Season Summary
After a disastrous 7-6 campaign in 2008, Bret Bielema would need significant improvements from his team if he was going to remain secure in his position as head coach. For the second time in Bielema's tenure as head coach, the Badgers were unranked entering the season (they were also not ranked before the 2006 season).
Wisconsin once again had an unsettled quarterback situation, as only Dustin Sherer had seen significant playing time the previous season. It would be Redshirt Junior QB Scott Tolzien who surprisingly won the starting job from Sherer. Tolzien led Wisconsin to a 5-0 start with wins over Northern Illinois, Fresno State, Wofford, Michigan State, and Minnesota. With their fast start, the Badgers then traveled to Ohio State, and the Wisconsin defense made Ohio State's offense miserable for 4 quarters. However, miscues on offense and special teams allowed the Buckeyes to return both of Tolzien's interceptions for touchdowns and return a kick for a touchdown. Wisconsin fell to 5-1 with their first loss, but the impressive defensive performance was cause for optimism. The very next week, the Badgers returned home and suffered a baffling 20-10 loss to the rival Iowa Hawkeyes in the confines of Camp Randall Stadium, which dropped them to 5-2 overall.
After back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Iowa, both of which would go to and win BCS bowls in 2009, the Badgers faced Purdue, who they squashed 37-0 for their first shut-out in Big Ten play under Bret Bielema. Wisconsin won a very close game against Indiana (31-28), and went on to hand Michigan their worst loss in the series between Wisconsin and Michigan, 45-24. With the win over Michigan, Wisconsin improved to 8-2. But in their final game in Big Ten play, the Badgers suffered a stunning 33-31 loss at the hands of the Northwestern Wildcats, dropping them behind Northwestern in the conference standings (both teams finished 5-3 in Big Ten play). In the final regular season game of the season, Wisconsin smashed Hawaii 51-10 to improve to 9-3.
In their final game of 2009, the Badgers were matched up against a higher-ranked and favored Miami Hurricanes football team. The Badgers defeated Miami 20-14 for their 10th win of 2009, and their first bowl win since the 2006 season. The Badgers finished with the 5th best rushing defense in FBS, and the best run defense in the Big Ten. Wisconsin running back John Clay finished with 1,517 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns, winning Big Ten Player of the Year Honors.
Read more about this topic: 2009 Wisconsin Badgers Football Team
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