Big Ten Championship 2011, Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State: Badgers Headed To Rose Bowl

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Final Score: Badgers Battle Back To Win Big Ten Championship Game, 42-39

The Wisconsin Badgers are the winners of the 2011 Big Ten Championship following a thrilling contest against the Michigan St. Spartans. The Badgers won, 42-39, but they had a bit of luck on their side in the final minutes of the game. The Badgers had to punt with around two minutes left in the game, and the Spartans had returned the ball to within five yards of the Badgers' end zone. That is, until a penalty flag was thrown for running into kicker. The Badgers got a first down and ran out the clock.

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The Badgers had opened up a 21-7 lead (on the strength of two Montee Ball touchdown runs) in the first quarter before entering halftime in a 29-21 deficit to the Spartans. In the third quarter, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins had dueling 40-plus yard touchdown passes for the Badgers and the Spartans, respectively.

Still, the Badgers were down, 36-28, entering the fourth quarter. But that didn't deter Russell Wilson. He found Montee Ball for a touchdown pass before failing on the two-point conversion. Michigan State added a field goal for a five-point lead. And yet Wilson and the Badgers still didn't give up. Wilson found Jeff Duckworth for a 36-yard pass that set up Montee Ball for his third touchdown run (with four total TDs in the game, Ball now has 38 total TDs in the season.

The Badgers will now head to the Rose Bowl to face the Oregon Ducks.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Score: Badgers Take Late Lead, 42-39, Over Spartans

The inaugural Big Ten Championship has proven to be the most exciting game of the weekend. The Wisconsin Badgers lead the Michigan St. Spartans, 42-39, with 3:45 left on the clock.

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Russell Wilson and Montee Ball continue to be the cogs that power the Wisconsin offense. On a 4th-and-5 play at Michigan State's 43-yard line, Wilson escaped all kinds of trouble and threw across the field to Jeff Duckworth for a 36-yard first down catch, Montee Ball then rushed seven yards for the score, putting the Badgers in a 40-39 lead.

The Badgers went for the two-point conversion, which required more wriggling from Wilson to get the pass off. But that he did. Jacob Pedersen caught the ball for the 42-39 lead.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Score: Badgers Fail To Convert Two-Point Conversion, Down In 4th Quarter, 39-34

The Wisconsin Badgers were so close to tying the game at 36 early in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to complete the two-point conversion. The Spartans then kicked a field goal on the next drive, moving the two-point lead to a five-point lead, 39-34.

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Wisconsin's Russell Wilson completed four straight passes to bring the team to Michigan State's 12-yard line. A pass interference call moved the team to the two-yard line, setting up a Montee Ball touchdown catch after he lost three yards on his first try.

The Spartans started the next drive at its own 40-yard line. Le'Veon Bell had several small runs, but it was B.J. Cunningham who wound up having the big 24-yard run. The drive stalled inside Wisconsin's 10-yard line, which led to Dan Conroy kicking a field goal.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Update: B.J. Cunningham Grabs 3rd TD

Michigan St. Spartans wide receiver B.J. Cunningham has had quite the Big Ten Championship Game. He caught a 30-yard touchdown pass to start the Spartans' second quarter dominance. Later, he was in the right place to receive a lateral from Keith Nichol, which he took into the end zone for a score.

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Cunningham's third touchdown catch of the game came late in the third quarter. Wisconsin had brought the game to within one, 29-28, on a Russell Wilson 42-yard throw to Jared Abbrederis. But Kirk Cousins answered that with a 44-yard strike to Cunningham on a 3rd-and-6 play. Cousins and Cunningham have hooked up for all three Spartans touchdown passes in the game.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Score: Badgers Keep Game Close In 3rd Quarter, 29-28

The Michigan St. Spartans lead the Wisconsin Badgers by just one point in the third quarter, 29-28. Quarterback Russell Wilson led the charge for the Badgers. He went 4-of-5 on the drive, but it was his last pass that proved to be the decisive play of the drive. Wilson dropped back and had his face mask pulled by Johnny Adams, but he was able to stay up (it wasn't a big grab) and throw a deep pass to Jared Abbrederis. Unfortunately for the Spartans, Abbrederis was 42 yards down the field and in the end zone for the score.

