SB Nation Los Angeles - 2011 Rose Bowl: Dalton, Carder Lead TCU To 21-19 Win Over Wisconsin

2011 Rose Bowl, TCU Vs. Wisconsin: Game Recap

2011-01-02T01:36:00Z

Pasadena, CA (Sports Network) - Andy Dalton finished 15-of-23 for 217 yards and one touchdown as No. 3 TCU needed a late defensive stop to emerge with a 21-19 win over No. 4 Wisconsin at the Rose Bowl. Dalton also added 27 yards and a score on nine rushes for the Horned Frogs (13-0), who once again made their case to be worthy of consideration for a BCS championship with their 27th win in their last 28 games.

Bart Johnson had a 23-yard TD reception and Luke Shivers' one-yard touchdown run proved to be the difference for TCU, which posted its first undefeated campaign since going 11-0 in 1938. Scott Tolzien was 12-of-21 for 160 yards for the Badgers (11-2), who shared the Big Ten title with Ohio State and Michigan State but ended the year by having their seven-gam win streak snapped.

Montee Ball ran for 126 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries and John Clay added 76 yards and a score on 11 totes for Wisconsin, which finished with double-digit wins for the fourth time in six seasons.

2011 Rose Bowl Game: TCU Holds Off Wisconsin, 21-19

2011-01-02T01:26:14Z

One year after ending an undefeated regular season with a loss in a BCS bowl game, the TCU Horned Frogs finished the job today, winning the 2011 Rose Bowl, 21-19 over the Wisconsin Badgers. The win completed TCU's first undefeated season since 1938, when the 11-0 Horned Frogs won the national championship after winning the Sugar Bowl. Linebacker Tank Carder knocked down a pass from Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien on a two-point conversion attempt with 2:46 remaining that would have tied the game.

Horned Frogs quarterback Andy Dalton won offensive player of the game, accounting for a large percentage of TCU's offense. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown, and ran for 27 yards and a touchdown as well. Carder also had a crushing sack of Tolzien in the third quarter, and won defensive player of the game. TCU was 12-0 last year heading into the Fiesta Bowl, but lost to Boise St, 17-10.

Wisconsin running back Montee Ball began the game with a 40-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, and finished with 126 yards on 21 carries. The Badgers outgained the Horned Frogs, 386 yards to 302, but the difference in the game came on third down. TCU converted six of 10 third-down opportunities, while Wisconsin was successful just six of 15 times. A few of those conversions came on Wisconsin's final drive, which brought Wisconsin to within 21-19 and a chance to tie, which was denied by Carder and TCU.

The Horned Frogs became the first school from a non-automatic qualifying conference to win the Rose Bowl in the BCS era. It was the first appearance by TCU in the Granddaddy of them all. The Big Ten conference lost all five bowl games played today.

2011 Rose Bowl, Wisconsin Vs. TCU: Horned Frogs Capitalize On Strong Third Quarter, Lead 21-13

2011-01-02T00:30:01Z

Just as the Wisconsin Badgers dominated the ball in the second quarter, the TCU Horned Frogs did the same in the third quarter of the 2011 Rose Bowl. However, the difference is that TCU has been able to convert touchdowns instead of field goals, and after three quarters lead the Badgers 21-13 in Pasadena. Quarterback Andy Dalton of TCU was held to just six yards in the second quarter, but passed for 75 yards in the third quarter.

Dalton led a six-play, 71-yard drive to open the third quarter, culminating in a one-yard touchdown run by Luke Shivers. After holding the ball for just 1:25 of the second quarter, the Horned Frogs held the ball for 7:54 in the third quarter, and they outgained Wisconsin 134-60 in the third quarter. For the game, Dalton has completed 11 of 16 passes for 183 yards, with one touchdown.

