Rose Bowl, TCU Vs. Wisconsin: Horned Frogs Win The Granddaddy, 21-19

In the aftermath of the 2011 Rose Bowl, TCU and Wisconsin fans are celebrating and mourning a hard-fought game. SB Nation's Mountain West community credits the win to the Horned Frogs' high-flying aerial attack edging out the Badgers' stalwart run game:

They took it to Wisconsin in the passing game by getting deep passes early in that first quarter for their two touchdowns. TCU had trouble all game stopping the Wisconsin running game and was getting abused all day by the Wisconsin offensive line and the running of Montee Ball and John Clay.

On a more somber note for Badgers fans, Mountain West types also credit Wisconsin's offensive playcalling for the victory, never a good thing to hear from one's enemy. SB Nation's Wisconsin community, Bucky's 5th Quarter, fiercely concurs:

After ending the regular season on such a roll that made it seem like they could do no wrong, the Badgers fell victim to a number of mistakes and fell 21-19 to TCU in Wisconsin's first Rose Bowl since 2000.

The offense committed penalties, dropped passes and missed blocks. The defense missed tackles, got lost in coverage and dropped interceptions.

It was a game of missed opportunities.

But what everyone will be talking about is UW offensive coordinator Paul Chryst's play-calling, especially on Wisconsin's last offensive play of the game.

For more scores and highlights of the 2010 college football postseason, browse our complete bowl schedule & results page.

TCU linebacker Tank Carder put on quite the show in the Rose Bowl. First of all, Tank is the greatest name for a linebacker out there. Add in his crazy life story and you've got the recipe for the perfect human interest story. And, of course, he lived up to his name as the TCU Horned Frogs dropped the Wisconsin Badgers in the Rose Bowl, 21-19, thanks in large part to Carder's play.

With the game on the line as Wisconsin lined-up for a two-point conversion, Carder came through again for the Horned Frogs. The Badgers had a man open in the end zone after a blown defensive assignment, but Carder timed his leap perfectly, batting down Scott Tolziers pass to preserve the TCU win.

Carder was a born athlete, participating in about every sport imaginable as a kid. Before he took to football, Carder was a BMX prodigy, racing all over the world before he even hit his teenage years. After dominating the sport, winning seven national titles, Carder gave it all up and turned to football.

The route he took to TCU, however, is more amazing than his play in the Rose Bowl. At 13 years old, Carder was in a serious car accident and doctors wondered if he'd ever walk again. Carder, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the car after it hit a tree. He suffered a punctured diaphragm, broken back and two punctured lungs after the car rolled over him.

As you may have heard during the broadcast, Carder was unable to take the contact that came with football for the next three years, but longed for organized athletics after the accident. He became a kicker, getting off the field to avoid contact until doctors cleared him to go full-out on the field during his sophomore year in high school. Quite the far cry from what we saw today, isn't it?

On Saturday, Carter etched his name into TCU, and Rose Bowl, lore. The junior linebacker finished with nine tackles, a sack and the two-point conversion breakup. For his efforts, he was named the defensive player of the game.

In a Rose Bowl filled with plenty of captivating storylines, Carder may have just been the best.

After two weeks of waiting through blowouts and snoozers, the Grandaddy of Them All delivered. The 2011 Rose Bowl is destined for the hall of classics, with its two deserving opponents and tight finish. The win was never out of reach for either team, but a quick run through the numbers points the way to TCU's victory over Wisconsin:

Credit where credit's due, the Badgers outgained the Horned Frogs, 386-302. And despite the rapid-fire scoring in the first period, both defenses played with stalwart resolve, at least according to the stat sheet: These teams were tied for fourth place nationally in scoring offense headed into today's game, with each averaging over 43 points a week, and both offenses were held to less than half their customary outputs.

Clean, efficient play was the order of the day for the most part in Pasadena, with all sides playing turnover-free ball and accumulating modest penalty yardage. Wisconsin did fumble twice, but never lost the ball. The Badgers were 6-15 on third-down conversions; the Horned Frogs 6-10. Wisconsin, it should also be noted, converted on both fourth-down plays they attempted.

So let's get to what didn't work, and why it didn't matter: The Badgers recorded 226 rushing yards, just below their season average. The Horned Frogs, boasting the nation's seventh-ranked rushing offense thanks to the tireless efforts of Ed Wesley, were held to 85 on the ground, but they also had an aerial attack to turn to that matched up favorably with the Badgers' pass defense, with Andy Dalton and his receiving corps averaging over nine yards per pass play.

As for what didn't work for Wisconsin, and why it did matter: TCU's top-flight defensive front seven got Scott Tolzien to the ground twice, ending one possession, and that missed field goal in the second quarter proved costly. And really, that's all.

What we saw in the 2011 Rose Bowl matched, for once this postseason, the billing we were sold by the game marketers: two excellent teams playing up to their potential. When a contest pairs combatants so closely matched, however, it's the little mistakes that shift those tiny margins. TCU was just a little bit cleaner today, and that's all the room they needed.

Either the defenses are adjusting to Pacific time in the fourth quarter of the 2011 Rose Bowl, or the offenses are finally running out of juice after barreling about largely unchecked for 45 minutes.

Three scoreless possessions go by, and with7:32 remaining in the game, Wisconsin gets the ball at their own 17-yard line. John Clay takes the bulk of carries, and just under five minutes later Montee Ball comes back in for a four-yard touchdown punch. This is about where all hell breaks loose.

Scott Tolzien attempts a two-point conversion pass to Jacob Pedersen, but Tank Carder is there first for TCU. He swats the ball away, and it's as good as over.

Brent Musberger intones, "Welcome back to one of the most important onside kicks in the history of the Rose Bowl," but the Horned Frogs' Bart Johnson comes up with the short ball, and Wisconsin has just one remaining timeout. TCU runs time off the clock; Andy Dalton takes two knees, and the first mid-major team to play in the Rose Bowl is going home victorious. Final score from Pasadena: TCU 21, Wisconsin 19.

via www.mocksession.com

The remainder of the third quarter of the 2011 Rose Bowl hardly lives up to the action-packed first few minutes. A sack on Scott Tolzien on third down stifles Wisconsin's first possession. An incomplete pass by Andy Dalton slows TCU's roll on their second series. It's TCU's punt downing that provides the only real entertainment of the period, with a hopping series of lobs pinning Wisconsin at the Badgers' three-yard line. Scott Tolzien and Montee Ball can't get their team too far out of the endzone, and a punt hands the Horned Frogs delightfully favorable field position, at their own 38. A 13-yard rush from Waymon James runs the clock out on the third quarter in Pasadena, where the Horned Frogs lead the Badgers, 21-13.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more live scoring updates, and follow along with Horned Frogs and Badgers fans in our live game discussion threads on Mountain West Connection and Bucky's 5th Quarter.

The third quarter of the 2011 Rose Bowl is underway, and right off the bat the Horned Frogs are back to their high-flying ways of the first period. A 15-yard penalty on second down moves TCU from deep in their own territory to near midfield. Ed Wesley catches a monster 33-yard pass from Andy Dalton two plays later, and the play after that, Jimmy Young hauls in an 11-yarder. Matthew Tucker gets 13 yards on a ground carry on the next snap, and in just over a minute, the Horned Frogs have traveled from their own 42 to Wisconsin's 1-yard line with three plays. Luke Shivers rams in the one-yard score, and with 12:24 remaining in the third quarter, the Horned Frogs lead the Badgers, 21-13.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more live scoring updates, and follow along with Horned Frogs and Badgers fans in our live game discussion threads on Mountain West Connection and Bucky's 5th Quarter.

The second quarter of the 2011 Rose Bowl starts out with a whimper that's a sharp contrast to the bangs and clangs of the first period. We rejoin the action in Pasadena with a Wisconsin drive that takes almost six full minutes off the clock and ends with Philip Welch missing a 39-yard field goal attempt. TCU posts a rare three-and-out, and the Badgers take over for a drive that will consume the remaining seven minutes of the first half. The possession is highlighted by a fake punt on 4th-and-9 that's completely telegraphed but sees Brad Nortman gain 11 yards to keep the series alive, and beyond that it's the Montee Ball and Scott Tolzien show once again, with erstwhile Heisman hopeful John Clay seeing only limited touches in his second game since returning from riding the injury bench. TCU's defense stands up a little stiffer once the Badgers cross midfield, and after two one-yard rushes and a short pass, Philip Welch is sent out for a 37-yard field goal attempt. Wisconsin's latest score will take us through to halftime, with the Horned Frogs leading the Badgers, 14-13 in Pasadena.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more live scoring updates, and follow along with Horned Frogs and Badgers fans in our live game discussion threads on Mountain West Connection and Bucky's 5th Quarter.

Neither of these well-regarded defenses in the 2011 Rose Bowl appears particularly inclined to play defense at this juncture. Jeremy Kerley returns the Badgers' post-score kickoff 35 yards, and the Horned Frogs set up at their own 43 with just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter. A first-down rush by Ed Wesley goes for one useless yard, but on 2nd-and-9 Andy Dalton hits Josh Boyce across the left hash for a 44-yard gain. Dalton runs for eight more yards on two touches himself, and on 3rd-and-2 scrambles left for a four-yard touchdown. With 1:18 remaining in the first quarter, the Horned Frogs regain the lead, 14-10. David Gilreath runs TCU's kickoff back 15 yards; Montee Ball gains five more on first down for the Badgers, and that'll take us to the end of the first quarter in Pasadena.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more live scoring updates, and follow along with Horned Frogs and Badgers fans in our live game discussion threads on Mountain West Connection and Bucky's 5th Quarter.

The Horned Frogs' storied war-machine offense takes the field for their first possession of the 2011 Rose Bowl, and Ginger Avenger Andy Dalton gets to work, either passing or rushing himself on every single play of what ends up being a three and a half-minute scoring drive. With 6:55 remaining in the first quarter, Dalton connects with Bart Johnson for a 23-yard touchdown, and TCU takes a 7-3 lead.