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The Spartans looked poised to score on the ensuing drive since Kirk Cousins had completed three passes of 10-plus yards each. However, the drive stalled once it entered Wisconsin territory. Edwin Baker did break off a 10-yard run, but that left the team three yards short of a first down. An incomplete pass and a Spartans delay of game penalty gave way to a downed punt at Wisconsin's one-yard line.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

VIDEO: Michigan State Uses Lateral, Fake Extra Point To Take Lead Over Wisconsin

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Halftime Score: Spartans Lead Badgers, 29-21, In Wild 1st Half

The 2011 Big Ten Championship Game has gone through three phases in the first half, though the Michigan St. Spartans lead the Wisconsin Badgers, 29-21, at halftime. It began with both teams scoring on their opening drives of the game, potentially a great back and forth battle. The remainder of the first quarter, though, turned into Wisconsin dominance. The second quarter was the opposite side of the coin, as the Spartans showed true dominance.

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Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Montee Ball headlined the offense in the first quarter. The play of the quarter was Ball's 32-yard pass to Wilson, which set up Ball's first touchdown run. Ball had his second one just a few plays later after Michigan State coughed up the ball on the kick return. That 21-7 lead wasn't going to last long, however.

Michigan State scored 22 unanswered points in the second quarter. The first came on a 30-yard pass by Kirk Cousins in the first five second of the frame. On the team's next drive, a Cousins completion turned into a lateral on the sideline and then a touchdown. The extra point attempt turned into a two-point conversion. Running back Le'Veon Bell added a touchdown midway through the quarter.

Wisconsin will need Ball to regain his ability to run the ball. He had 105 yard through the first quarter and has 107 at halftime.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Score: Spartans Take 22-21 On Lateral, Two-Point Conversion

Over the first two minutes of the second quarter, the Michigan St. Spartans told the Wisconsin Badgers that they weren't out of this game, even though the Badgers had a 21-7 lead before the clock started ticking again. On consecutive drives, the Spartans found the end zone on several gutsy plays and now lead, 22-21.

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The Spartans had 4th-and-1 when the first quarter ended, but when the second quarter began quarterback Kirk Cousins stepped out onto the field. All he did was throw an 30-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham. The Spartans defense kept the Badgers to a three-and-out in the ensuing drive.

Cousins took control of things for the Spartans on his second drive of the quarter. On 1st-and-goal on the Wisconsin 10-yard line, Cousins threw a three-yard pass to Keith Nichol, who then lateraled the ball to B.J. Cunnigham while the two were near the sidelines. Cunningham took the ball into the end zone. With momentum on their side, the Spartans had Brad Sonntag run the ball in on the fake for the two-point conversion.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

VIDEO: Montee Ball Passes To Russell Wilson, Wants Starting QB Job

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Score: Montee Ball Can Run And Throw, Has Badgers Up, 21-7

The Wisconsin Badgers don't know the meaning of "let up." At the end of the first quarter, the Badgers have a 21-7 lead over the Michigan St. Spartans in the 2011 Big Ten Championship Game. After the two teams struck on their opening drives, the Badgers used some trickery and had running back Montee Ball throw a pass to quarterback Russell Wilson, who advanced the ball to Michigan State's nine-yard line.

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With the Badgers ready to score again, Ball ran nine yards over the next two plays to score his first touchdown of the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Michigan State lost control of the ball and allowed Ball to score a couple of plays later. Ball broke off rushes of 18 and 6 yards.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State Score: Badgers, Spartans Exchange Touchdowns Early

The Wisconsin Badgers and the Michigan St. Spartans wasted no time in scoring on their opening drives of the game, tying the game at seven. Russell Wilson connected with Jeff Duckworth for a three-yard touchdown pass and the 7-0 Badgers lead. But the Spartans then answered with an Edwin Baker touchdown run to tie the game after eight-plus minutes came off the clock.

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Wilson was 3-of-3 on that drive for 28 yards, including a 22-yard pass to Nick Toon. Wilson set a new NCAA record with that touchdown pass by having one in 37 straight games. Running back Montee Ball pounded the ball on the ground by picking up 53 yards. He had a key 26-yard run on the drive and is averaging 8.8 yards per carry.