Montee Ball has had a very good game for the Badgers, rushing for 118 yards on 18 carries, but Wisconsin has just one touchdown and two field goals to their credit though 45 minutes of play. The big difference in the game has come on third down conversions. TCU has converted four of six third downs today, while Wisconsin has convereted just three of 11 so far. Linebacker TCU Tank Carder has introduced himself to a national audience today, with a couple of huge hits, including a crushing sack of Scott Tolzien to end a Wisconsin drive in the third quarter.

2011 Rose Bowl Game: Wisconsin Dominates Second Quarter, But TCU Still Leads At Halftime, 14-13

2011-01-01T23:38:38Z

After a high-scoring opening quarter to the 2011 Rose Bowl, the No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs and No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers settled down for a more subdued second stanza. TCU took a 14-13 lead into halftime, after a first half highlighted by big plays. Quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Scott Tolzien are both having good games so far leading their squads, but the second quarter was highlighted by the two punters.

The punter for the Horned Frogs, Anson Kelton, gets a mention because (a) he is rarely used; and (b) he is a huge man. The 280-lb. Kelton had but one punt in the first half, and it was a 52-yarder. Wisconsin's punter, Brad Nortman, didn't even kick the ball in the first half, but he still had a huge impact. On a 4th-and-9 play from their own 33 yard line, Wisconsin called for a fake punt, and on what may have been the slowest-developing play in college football history, Nortman rumbled for 11 yards, keeping the drive alive.

Wisconsin held the ball on that drive for the final 7:04 of the half, and a 37-yard field goal by Philip Welch cut the TCU lead to 14-13 as time expired in the first half. Wisconsin outgained TCU 234 yards to 139 in the first half, but also had a missed field goal from Welch, a 39-yard attempt in the second quarter. Montee Ball had 95 yards rushing on 12 carries for the Badgers in the first half.

Tolzien completed eight of 12 passes for 107 yards in the first half, although he took a couple of big hits in the pocket, including one sack. Dalton threw for 108 yards in the first half, and ran for 30 more, although all but six of his 138 total yards came in the first quarter. TCU held the ball for just 1:25 of the second quarter, so their defense is likely tired. The Horned Frogs will receive the ball to start the third quarter.

2011 Rose Bowl Game, Wisconsin Vs. TCU: Big Plays, Andy Dalton Dominate First Quarter

2011-01-01T22:55:14Z

The 2011 Rose Bowl Game (did I mention, it is presented by Vizio?) features two high-scoring teams. So far, the No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs and No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers have not disappointed, as four drives have produced four scores. At the end of the first quarter, TCU leads Wisconsin, 14-10, in a quarter dominated by big plays by both offenses.

Quarterback Andy Dalton has been almost the entire offense so far for TCU. He has 102 yards in the air, completing five of seven passes, and also amassed 30 yards rushing on seven carries. Ed Wesley has one rush for one yard, the only other Horned Frog involved in the offense so far. Actually, Jeremy Kerley had a great, 35-yard kickoff return to setup the second scoring drive for TCU, capped by a four-yard rushing touchdown by Dalton (who else?) with 1:18 remaining in the quarter.

Wisconsin opened the game with a 40-yard run by Montee Ball, and after settling for a field goal on their opening drive, punched it into the end zone on their second drive. John Clay's one-yard touchdown run was setup beautifully by a play-action pass down the middle from Scott Tolzien to Bradie Ewing for 27 yards. There have been four plays from scrimmage of 20 yards or more, two by each team so far.

2011 Rose Bowl Game: TCU Responds After Wisconsin Strikes First

2011-01-01T22:34:49Z

A 23-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton down the middle of the field to Bart Johnson with 6:55 remaining in the first quarter gave the TCU Horned Frogs a 7-3 lead over the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2011 Rose Bowl. Both teams, which each average 43.3 points per game this season, scored on their opening drives. Dalton completed four of six passes for 58 yards on the drive, and ran four more times for 18 yards.

