2006 Wisconsin Football: The First Post-Alvarez Test
Wisconsin football was at a threshold point entering the 2006 season. Barry Alvarez, the “godfather” of the program’s modern era, was stepping down after a 14-year run where he transformed the Badgers from Big Ten bottom-dwellers into a team that went to three Rose Bowls and became a consistent contender. Bret Bielema was the new man in charge and had to show he could sustain the success. In 2006, the Bielema era got off to a strong start.
DEFENSE, THE RUN GAME & COLLECTIVE STRENGTH
It was about defense and the running game in Madison. Wisconsin ranked second in the nation for points allowed in spite of a lineup that didn’t have anyone who made All-American and only corner Jack Ikegwuono even made 1st-team All-Big Ten. The whole was much greater than the sum of the parts.
Freshman P.J. Hill was the latest in what was a long string of successful Badger running backs. Running behind a line that was led by All-American offensive tackle Joe Thomas, Hill rolled up 1,569 yards to lead the Big Ten.
A MODEST PASSING GAME
It was throwing the football where the Badgers were more limited. They had a terrific tight end in Travis Beckum, who caught 61 balls for over 900 yards. But when the tight end is by far your leading target, it usually points to a shortcoming of big plays.
Senior quarterback John Stocco was a vintage game-manager, encompassing everything—both good and bad—that this entails. His 59 percent completion rate was pedestrian, and he didn’t throw a lot. Paul Hubbard and Luke Swan were the prime wideouts, but even combined, they ended up with 73 catches for a little over 1,200 yards.
What Stocco did do was steer clear of mistakes and let the defense and rushing attack win games. And there would be a lot of the latter.
LINGERING DOUBTS
Pollsters were skeptical of this new era and left the Badgers unranked to start the season. They tuned up with easy wins at Bowling Green and over Western Illinois. They were less than impressive offensively in a 14-0 home win over San Diego State.
Big Ten play opened on September 23, and the Badgers got a quick test at sixth-ranked Michigan. It was a loaded Wolverine team that included the first overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, offensive tackle Jake Long. The Badgers were uncompetitive in a 27-13 loss.
With this coming in the heels of a non-conference run that had been exclusively against subpar teams from mid-level conferences, there was no reason for preseason skeptics to alter any opinions.
METHODICAL PROGRESS
Wisconsin settled into Big Ten play and the offense started to gain a little steam. They dropped 52 points on a visit to mediocre Indiana and then hammered a bad Northwestern team 41-9. That moved them to #25 in the polls.
Minnesota played competitive, albeit unspectacular football under Glen Mason in this era and their rivalry game with Wisconsin was often pretty good. Not this year—the Badgers hung a 48-12 blowout on the Gophers in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Wisconsin got their first poll recognition, coming in at #25.
Purdue was another team that was generally good in the early 2000s, coached by Joe Tiller and characterized by an innovative passing offense. They would win eight games this season. Wisconsin went to West Lafayette and shut that offense down in a 24-3 win.
A 30-24 home win over a terrible Illinois squad wasn’t particularly impressive, but Wisconsin was 8-1 going into November with some big games ahead.
BATTLE WITH PENN STATE
Ohio State and Michigan were clearly setting the tone in the Big Ten. Both teams were undefeated. One would play for the national championship (the system of the time picked the top two teams at the end of the regular season), and the other would go to the Rose Bowl. The next prize in the Big Ten’s bowl chain of command was the Capital One Bowl, and the chance to play a highly ranked SEC opponent.
Wisconsin was firmly in line for this bid, but Penn State stood in the way. The Nittany Lions came to Camp Randall, and the winner would have the inside track to Orlando. It was an early kickoff—11 AM local time for the ESPN audience.
Both defenses set the tone, and a grinding game was 3-3 into the second quarter. Late in the first half, the Badgers started to put a drive together. It ended with Stocco hitting Hubbard on a 23-yard touchdown pass. Wisconsin took a 10-3 lead into the locker room.
Hill was running the ball well and ended up with 148 yards. The defense shut down the otherwise prolific Nittany Lion runner Tony Hunt, holding him to 35 yards. The Badger offense never really opened up but they stayed in control. A field goal was added to make it 13-3 and that’s where it ended.
GRUDGE GAME WITH IOWA
A road trip to Iowa was next. The Hawkeyes were a fringe bowl team, but they had given Wisconsin fits each of the past three years. In 2003, a loss to Iowa cost the Badgers a New Year’s Day bowl opportunity. In 2004, it got worse—losing at Iowa in the season finale cost Wisconsin the Rose Bowl. In 2005, the Hawkeyes ruined Alvarez’s final home game. There was payback needed.
But the Badgers also needed a quarterback. Late in the Penn State game, Stocco injured his knee and was unable to go. Tyler Donovan would get the start. Donovan was a junior who had been a highly touted recruit from one of the state’s signature high school programs, but this was his first chance to make a real impact.
Donovan was up to the challenge in Iowa City. He found Beckum on a short TD pass and built a 10-0 lead. The Hawkeyes rallied with a pair of second quarter touchdowns and Wisconsin went into the locker room trailing and wondering if this would be another Iowa nightmare. But Donovan hit Swan with a 42-yard touchdown strike to get the lead and Hill’s scoring run gave some insurance. Donovan finished 17/24 for 228 yards and orchestrated a 24-21 win.
The Badgers wrapped up the regular season by dismantling lowly Buffalo 35-3. Wisconsin was 11-1, they were up to #10 in the polls and bound for the Capital One Bowl.
BEATING THE SEC AGAIN
This was the second straight year Wisconsin was in Orlando. A year earlier Alvarez had ended his tenure by knocking off Auburn. This time around, the opponent was Arkansas. The Razorbacks had a potent two-headed rushing attack with Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden and a future NFL back in Felix Jones.
McFadden got loose on a long run down the sidelines early in the game. Ikegwuono chased him down inside the 10-yard line. It proved to be a big moment—the Badger defense held and the Hogs missed an easy field goal. Meanwhile, Wisconsin kicker Taylor Melhalff nailed a 52-yard attempt before the first quarter was out.
The Badger defense gave up another big play, and this time it cost them, as Jones raced 76 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. But Stocco, back from injury, was playing well early in the game. He threw for 171 yards in the first half alone. That included a 22-yard touchdown pass to Hubbard and a 13-yard toss to Beckum. Wisconsin led 17-7 at the half.
After a first half of throwing the ball and struggling on defense, the Badgers reverted to type in the second half. Arkansas closed to within 17-14, but the Wisconsin D ultimately closed out the game. For the second straight year, the Badgers had come south on New Year’s Day and defeated an SEC opponent. They concluded the season at #7 in the national polls.
THE PROGRAM ENDURES
Even more important, Wisconsin had shown that they could still win in the post-Alvarez era. While 2007 was a modest step back and 2008 was mediocre, Bielema soon had the program trending back upward and he ultimately went to three straight Rose Bowls, from 2010-12.