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Arizona State Sun Devils @ Wisconsin Badgers Football Recap

Wisconsin 20, Arizona State 19 

On the same day that Arizona received good fortune because of a missed extra point by a Big Ten opponent, the Arizona State Sun Devils received bad fortune because of the extra point they missed against a Big Ten opponent.

Clearly, one Arizona school made a deal with the devil and profited from it. The other Arizona school – the Sun Devils – didn’t have anyone to make a deal with. The troops from Tempe, Arizona, were left muttering to themselves after a strong performance ended in a one-point loss, a typical disappointment for an almost-but-not-quite football program.

Yes, Arizona State once again failed to close the sale in a meaningful football fight. The Sun Devils have so many resources at their disposal in suburban Phoenix, with its sunny weather and agreeable campus environment. Arizona State should be a better program than its recent results have suggested, and for most of the afternoon in Madison, Wisconsin, ASU actually looked the part of the superior program, pushing around the Badgers at the line of scrimmage.

However, in the end, victory once again eluded the Devils by the smallest of margins.

A blocked extra point with 4:09 to play gave the Wisconsin Badgers a narrow victory over visiting Arizona State.  After Cameron Marshall’s two-yard touchdown run gave the Sun Devils a 20-19 lead, Wisconsin’s Jay Valai surged through the middle of the line to swat down Thomas Weber’s PAT attempt and preserve the Badgers’ lead.

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John Clay started slow but finished with 22 carries for 123 yards and a touchdown for Wisconsin.  Scott Tolzien completed 19 of 25 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown.

After a Philip Welch field goal gave the Badgers a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, Omar Bolden took the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to give the Sun Devils the lead.

Wisconsin took a lead into halftime after Tolzien hit Lance Kendricks for a 14-yard score with 10 seconds to play in the second quarter.

The Badgers’ kick coverage was again an issue after Kendricks’ touchdown, as the boys in home red jerseys allowed Arizona State’s Kyle Middlebrooks to run the kickoff back all the way to the one-yard line.  Luckily for Wisconsin, time had expired and no damage was done. Credit is also due to Wisconsin’s Shelton Johnson for staying with the play and running down Middlebrooks at the 1. If Johnson hadn’t hustled to the fullest possible extent, Arizona State would have grabbed a 17-13 lead and reaffirmed its momentum after outplaying the Badgers in the first half. As it was, Wisconsin outpaced the Devils by a small but real margin; in a one-point game, little margins mean a lot.

Weber’s field goal early in the third quarter tied the game.  Clay gave the Badgers a 20-13 lead with a 19-yard touchdown run with 2:48 left in the third.

Wisconsin couldn’t put the Sun Devils away, and Cameron Marshall’s late two-yard run looked like it would tie the game, until Valai’s block made the difference at Camp Randall Stadium.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer