Missed Opportunities, Questionable Decisions Mar Rose Bowl for Wisconsin

Filed under: TCU, Wisconsin, Big 10, Mountain West, Bowl Games

PASADENA, Calif. -- Throughout 2010, Wisconsin went 11-1 with a simple formula: Pound defenses with an overpowering running game and play mistake-free football.

But on the first day of 2011, in their most important game of the season, the Badgers strayed from their winning script -- and it cost them the Rose Bowl. That's no dig at Texas Christian. The No. 3 Horned Frogs played hard, played fast and showed why any undefeated team -- regardless of conference affiliation -- should be invited to a Bowl Championship Series game. But TCU's 21-19 win was defined as much by Wisconsin's mistakes, missed opportunities and questionable coaching calls
as it was by the Horned Frogs' stout play.

At several critical junctures on Saturday, Wisconsin simply made uncharacteristic flubs, and most of the damage was self-inflicted. The Badgers came into Saturday's matchup as the least-penalized team in the country, averaging just three flags a game. Against TCU, coach Bret Bielema's team committed six penalties, including a critical defensive pass interference in the third quarter that allowed TCU to avoid a third and long deep in its own half.

While Wisconsin, playing in its fourth Rose Bowl since 1994, did not commit any turnovers, the Badgers dropped passes, fumbled a snap and literally ran into each other on defense. A collision between defensive backs Niles Brinkley and Jay Valai allowed TCU tailback Ed Wesley to scoot free for a 33-yard catch-and-run on TCU's opening drive of the second half. The Horned Frogs scored their third and final touchdown three plays later.

"What got us here was clean execution and clean, disciplined football, and we didn't do that today," said Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien, who completed 12 of 21 passes for 159 yards, but often held on to the ball too long. He was sacked twice, hit hard on a handful of other occasions, and overthrew or failed to see open receivers on several other occasions.

"Not getting rid of the ball quicker, that's what I can control, and I didn't do that," said Tolzien. "It hurt us today."

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