The Game: NU vs Wisconsin -"Badge(r) of Honor"
Dateline: November 21, 1992
Ranking: 21 (of 24)
The Setup: In what seemed like a Badger home game, Barry Alvarez' troops entered Dyche Stadium hoping to secure their first bowl game in eons. Wisconsin was 5-5 and a win on this final weekend of Big Ten play would guarantee a Bowl game. Gary Barnett was completing his first season at the helm and the Cats were 2-8 and playing for pride.
The Game: The game was definitely not a classic by any means. All you need to know is the Badgers were marching on their final drive and the NU faithful stood with a collective "here we go again" attitude waiting to watch the Cats snag defeat from the jaws of victory. The Badgers, down 2, had a last second field goal attempt go awry and NU hung on 27-25.
Indelible Moment: The throngs of completely silent Badger fans walking down Central Street on the verge of tears.
You Bleed Purple If...: You saw this in the rankings and thought "Greg Gill".
Why it Ranks: It marked the 3rd Big Ten win of the season for the Cats (Illinois in "the comeback" and Purdue were the other two) - a feat that hadn't been accomplished since 1971. Barnett's ability to motivate the Cats, who were playing for nothing in front of a partisan Wisconsin crowd, against a team that was playing for everything was admirable.
Lasting Legacy: I point to this game as the foundation for the glory years. The 3 Big Ten wins served as a great recruiting tool to back Barnett's boundless optimism. Remember the scoffing at the Expect Victory signs in each end zone? After this game it gave us all hope that something special might be brewing.
Dateline: November 21, 1992
Ranking: 21 (of 24)
The Setup: In what seemed like a Badger home game, Barry Alvarez' troops entered Dyche Stadium hoping to secure their first bowl game in eons. Wisconsin was 5-5 and a win on this final weekend of Big Ten play would guarantee a Bowl game. Gary Barnett was completing his first season at the helm and the Cats were 2-8 and playing for pride.
The Game: The game was definitely not a classic by any means. All you need to know is the Badgers were marching on their final drive and the NU faithful stood with a collective "here we go again" attitude waiting to watch the Cats snag defeat from the jaws of victory. The Badgers, down 2, had a last second field goal attempt go awry and NU hung on 27-25.
Indelible Moment: The throngs of completely silent Badger fans walking down Central Street on the verge of tears.
You Bleed Purple If...: You saw this in the rankings and thought "Greg Gill".
Why it Ranks: It marked the 3rd Big Ten win of the season for the Cats (Illinois in "the comeback" and Purdue were the other two) - a feat that hadn't been accomplished since 1971. Barnett's ability to motivate the Cats, who were playing for nothing in front of a partisan Wisconsin crowd, against a team that was playing for everything was admirable.
Lasting Legacy: I point to this game as the foundation for the glory years. The 3 Big Ten wins served as a great recruiting tool to back Barnett's boundless optimism. Remember the scoffing at the Expect Victory signs in each end zone? After this game it gave us all hope that something special might be brewing.
2 comments:
Nice blog. Thanks for the link. Would you mind dropping me an email at blackshoediaries (at) gmail (dot) com? Thanks!
Hey guys, I also appreciate the link. I linked to you the other day. Is this where I should direct people or at LTP?
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