing but watch the final minute of its season tick away as Georgia closed out the victory with a pair of kneel-downs.

“We couldn’t stop them there on that last play,” Crooks said. “That’s tough because we had a chance. We could have won the game if we could have stopped them.”

From the outset, Georgia played the role of the aggressor. The Bulldogs made a statement on the opening possession, charging out of the gates with a 12-play, 78-yard scoring drive to take an early 3-0 lead on a 20-yard field goal from Brandon Coutu.

Wisconsin responded on the first play of Georgia’s next drive, as cornerback Scott Starks drilled Brown after a short completion to force a fumble. Leonhard recovered the ball on the Georgia 22-yard line, setting up a 46-yard field goal for senior Mike Allen that tied the score at 3-3.

The play momentarily shifted the momentum in the Badgers’ favor, but left Wisconsin without its starting middle linebacker, Dontez Sanders. Sanders went down after initiating the contact with Brown before Starks came in to force the fumble. He would spend the remainder of the game watching from the sidelines with his arm in a sling. Junior LaMarr Watkins, who appeared in just five games this season, replaced Sanders at the “mike” slot.

With the first quarter winding down, Ben Strickland broke through the line and nearly blocked a punt from Gordon Ely-Kelso, whose kick sailed just 16 yards to give Wisconsin strong field position on the Georgia 49-yard line.

The Badgers moved inside the red zone after a pass-interference call and an 11-yard completion to Brandon Williams, but the drive stalled after quarterback John Stocco was sacked twice on consecutive downs. Wisconsin was forced to settle for a 44-yard field goal, which gave the Badgers a 6-3 lead early in the second quarter.

Georgia’s struggles continued on the ensuing possession, as cornerback Chuckie Cowans intercepted a deflected pass at the Wisconsin 44-yard line. However, the Badgers failed to capitalize on the turnover and Greene and Co. were back on the field after a quick three-and-out.

Then the Bulldogs took over. A holding penalty and a one-yard loss brought up a third down and 21, but Greene kept the drive going with a 25-yard strike to Reggie Brown that put the Bulldogs inside Wisconsin territory on the 37-yard line. Five plays later, Greene hooked up with Fred Gibson for a 19-yard touchdown pass that gave Georgia a 10-6 lead with 7:38 to play in the first half.

The Bulldogs came out firing in the second half, staging a three-play, 54-yard scoring drive on their first offensive possession. Greene opened the drive with a 21-yard toss to Sean Bailey, and Brown took the Bulldogs down to the 24-yard line with a 24-yard scamper off a shovel pass.

On the third play of the drive, Wisconsin safety Robert Brooks deflected a pass intended for Bailey and fullback Jeremy Thomas picked the ball out of the air at the 16-yard line and rumbled into the end zone for his first career touchdown. The bizarre sequence put the Bulldogs ahead 17-6 with 9:16 remaining in the third quarter and drew a rare smile from Georgia head coach Mark Richt.

“That was one heck of a way for Greene to get his 20th touchdown pass,” Richt said. “I usually don’t get a grin on my face in the middle of a game, but I had to smile at that one.”

The Bulldogs added to the lead on their next possession, this time turning to the ground game. After Georgia took over on the 47-yard line following a DeBauche punt from his own end zone, tailback Danny Ware brought the Bulldogs into the red zone with a 23-yard run. Two plays later, Brown broke through the UW defense for a 29-yard touchdown run to put Georgia on top 24-6 with 6:33 to play in the third quarter.

Trailing by 18 points with 21 minutes remaining in their season, the Wisconsin offense came alive. Faced with a third down and nine on his own 13-yard line, Stocco hit Darrin Charles for 20 yards to keep the drive alive.

On the next play, Stocco connected with Owen Daniels on a 30-yard strike to move into Georgia territory. Four plays later, Stocco found Charles in the corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown to cut the Georgia lead to 24-13 with 3:16 to play in the third quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff Georgia’s Tyson Browning fielded the kick near the goal line and appeared to step out of bounds in his own end zone, but the officials ruled him down on the one-yard line. The controversial sequence prompted Alvarez to wonder whether the play would have been overturned if the officials had access to instant replay review.

“I’m in favor of instant replay and I did mention to the officials — I’m sure they’ll be using it soon,” Alvarez said.

After a quick stop from the defense, Wisconsin took over on its own 43-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Stocco launched a 39-yard bomb to Brandon Williams that put the Badgers inside the red zone. But the drive stalled at the 19-yard line and Allen’s 37-yard field attempt sailed wide right.

Wisconsin started its next offensive series from the Georgia 31 after a personal foul added 15 yards to Leonhard’s punt return. The Badgers failed to take advantage, as Thomas Davis knocked the ball loose on a sack and Jarvis Jackson recovered the fumble on the 35-yard line.

The Badgers again marched deep into Georgia territory on their next possession and again failed to score. On first and goal from the five-yard line, Outback Bowl MVP David Pollack sacked Stocco and tore the ball out of his hands, registering a forced fumble and a fumble recovery before he hit the ground.

After three trips into Georgia territory, the Badgers failed to cut into the Bulldogs’ lead. Though Crooks would make things interesting with a dramatic interception return to score his first career touchdown on his 19th birthday, Wisconsin’s late run came up three points short.

For Wisconsin’s 24 graduating seniors, the Outback Bowl defeat will serve as the final chapter in what began as a storybook season.

“It’s a weird feeling right now,” Leonhard said. “You’ve had times when you came off a loss, you always got one more. But now it’s over.”