The Horned Frogs won the coin flip, during which Tournament of Roses Parade Grand Marshal Paul Deen told the players, "I'm not used to flippin' without my skillet." TCU elected to defer, and kicked off to the Badgers to start the game. Montee Ball got Wisconsin off to a wonderful start with a 40-yard run on the first play from scrimmage, which gave them a first down at the TCU 28-yard line. The Badgers continued to drive, but a dropped pass on 3rd-and-8 that would have produced a 1st-and-goal inside the five-yard line stalled the drive. Wisconsin settled for a 30-yard field goal by Philip Welch.

TCU is a three-point favorite in today's contest.

2011 Rose Bowl Game: Wisconsin Looks To Avoid Total New Years Day Massacre For Big Ten

2011-01-01T22:12:24Z

The 2011 Rose Bowl is about to kickoff, and I am still having a hard time getting over that the game is televised on ESPN instead of ABC. But, as the No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers get ready to battle the No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs, the Badgers are left to salvage what has been an awful day so far for the Big Ten conference. The Rose Bowl is the fifth of five New Years Day bowls for the Big Ten, and the conference lost its previous four January 1 contests.

TicketCity Bowl: Texas Tech 45, Northwestern 38

The Wildcats made a valiant comeback effort, but ultimately fell short in a game played at the Cotton Bowl that wasn't the Cotton Bowl.

Gator Bowl: Mississippi St 52, Michigan 14

The Wolverines were taken to the woodshed in what may have been coach Rich Rodriguez's final game. Jim Harbaugh, Ann Arbor turns its lonely eyes to you, woo woo woo.

Capital One Bowl: Alabama 49, Michigan State 7

The Spartans were crushed by the Crimson Tide, in a game that frankly didn't seem that close. Oh yeah, the Spartans were co-champions of the Big Ten. Yikes.

Outback Bowl: Florida 37, Penn St 24

This game was actually a close game throughout, but a slew of interceptions by Matthew McGloin of Penn St sealed their fate.

So, that's four games, four losses by a combined score of 183-83 for the Big Ten today. Wisconsin, a three-point underdog to TCU, has its work cut out if it is to avoid an 0-5 day for the Big Ten conference.

2011 Rose Bowl, Wisconsin Vs. TCU: Expect A Close Game In Pasadena

2011-01-01T17:49:15Z

The 2011 Rose Bowl Game (presented by Vizio, remember) is upon us. The No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs and No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers will do battle in Pasadena in the game of the day. As we noted yesterday, both offenses have scored the same amount of points this season, but TCU's defense has been the best in the country, and for that reason is a three-point favorite over the Badgers, per our friends at Odds Shark.

Adam Hoge from the SB Nation Wisconsin Badgers blog Bucky's Fifth Quarter analyzed the game, and not surprisingly, picked Wisconsin to win the game. It's hard to go against an offense that has scored 201 points in their last three games, and as Hoge says, "The point is, TCU's defense is not unstoppable. The Badger offense might be."

Jeremy Mauss of Mountain West Connection concedes that Wisconsin's massive offensive line is a big advantage for the Badgers, but has a plan for TCU to get around, literally, the Badger offensive line:

A way for TCU to combat the size is to obviously use speed to beat the Wisconsin tackles off the edge and if that is successful enough and the tackles have to guard against defensive ends like Tank Carder coming off the edge then that could make Wisconsin more vulnerable to linebackers running up the middle to run blitz or go after quarterback Scott Tolzin. The trenches will be the biggest key to see who wins this game.

Both Hoge and Mauss identified TCU wide receiver and return man Jeremy Kerley as a key to the game, as he is the greatest big play threat in the game. Wisconsin has allowed three return touchdowns this season, while Kerley is averaging 28 yards per kick return and nearly 13 yards per punt return this season.

Perhaps another reason for TCU being a three-point favorite is their cool helmet, which was tweeted by TCU student Spencer Jackson yesterday:

The 2011 Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio kicks off at 2 p.m. PST.