For the Spartans, Le'Veon Bell had a 26-yard rush from his own 41-yard line that brought him to Wisconsin's 33-yard line. After Kirk Cousin connected with Keshawn Martin for a 13-yard reception, Bell and Baker hit the ground running, Baker scoring the touchdown to tie the game at seven.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State, Big Ten Championship 2011 Game Time, TV Schedule And More

A Hail Mary was all that separated the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans in their first meeting at Spartan Stadium. Both teams have had their ups and downs since then, though it's mostly been good times for both teams. They meet again at a neutral site on Saturday with a trip to a BCS bowl on the line, and neutral football fans can only hope that the rematch is nearly as good as the first game.

Wisconsin Badgers blog Bucky's 5th Quarter points out that Michigan State needed a lot to go their way to win the first matchup.

[T]he Badgers suffered a blocked punt, a blocked field goal, two of quarterback Russell Wilson's three interceptions on the season, a safety and the aforementioned Hail Mary, and were still tied with the Spartans as the game clock reached the single digits. A cleaner performance away from the raucous nighttime crowd at Spartan Stadium should lead to a Wisconsin victory.    

However, Michigan State blog The Only Colors doesn't think that MSU's performance was anything close to an aberration. Wisconsin has a highly-rated pass defense, but they haven't played anyone.

Wisconsin's pass defense has been ranked tops in the Big Ten by virtue of giving up only 144.5 yards through the air per game. This is my rebuttal. Quick: What do Edward Wright-Baker, Tre Robinson, Taylor Martinez, Braxton Miller, Caleb TerBush, Robert Marve, MarQueis Gray, Nathan Scheelhaase, and the Matt McGloin/Rob Bolden have in common? Those are the quarterbacks other than Kirk Cousins that Wisconsin's faced in conference this season. The Badger defense also faced Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish, who must be better than at least half the QBs I just listed. So even though Wisconsin might have the top pass defense in the Big Ten, the degree of difficulty in quarterbacks faced hasn't been too steep.    

Game date, time: 8:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, Dec. 3

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV channel: FOX

Spread: Wisconsin favored by 10 points

Series history: Michigan State leads, 30-20

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Michigan State Vs. Wisconsin, Big Ten Championship 2011 Preview: Badgers Remember Last Time

The inaugural Big Ten Championship Game pits No. 11 Michigan State Spartans against the No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Wisconsin opened the season with six consecutive wins and certainly looked the part of a national title contender. Unfortunately for the Badgers, they fell to this very same Michigan State team in East Lansing by a thrilling 37-31 final back on October 22nd and followed that effort with a four-point road loss to Ohio State. To the credit of coach Bret Bielema and his players, they managed to get back on track and close the regular season with four straight wins. Last weekend, the Badgers earned a berth in this title game by crushing Penn State by a 45-7 final.

Just like the Badgers, the Spartans carry a four-game win streak into this championship game. The lone losses this season for Mark Dantonio's Michigan State squad came at Notre Dame and at Nebraska, while the most recent win occurred last weekend over Northwestern by a 31-17 final.

Game date, time: 8:17 pm ET, Saturday, November 26

Location:  Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN

TV channel: FOX

Spread: Wisconsin favored by 10 points

Series history: Michigan State leads all-time series 29-21

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Big Ten Championship 2011: Michigan State Faces Fall From Rose Bowl To Insight Bowl With Loss

If the Michigan State Spartans defeat the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship game, they go to the Rose Bowl as champions of the Big Ten. It's as simple as bowl scenarios get, and their fans probably don't want to think about the other ones. Mostly because the other ones involve them losing the Big Ten Championship game, and most of their fans don't believe that's going to happen.

Michigan State Spartans blog The Only Colors decided to explore this question anyway. What happens if the Michigan Wolverines don't finish in the top-14 in the BCS standings and the Spartans lose this weekend?

If Michigan can't get BCS eligible, they're being selected by either the Capital One or Outback, most likely the Capital One. Nebraska will probably be snapped up by the Outback. This leaves the Insight Bowl in Tempe, and they take MSU...The Spartans will probably face Kansas State in that game.

Michigan State's life gets a bit easier if the Wolverines don't end up BCS eligible, but that's dependent on a variety of factors currently outside of Sparty's control. The best solution to this problem is to win the Big Ten Championship and let Wisconsin worry about these scenarios.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Big Ten Championship 2011, Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State: Kirk Cousins Confident Headed Into Rematch With Badgers

With first-team All-Big Ten quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Montee Ball grabbing all the headlines from the backfield, few may be aware that the No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers bring the nation's seventh-ranked defense into Saturday night's Big Ten Championship Game against No. 11 Michigan St. Spartans.

Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins, who ranks 23rd in passing efficiency, passed for 290 yards and three touchdowns in their October 22 win over the Badgers. That success gives the senior quarterback confidence heading into the rematch, Greg Johnson of The Grand Rapids Press reports.

"We were able to make some plays the first time against Wisconsin, and I think that gives us confidence going into this game," Cousins said. "I think mentally we have to go in thinking it will be a close game where it goes back and forth, and hopefully we make more plays than they do."

That October game aside, the Badgers have the country's third-ranked pass defense, allowing just 144.5 yards per game. Senior cornerback Antonio Fenelus has a team and Big Ten-leading four interceptions on the season.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

The Big Ten Seat-Filler Prankster Comes Clean

Big Ten Championship 2011, Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State: Spartans Embracing Pressure

After blocking media access prior to big games against the Ohio State Buckeyes and Iowa Hawkeyes, Michigan St. Spartans head coach Mark D'Antonio wants his players to "embrace the pressure" of facing the Wisconsin Badgers in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game. which will determine who represents the conference in the Rose Bowl, George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reports.

"There is risk and reward in everything that we do, whether it's a particular play or blitz or whatever there is," D'Antonio said. "I would say the same thing when you're challenging your players and talking with them. There is risk involved in talking with them about dreams as big as a Rose Bowl or dreams as big as a national championship. But if you don't do that, who will? Certainly nobody sitting in this room did five years ago, but here we're all sitting here talking about it. So somebody had to step out and talk about it from within."

Michigan State has three wins in four appearances in the Rose Bowl, but haven not been back to Pasadena since 1988. Wisconsin has three wins in seven Rose Bowl appearances. The Badgers lost 21-7 to the TCU Horned Frogs in Pasadena last January.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

College Football Championship Games: SEC Clearly The Hottest Ticket

SB Nation's ticketing partner TiqIQ says the SEC championship game is more than twice as expensive to get in to as any of the other four major championship games.

Big Ten Championship 2011, Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State: Badgers Not After Revenge

If the Wisconsin Badgers had stopped the Michigan State Spartans from completing a Hail Mary in their first meeting of the season, the Spartans probably wouldn't be here and Wisconsin might be in the national championship hunt. The Badgers were able to rebound from that loss to make the Big Ten Championship game and they have a chance to get their revenge on Saturday. However, according to Badgers coach Bret Bielema, via Wisconsin Badgers blog Bucky's 5th Quarter, that's not what the players are thinking about.

"I haven't really heard that out of my kids," Bielema said. "I get it why people say it but I don't really think that's existed. I think our kids want to play a game where they can play a four-quarter game, and hopefully have success."

That's about the most stereotypical pre-game coach speak you will ever hear in your life, but there's probably a bit of truth to it. A conference championship and a Rose Bowl berth should be enough motivation for the Badgers, without any need for getting revenge.   

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Big Ten Championship 2011, Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State: Badgers RB Montee Ball Closing In On Barry Sanders

Wisconsin's last-second loss to the Michigan State Spartans in October dashed the lofty hopes the Badgers had of winning a national title. No one could blame Montee Ball, however, who accounted for 139 total yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Ball has scored 15 total touchdowns in five games since, giving him 34 on the season. He is now just five shy of Barry Sanders' NCAA record.

Ball set another NCAA record last Saturday, registering his 12th straight multi-touchdown game after finding the end zone four times against the Penn State Nittany Lions. He will have the benefit of the Big Ten Championship Game, as well as the bowl game, to potentially breaks Sanders' record. Of course, it should pointed out that Sanders set his record in just 11 games during the regular season. Prior to 2002, the NCAA didn't factor bowl games into individual season statistics. Sanders accounted for five touchdowns during Oklahoma State's win over Wyoming in the 1988 Holiday Bowl.

For more on this game, head over to Wisconsin blog Bucky's 5th Quarter and Michigan State blog The Only Colors. Visit SB Nation NCAA Football for more on Championship Weekend.

Big Ten Championship 2011, Wisconsin Vs. Michigan State: Spartans, Badgers Battle At Lucas Oil Stadium

The Michigan St. Spartans and the Wisconsin Badgers are in the Big Ten Championship Game and will have a rematch of their mid-October contest. The Spartans came out on top, 28-14, but can Russell Wilson and Montee Ball lead the Badgers to a win this time?