Lucas at Large: Badgers got glimpse of potential in title tilt
December 10, 2019 | Football, Mike Lucas, Varsity Magazine
First-half performance in Big Ten championship encouraging for Rose Bowl-bound squad
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BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — Defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk is reminded of Wisconsin's Rose Bowl history every time he parks his moped just outside the north end zone of Camp Randall Stadium.
At the foot of the Lot 17 parking ramp are three large engraved rocks commemorating the Badgers' victories in the 1994, 1999 and 2000 Rose Bowls.
"Being from (Howard) Kansas and primarily a Big 12 area, I didn't grow up watching it," said Loudermilk. "But ever since I stepped foot in Wisconsin, the Rose Bowl is always talked about. So, I've got a pretty good idea of how special that game is."
Even though outside linebacker Zack Baun was raised in Wisconsin (Brown Deer), he didn't watch much football. "But I know what the Rose Bowl means to this program and the culture," he said. "It's all over the walls and everywhere around Camp Randall."
In fact, for years there was a painted sign over the entrance doors to the McClain Facility that proclaimed, "The Road to the Rose Bowl begins here." It went up shortly after Barry Alvarez arrived in 1990.
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"I love the Rose Bowl," said inside linebacker Chris Orr, who remembers watching TCU edge Wisconsin, 21-19, in the 2011 game, the first of three consecutive Pasadena trips for the Badgers.
Orr is from DeSoto, Texas, a 40-minute drive from the TCU campus. At the time, the Horned Frogs were recruiting his brother Nick, who verbally committed to them the following summer.
Not only does Chris Orr want to help create some fresh Rose Bowl memories for Badger fans in the 2020 game against Oregon, but he just wants to get back on the field, period, after a scary helmet-to helmet collision with teammate Garrett Rand last Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Orr was helped to the sideline during the second quarter of the Big Ten Championship Game. Despite his condition, he knew the score. At least the only score that was important to him at that moment.
"It was 14-0," said Orr who knew up from down and the Badgers were up.
But after throwing and landing the early punches and taking a stunning 21-7 halftime lead over then No. 1-ranked Ohio State, the Buckeyes punched back in the third quarter and kept punching with 27 unanswered points in winning the Big Ten championship, 34-21.
"A lot of people didn't think we were going to hang in there like that," said safety Eric Burrell. "That's what it really came down to — we believed in each other and we didn't worry about the outside noise. Everyone in this locker room was going to go out there and fight."
They fought to the end. But what difference, if any, would it have made if …
Starting outside linebacker Noah Burks wasn't knocked out of the game in the first quarter with an injury. Burks had a career-high eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 quarterback sacks in the first Ohio State matchup. As an edge rusher, he has been a complementary piece to Baun.
"The coaches did an amazing job of scheming them and putting us in a good position — they just kind of exploited some stuff in the second half and got some big hits" said Loudermilk, who had a forced fumble and a sack. "As a team, everyone gave all they had."
They emptied the tank. But what difference, if any, would it have made if …
Orr wasn't relegated to the sidelines after that hit with Rand. In taking away his helmet ("There was no point in me risking it," Orr agreed), the Badgers were minus their emotional catalyst and defensive leader in tackles and sacks. They missed his energy and playmaking.
"The game of football is all about momentum — who has it and who doesn't," said Baun who, along with Jack Sanborn, finished with a team-high nine tackles. "Ohio State is an elite level team. They thrive on people's mistakes and you have to be on-point in all phases of the game."
Truth is, no one will ever know for sure how much Burks and Orr might have impacted the defense's efficiency and effectiveness against Ohio State's explosive offense. But the Badgers were down two starters and it factored into the rotations, the pass rush and any late-game fatigue.
"It was heartbreaking not being out there competing for a championship with my guys — not being able to lead from within the fight," said Orr, who had to assume a much different role. "I tried to keep everybody's head in the right place when things weren't going too well for us."
It went beyond mere cheerleading and exhorting the defense to take it to another level. "Schematically," Orr said, "I was helping people out with the little things I picked up on during the week on film and during the game. I was just trying to help out as much as I could."
During the regular season, Ohio State had scored 201 more points (224-23) and gained 1,545 more yards (2,149-604) than its opponents in the second quarter while scoring 21 or more points seven times. What did the Badgers do to limit the Buckeyes to one touchdown in the first 30 minutes?
"We knew that we had to come out and be the more physical team and we did that," Orr said. "We were winning first and second down and when we got them in third down (and long) we were able to get after the quarterback, that's what helped us out the most."
It was playing out that way, too, on Ohio State's first possession of the third quarter. Sanborn tackled tailback J.K. Dobbins after a 3-yard gain and quarterback Justin Fields misfired on a pass. That made it third-and-7 from the OSU 28. Get a stop. Force a punt. Retain the momentum.
Instead, Fields extended a play by rolling to his left before lofting a pass to Chris Olave on a 50-yard completion which set up Ohio State's second touchdown. "They made good plays at crucial moments when they needed to," Orr conceded. "You definitely have got to give that to them."
Wisconsin also gave them a few gifts — a dropped punt snap, a holding penalty on a first-down run that gained nothing, a missed field goal — that fueled the fire in the Buckeyes, who rallied to take a 24-21 lead into the fourth quarter. But they still left the door slightly ajar for a UW comeback.
After Loudermilk sacked Fields, the Badgers had Ohio State in a third-and-18 hole from its own 38. Get a stop. Force a punt. Grab back some momentum. But once again, the Buckeyes had the answer: Fields hooked up with Binjimen Victor on a 28-yard pass play that led to another touchdown.
"I definitely think we got a little fatigued," Orr suggested. "With every play, you've got to run so far, and there's a physical component to it and then you've got to run to the other sideline to make the tackle. That's their MO and we knew that's what it was going to be."
And now the Badgers know what they can be — and what it looks and feels like — if everything falls into place. As it did in the first half. "It showed how we can be a dominant team no matter who we go against," Orr said. "And I think we gained respect and recognition across the nation."
The same could be said individually of wide receiver Quintez Cephus, who had seven catches for 122 yards. "We learned that we could play with anybody," Cephus added. "There was a lot to take from this game. It stings to not come through with a win. But we did grow as a group."
Did the Badgers come of age in Indianapolis? Jack Coan did. Sunday, he turned 21.
"I've grown through this last portion of the season," he said, "because whenever you're playing big games, trophy games like these — high stakes, big stage — it's going to help you grow as a person.
"It was a good experience for us playing on a stage like this against a great team like Ohio State. It's going to help for future games like this.
"I just know that we've got a great bunch of guys in this locker room who all believe in each other and love each other."
Saturday, it paid dividends in making the heavily-favored Buckeyes earn their crown.
"There's a lot of good things that came out of this game for us," said quarterbacks coach Jon Budmayr. "Obviously, it stings because you came here with one purpose and that was to win.
"But I thought the guys battled and competed. There's a lot of stuff we're going to be able to learn from and grow from and carry forward."
The plan is to carry it all the way to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl.
"It's one of the coolest experiences you'll ever get to have as a college football player; it's a magical place," said Budmayr, who was a player and a grad assistant on those three straight Rose Bowl teams.
"It's what you watch growing up. And you have to take advantage of the opportunity because you don't know when it's going to come around again."
Rock-solid advice.
