Cotton Bowl, Western Michigan vs Wisconsin: Highlights, score and recap
By David Rouben
P.J. Fleck will look to cap off a perfect season by beating a Big Ten powerhouse in Wisconsin. Here are the full highlights and recap for the Cotton Bowl.
The clock struck midnight on college football’s Cinderella story, as Western Michigan came up just short in the Cotton Bowl. Wisconsin’s defense made it hard for them to execute their gameplan. Corey Davis was held largely in check, as he only recorded six receptions — although one of them was a gorgeous touchdown.
Wisconsin, on the other hand, was able to do what they wanted on the offensive side of the ball, as they exploited mismatches all game long. In the end, the final score wasn’t indicative of this game at all.
With Wisconsin getting the ball first, they looked to assert their will on offense with Corey Clement. As expected their opening drive was all Clement, as he carried the ball five times. However, a circus catch by Troy Fumugali helped set up his two-yard touchdown. However, they’ve got other players in the backfield, and it was Dare Ogunbowale who stretched the Badgers’ lead to 14-0.
The Badgers’ defense frustrated Western Michigan in the opening quarter. They were forced to burn all three of their first half timeouts at the start of the second quarter when they faced a fourth-and-5. However, they converted it and got a crucial score. But just when it looked like momentum was shifting towards the Broncos, Jazz Peavy picked up 51 yards on a jet sweep. They would have to settle for a field goal, but still went into the half up by 10.
Western Michigan’s run defense has been one of their biggest strengths all year. But in the first half, Wisconsin was able to pick up 156 yards on the ground and pretty much do what they wanted to. Their best offensive weapon, Corey Davis, also struggled to get going. He had just two receptions for 32 yards as he faced a lot of double coverage. They continued to hone in on him in the second half, as their coverage on him forced the Broncos to settle for a field goal to start.
After an Anthony Lotti punt pinned the Broncos at their own three-yard line to start the fourth, the pressure was on Zach Terrell to move the ball. Instead, he threw his just his fourth interception of the season, as T.J. Edwards gave the Badgers 12 yards to work with. From there, Fumugali made another incredible catch to put the Badgers up 24-10.
At this point, Western Michigan needed a prayer, which is why Terrell tried to heave it up. That’s when Corey Davis, who was held quiet for most of the game, came up with his signature moment in the Cotton Bowl. However, the extra point was missed, which put extra pressure on them. The Broncos opted to go for the onside kick, but the Badgers recovered, and ran out the clock from there.
Despite the way it ended, Western Michigan fans should be extremely proud of their team this season. There’s no shame in losing to Wisconsin, and they were in the game right till the end. While there are questions surrounding this Broncos team, particularly with regards to P.J. Fleck, they should come back next season highly motivated.
Three stars
- Troy Fumugali – Playing under the bright lights of Jerry World, Fumugali looked like Jason Witten out on the field. He was a match-up problem for the Broncos all game long, and he made some incredible catches on third down. He finished with 83 yards on six catches and a touchdown.
- Anthony Lotti – Punters are never appreciated for what they do, but they can be crucial in winning games. Lotti was only called upon three times for the Badgers, but he averaged 41.7 yards on his punts. The turning point of the game was when he booted it 42 yards to pin Western Michigan at their own three, leading to T.J. Edwards’ interception.
- Corey Davis – It was a quiet game from Davis, especially in the first half, but he still displayed some great route-running in double coverage. He started to show a bit more freedom in the second half, and he still finished the game with 12.2 yards per catch and a touchdown.
Highlights
What’s next
The Badgers’ first game of 2017 will come against Utah State. Not exactly as big a deal as the LSU opener last year, but they’ll take it just as seriously as every other game on the schedule.
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Western Michigan’s first game following a 13-0 regular season will be against USC. It’s a big game for their program’s history, but they’ll likely head into it without P.J. Fleck.