Not to be outdone, Wisconsin's offense takes less than three minutes to complete an answering scoring drive of their own. Montee Ball and Scott Tolzien alternate rushing and mid-range passing duties, and in six plays, John Clay barrels into the endzone on a one-yard touchdown punch, returning the 10-7 lead to the Badgers with 3:46 remaining in the first quarter.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more live scoring updates, and follow along with Horned Frogs and Badgers fans in our live game discussion threads on Mountain West Connection and Bucky's 5th Quarter.

We're underway at the Granddaddy of Them All, the 2011 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, on a sunny afternoon under streaky skies. Rose Bowl Parade Grand Marshal Miz Paula Deen trots out with the coin, with the camera selfishly cutting away before she can be shown winging bricks of cream cheese into the crowd. TCU wins the toss, and the game is afoot.

Right away, the Horned Frogs' vaunted defense appears to take one on the chin. Wisconsin's Montee Ball runs right on first down for a good 40 yards ... and after a brief celebration, the play is called back on a false start by the improbably-named Nick Toon. Five straight rushes and one incomplete Scott Tolzien pass later, Philip Welch boots a 30-yard field goal through the uprights. With 10:43 remaining in the first quarter, No. 5 Wisconsin leads No. 3 TCU, 3-0.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more live scoring updates, and follow along with Horned Frogs and Badgers fans in our live game discussion threads on Mountain West Connection and Bucky's 5th Quarter.

What will decide the 2011 Rose Bowl Game? It will probably come down to whether Wisconsin or TCU can impose its will.

The Badgers enter the game with the nation's fourth-ranked scoring offense, but have averaged an absurd 67 points over their last three contests. (Against Michigan, Northwestern, and Indiana, sure, but that's 201 points in three games.) They'll have a tough test before them in the form of TCU's defense.

The Horned Frogs lead the nation in scoring defense, pass defense, and total defense, and are third in rush defense. Much of that statistical success has come against middling Mountain West squads, but TCU allowed just 31 points against its two BCS conference opponents this year, Oregon State and Baylor.

Wisconsin's running game will try to wear down the TCU defense; the TCU defense, which also leads the nation in third down conversion percentage, will try to get the ball back to its offense — which comes in tied with Wisconsin's in scoring. Whichever unit wins that battle should win the Rose Bowl.

Sometimes, in games of strength on strength, it's that easy.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream right up through game time, as we review key unit matchups, odds, bowl history and more, and connect with Wisconsin fans at SB Nation's Bucky's 5th Quarter and TCU fans at SB Nation's Mountain West Connection. For a complete list of bowl games, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.

One of the better parts of the Rose Bowl Game — the Granddaddy of Them All, if you miss Keith Jackson like I do — is the pageantry of the Tournament of Roses Parade. And today's was no different. Here's the Wisconsin marching band playing the Wisconsin fight song, "On Wisconsin." (That was a lot of Wisconsin for one sentence.)

The 2011 Tournament of Roses Parade may be remembered, though, for a remark that will be amusing to the 12-year-old in all of us: KTLA personality Stephanie Edwards, in talking about the properties of various nuts when used to preserve the faces seen on some parade floats, managed to put the words "nuts" and "face" in close enough proximity for some chuckles.

The Rose Bowl Game will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Eastern, as Big Ten champion Wisconsin takes on undefeated Mountain West champion TCU.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream right up through game time, as we review key unit matchups, odds, bowl history and more, and connect with Wisconsin fans at SB Nation's Bucky's 5th Quarter and TCU fans at SB Nation's Mountain West Connection. For a complete list of bowl games, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.

To help prime you for the New Year's Day college football-gasm, we've compiled this handy list of fun factoids concerning the 2011 Rose Bowl.

Proper name: The Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio. This year's game is the first sponsored by Vizio after seven years of sponsorship from Citi.

Setting: The aptly named Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, home of the UCLA Bruins

Traditional conference pairing: Two BCS teams, typically the winner of the Pac-10 and Big Ten.

2011 matchup: The 12-0 TCU Horned Frogs and the 11-1 Wisconsin Badgers.

Announcers: The real ESPN A-Team crew comes to town for the Rose Bowl. Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit have the call while Erin Andrews roams the sidelines.

Neatest fact: The first Rose Bowl was so lopsided, officials decided football wasn't for them, electing to run chariot races and other events instead. In 1916, the football game returned and has been played on New Year's Day or Jan. 2 ever since. 

Closest finish: In 1922, California played to a scoreless tie with William And Mary in what sounds like the most depressing Rose Bowl ever.

Most lopsided finish: Two games ended as 49-0 shellackings. In 1902, the first Rose Bowl was a blowout as Michigan rolled to a 49-0 win over Stanford. It was Michigan again in 1948, this time dropping USC by a score of 49-0.

Tidbits of interest: Food Network star Paula Deen is the 2011 Tournament of Roses Grand Marshal. The Rose Bowl Parade takes place on Jan. 1 at 8 a.m. EST.

The 2011 Rose Bowl kicks off at 4:30 p.m. EST, Saturday, Jan. 1. The game will be televised on ESPN. For a complete list of bowls, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.