Wisconsin Routs Nebraska, 70-31: Montee Ball Helps Badgers Win Big Ten Title

As a native Wisconsinite who grew up five miles east of Waukesha, I was an ardent Badger fan since I can remember. My parents got me a W red-and-white helmet & I can remember Badger grad Alan Ameche making the winning touchdown in The Greatest Game back in '58, I believe. Now I can ask my brothers for another Rose Bowl sweatshirt to match my '96 & 2000 sweats that have a giant Rose on them. The 2000 sweat was the game when the Badgers beat the Cardinal. May it happen on Jan. 1, 2013 one more time...!

ESPN has a nice summary of how badly the Badgers crushed the Huskers.

Montee Ball ran for 202 yards and three touchdowns and the Badgers scored seven touchdowns on their first nine possessions, blowing out No. 14 Nebraska 70-31 to win their third straight, and most improbable, Big Ten title on Saturday night.

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Wisconsin will be the first five-loss team to play in the Rose Bowl and is the first school to represent the league in three consecutive Rose Bowls since Michigan in the late 1970s.

It was a milestone night for the Badgers.

For the first time in school history, the Badgers had two 200-yard rushers. They finished with the fourth-highest rushing total in school history (539) and tied a conference championship game scoring record. Texas also scored 70 points in the 2005 Big 12 championship game.

And it was a fitting end to a wacky Big Ten season. Wisconsin (8-5, 4-4) only reached this year's because Leaders Division champion Ohio State (12-0) and division runner-up Penn State (8-4) were both ineligible for postseason play.

The Badgers didn't care. Instead, they took advantage of their good fortune with a night to remember.

Ball broke the Football Bowl Subdivision career rushing touchdowns record.

Melvin Gordon opened the scoring with a 56-yard TD run and closed the first half with a 60-yard run to set up another TD, rushing for a career-high 217 yards on nine carries. Three different Badgers threw passes, including running back James White who also ran for four TDs.

The defense was dominant, too. In the first half alone, Martinez was sacked three times, fumbled twice, losing one and having the early pick-six.

The Ball Is Rolling

Wisconsin's Montee Ball has scored more touchdowns than any other FBS player in history. Ball scored three touchdowns in Wisconsin's rout of Nebraska, and now has 82 for his career, four more than Travis Prentice.

Player Career TDs

Montee Ball, Wisconsin (2009-current) 82 Travis Prentice, Miami, Ohio (1996-99) 78 Ricky Williams, Texas (1995-98) 75 Taurean Henderson, Texas Tech (2002-05) 69 Brock Forsey, Boise State (1999-02) 68 Cedric Benson, Texas (2001-04) 67 DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma (2007-10) 65 Anthony Thompson, Indiana (1986-89) 65 Ron Dayne, Wisconsin (1996-99) 63 Marshall Faulk, San Diego St. (1991-93) 62 -- Through Dec. 1

Ball matched Travis Prentice's FBS record for most career games with multiple TDs (25), topped the 5,000-yard mark and was named the game's MVP. He also broke Prentice's record for rushing TDs in a career (73) and now has 76.

White added 108 yards.

Wisconsin piled up 639 total yards, and after blowing a 17-point lead against the Cornhuskers in a 30-27 September loss, Badgers coach Bret Bielema refused to let up.

Read the Article at HuffingtonPost