The Big Ten Title Game: 12 Hours in Indianapolis

The main entrance gate was absolutely packed, which was a good sign for attendance. After only seeing football fans for the past five hours I had come to the conclusion that attendance should be fine, but that seat-filler story was still out there, even if it was confirmed as a hoax. By the time I wound up in my “student section” seats (stuck up in the corner), the half-Wisconsin half-MSU dynamic of the stadium was clear. And indeed, the stadium was loud, dare I say boisterous, and packed almost full. The only thin spots were the extreme top level seats, and the ridiculously-expensive fifty-yard line lower level ones. And while those lower-level fans got to wave towels, Michigan State’s white ones gave off a cool effect as they gyrated during team introductions, but Wisconsin’s red ones just blended into the crowd. Obviously, this was some built-in bias that Russell Wilson and company would have to overcome.

The high stakes of the game, combined with hours of anticipation and building excitement, resulted in an even more charged atmosphere by the time the game kicked off. I’d never been in a neutral stadium for a big game that was packed into different halves, and the effect was interesting. You could feel the typical home-game excitement for any big Wisconsin play, but there was always that dark green mass looming directly across the way, chanting and hand-signaling and waving at every Cousins completion and Spartan score. Of course, that turned out to be a ton of chanting and waving in the end.

The lowlight of the game was, naturally, that dreadful second quarter. Being able to see Michigan State fans joyously erupting as the Badgers defense was shredded, or as Wilson again rolled out to find nothing open, made it all the more painful. That “is this really happening” feeling that started after the 2-point conversion continued during halftime, when MSU’s band followed the UW band’s straightforward stepping with a quickly choreographed routine that sent a tight “S” rolling across the field. It seemed like we were destined to lose every aspect of this game.

But as the third quarter rolled around, momentum was sent back-and-forth across the stadium. All of a sudden, Wisconsin forced a stop, and was driving. After a play that resulted in Wilson rolling out to find Jared Abbrederis with a wide open TD catch down the left sideline, which was blown dead due to an inaudible false start whistle (that crowd was boisterous), Wilson and Abbrederis connected again on the very next play. It has become somewhat of an underrated moment due to the more important 4th-and-6 heave later on, but Wilson shaking off a facemask penalty and avoiding the rush, only to find Abbrederis in nearly the exact same spot as the previous play, was incredibly important. That touchdown came on 3rd-and-17, and saved the Badgers from what could have become too big a deficit.

It was also the first “wow” moment that signaled this game was far from over, and that it would be something special. Every lasting win has a few of those moments, and you can feel it in the stands, when you turn to the person next to you and exchange that look which is some sort of combination of joy, disbelief, and hope. It was that moment during the basketball team’s upset of no. 1 Ohio State last year when Mike Bruesewitz hit the game-clinching three-pointer, or during the football version of that upset when David Gilreath brought the opening kickoff back to the house. Wilson to Abbrederis on 3rd-and-17 for a touchdown meant that the same cruel gods who saw two hail mary passes fall into opposing hands earlier in the season just may be smiling upon the Badgers now.

Of course, the game was far from a foregone conclusion after that. I honestly don’t remember any real specific plays between that TD and the 4th-and-6 heave from Wilson to Duckworth. Michigan State’s offense–Cousins to Cunningham, to Martin, Le’Veon bell–it all just blended together into yard after yard and score after score. All you could really feel every time Michigan State had the ball was the most tenuous grip on the game slowly slipping away.

That grip was never more tenuous than on 4th-and-6, when everything rested on one play, and it happened so simply. Wilson again was flushed by an aggressive pass rush, about to be sacked, and all of a sudden from my seat I had the same view as #16: there was a white jersey downfield,  and the ball needed to be chucked towards it. That white jersey of course, was Jeff Duckworth, and that play is the most lasting memory of this game. The epitome of the “wow” moment, to be sure. The entire stadium felt it.

After that, Montee Ball powering into the endzone from seven yards out was basically preordained, as was the successful two point conversion. All of a sudden, Wisconsin had the ball back and all it could ever ask for at the end of this game: a chance to win it with the offense on the field. Alas, visions of Montee Ball breaking eight tackles en route to a game-winning touchdown and Heisman trophy victory didn’t come true. What did happen was almost less believable.

Ironically, that final punt was the only point in the entire game in which both halves of the stands, both sidelines, both sets of players, were howling with amazed joy and excitement. Only Wisconsin’s half of the stands could see the flag that signaled sure victory, and then really only Michigan State’s side kept their eyes glued to the field to watch an incredible punt return.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who almost felt guilty for winning in such a manner; without any replays, who really knew how legitimate the penalty was? But, as our own Dan Sinclair pointed out, Isaiah Lewis’ tumble into Brad Nortman is the exact definition of running into the kicker. There’s really no other way to argue it.

Before long, only one half of the stadium remained, as confetti fell from the rafters over Wisconsin players with roses in their mouths. Following the stream of happy fans heading back to their hotels a little later,  a passerby started asking my roommate some questions about the game. “Who won? Who did you guys play again? Who are you guys, Nebraska? So what’s next for them?”

Clearly, the world did not revolve around the Big Ten Title game and the Badgers’ victory. But for a few wonderful moments in Indianapolis  on Saturday night, it sure felt like it did.