BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin junior outside linebacker T.J. Watt was the picture of exhaustion and frustration as he slowly made his way up the team tunnel at Michigan Stadium early Saturday evening.
There were tears in his eyes and each step seemed to produce a wince. At one point, Watt literally leaned on a teammate for support as they ducked into the solemn visitors' locker room.
"This is the first time where I actually came off the field and I had absolutely nothing left in the tank," Watt said later. "That's why it hurts so bad. I poured everything I had onto the field and it just sucks to not get the outcome you want."
Despite a valiant performance by their shorthanded defense, the eighth-ranked Badgers were left to chew on the bitter rind of a 14-7 Big Ten Conference setback to fourth-rated Michigan.
UW (4-1 overall, 1-1 in the Big Ten) spent the day making one uncharacteristic mistake after another.
There were killer penalties and dropped passes. There were turnovers and missed tackles. There were wasted opportunities.
But the Badgers were in position to win in the fourth quarter – to become the first team since Miami (Fla.) in 1987 to knock off consecutive top-10 foes on the road – because their defense did a lot of heavy lifting this day.
The Wolverines (5-0, 2-0) came into the gray, dreary afternoon with a lethal, balanced offense that averaged 52 points a game and converted 54 percent of its third downs.
They were held 38 under that average and were 3-for-15 on third-down conversions. They also allowed four quarterback sacks and were 1-for-3 on trips to the red zone.
"We wanted to dictate the terms," UW junior inside linebacker Jack Cichy said. "We were a little shaky at first, but once we got our sea legs I thought we were pretty good on dictating the terms."
A similar statement was made in the season opener when Wisconsin, then unranked, outdueled then-fifth-ranked LSU 16-14 in Green Bay.
That message echoed last week when the Badgers handed defending Big Ten champion and then-eighth-rated Michigan State a 30-6 loss in East Lansing.
But in the first meeting between the schools since 2010, Michigan managed to land one extra blow. That came on a 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Wilton Speight to wide receiver Amara Darboh with 7 minutes, 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Darboh beat UW junior cornerback Derrick Tindal off the line of scrimmage and ultimately made a pretty catch over Tindal in the left corner of the end zone.
"On the end (of the play) I could have finished better," Tindal said. "I missed the ball.
"Great play by him. I expect myself to make those plays, though."
To their credit, Tindal and Cichy combined for a huge play in the third quarter. Cichy dove to get a hand on a pass by Speight and deflected the ball into the air. Tindal snagged it and returned the interception 46 yards to the Michigan 31.
"Cich made a great play," Tindal said. "Tipped it right to me and I just ran."
Five players later, redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook hit senior tailback Dare Ogunbowale on a 17-yard wheel route for a TD that pulled the Badgers even.
The latest test for the UW defense came less than 48 hours after it was learned that senior outside linebacker Vince Biegel – a captain and arguably its best player – underwent foot surgery and will be out indefinitely.
Biegel joins two other projected defensive starters – inside linebacker Chris Orr (knee) and cornerback Natrell Jamerson (foot) – on the sideline.
"You miss a guy like that," said Cichy, who led UW with 12 tackles. "He just brings some intangibles that you don't really notice till they're gone and he's a great leader."
Junior Garret Dooley and redshirt freshman Zack Baun filled in admirably for Biegel. Dooley was credited with seven tackles and a sack. Baun had two tackles, including one shared stop for a loss.
"We don't know how this game would have unfolded had (Biegel) been here, but I think we did just fine with who we had," Cichy said. "Baun and Dooley more than rose to the occasion. I'm pleased with how they played."
The loss continued one remarkable streak and abruptly ended another.
It was the 12th consecutive time UW lost a Big Ten game by a touchdown or less. The streak goes back to 2010, during which time the Badgers have gone 37-12 in league games.
Meanwhile, the program-record eight-game road winning streak is no more.
To review, the Badgers trailed in six of the eight outings, prevailed by a touchdown or less in three of them and whipped a top-10 opponent by 24 (eighth-rated Michigan State on Sept. 24).
UW won a game when its leading rusher was an outside linebacker (Joe Schobert on a fake punt vs. Maryland in 2015) and one when its top ground gainer was a wide receiver (Alex Erickson vs. Illinois in '15).
Wisconsin won a game when its backup quarterback came off the bench to throw two touchdown passes (Bart Houston vs. Illinois in '15) and when its quarterback made his first career start (Hornibrook vs. Michigan State).
The Badgers prevailed in eight different states – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey – and outscored opponents 135-70 in the first half.
But Wisconsin had trouble getting out of its own way on offense, defense as well as special teams against Michigan.
The Wolverines missed three field goals, but UW junior cornerback Lubern Figaro and senior strong safety Leo Musso dropped potential interceptions in the red zone that would have changed the tempo.
There were multiple instances where Wisconsin defenders had Speight wrapped up for sack, but allowed him to make a last-second play.Â
"We have lot to correct," Cichy said. "We all have a lot of improvement to do and that starts with looking in the mirror."
Watt, who finished with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, was asked if the tears were from fatigue or irritation.
"Complete exhaustion," he said. "I honestly could not give anything more. I threw my absolute heart into that game."
Keep in mind that Michigan ran 73 plays and had the ball for 35:41.
Remember, too, that the Badgers had 14 possessions and 12 lasted five plays or less.
That's a lot of time on the field for the UW defense.
"As far as the effort I felt we put a lot out there and we played with a lot of heart," Tindal said.
"It sucks when you put some much into something – you work so hard in the offseason and throughout fall camp and throughout the week in preparation – and you can't get it done," Watt said.
The Badgers have a bye week before hosting second-ranked Ohio State on Oct. 15. The time in between will be used wisely.
"We'll get it corrected," Watt said. "I have complete faith in this team as a whole and defensively as well. If there's anyone who's up for this challenge, it's me and this team."
