Wisconsin Badgers
6-3 , 3-2
Michigan State
5-4 , 2-3
Sparty crashers: Badgers' home win streak snapped in overtime
October 27, 2012 | Football
 | Michigan State 16, Wisconsin 13 (OT) Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wis. • Attendance: 80,538 Final Stats | Final Stats  | Notes | Quotes | Highlights  |  |
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| Oct. 27, 2012
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
MADISON, Wis. -- The Big Ten's best over the past three seasons, Wisconsin and Michigan State locked up in another classic on Saturday.
For the sellout crowd of 80,538 that crammed into Camp Randall Stadium on Homecoming, the tightly-contested game was what they'd come to expect from the Badgers' budding rivalry with Michigan State.
The result, however, was pretty unfamiliar.
For the first time in three years, the UW Marching Band took the field for the Fifth Quarter following a loss, as Andrew Maxwell hit Bennie Fowler on a 12-yard touchdown pass in overtime to send the Spartans home with a 16-13 win.
The TD pass made a winner of Michigan State (5-4, 2-3) on the game's final play for the second-consecutive season against the Badgers (6-3, 3-2).
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The loss snapped Wisconsin's 21-game home win streak and also ended the Badgers' run of 12 straight home wins against Big Ten foes.
Things looked to be tipped in the Badgers' favor after UW got a 39-yard field goal from Kyle French with 6:06 to play in the fourth quarter. The kick, which followed a dramatic fumble forced by Wisconsin CB Marcus Cromartie and recovered by DL Warren Herring, staked the Badgers to a 10-3 lead.
But then Michigan State's offense came to life. The Spartans, who had struggled to move the ball against UW's defense and had only a first-quarter field goal by Dan Conroy to show for their efforts, marched down the field.
MSU tiedthings up when Maxwell flipped a shovel pass to RB Le'Veon Bell, who scampered in from 5 yards out to knot the score at 10-10.
The Badgers struck first in overtime, but in the form of another French field goal after MSU's defense held -- this one from 43 yards away.
Wisconsin couldn't match the effort and saw the Spartans escape with the victory after Maxwell hit Folwer in the end zone.
The loss was just the third defeat in eight all-time overtime games for the Badgers.
UW has lost just four of its last 20 games in Big Ten play -- with three of those loses coming at the hands of the Spartans. The defeat was just the fourth loss in 48 home games under seventh-year head coach Bret Bielema.
The Badgers and Spartans are the Big Ten's winningest programs over the past three seasons with 16 wins apeice.
Redshirt freshman QB Joel Stave helped put the Badgers on the board in the second quarter when he hit TE Jacob Pedersen on a 31-yard touchdown pass.
Stave finished the day 9-for-11 for 127 yards and the TD pass before he was sidelined early in the second half with a shoulder injury.
That hamstrung a Badgers offense that struggled to move the ball on the ground against Michigan State's imposing defensive front.
Wisconscin was held to 19 rushing yards as a team. Senior RB Montee Ball led the way with 46 yards, while backfield teammate James White had 16 yards.
In all, the Badgers are 23-7 in their last 31 games. Each of those seven losses has come by the margin of a touchdown or less.
Wisconsin heads into a bye week before traveling to face Leaders Division rival Indiana on Nov. 10.
Team Stats
MSU 0, WIS 7
WIS - Pedersen, Jacob 31 yd pass from Stave, Joel (French, Kyle kick) 10 plays, 90 yards, TOP 5:23
MSU 3, WIS 7
MSU - Conroy, Dan 34 yd field goal 11 plays, 55 yards, TOP 4:26
MSU 3, WIS 10
WIS - French, Kyle 39 yd field goal 5 plays, -3 yards, TOP 2:11
MSU 10, WIS 10
MSU - Bell, Le'Veon 5 yd pass from Maxwell, Andrew (Conroy, Dan kick) 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:58
MSU 10, WIS 13
WIS - French, Kyle 43 yd field goal 4 plays, -1 yards, TOP 0:00
MSU 16, WIS 13
MSU - Fowler, Bennie 12 yd pass from Maxwell, Andrew () 5 plays, 25 yards, TOP 0:00
