The 2012 Rose Bowl game between the No. 6 Oregon Ducks and No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers features a battle of two high-powered offenses. Oregon ranks third in the nation averaging 46.1 points per game with Wisconsin right behind in fourth place with an average of 44.6 points per contest. Nobody has scored more often than Badgers tailback Montee Ball.
Ball has had an amazing junior season, leading the nation with 1,759 rushing yards and 32 rushing touchdowns. Ball also has six receiving touchdowns and is closing in on an NCAA record. Barry Sanders holds the all-time NCAA single-season record with 39 touchdowns in his Heisman Trophy year of 1988. Ball is just the fifth player ever with 30 touchdowns in a single season.
| Most Touchdowns, Single Season | |||
| Player | School | Year | TD |
| Barry Sanders | Oklahoma State | 1988 | 39 |
| Montee Ball | Wisconsin | 2011 | 38 |
| Brock Forsey | Boise State | 2002 | 32 |
| Troy Edwards | Louisiana Tech | 1998 | 31 |
| Kevin Smith | Central Florida | 2007 | 30 |
Sanders scored his 39 touchdowns in just 12 games while Ball will be playing in his 14th game of the season in the Rose Bowl. But Ball still compares favorably. Sanders had a whopping 394 total touches, scoring a touchdown once every 10.10 touches, while Ball has 275 rushing attempts and 20 catches, giving him a touchdown once every 7.76 touches this season. Ball has simply been a scoring machine.
Ball's numbers are even more impressive when considering he didn't have a carry in the fourth quarter in six of his 13 games this season. Ball on the season has just 41 carries in the fourth quarter for 294 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.
Ball at 1,759 rushing yards has the third-highest single-season total in Wisconsin history. New Rose Bowl Hall of Fame inductee Ron Dayne ran for 1,863 yards as a freshman in 1996 and 1,834 yards as a senior in 1999, ending his senior campaign with a 17-9 Rose Bowl win over Stanford. Ball needs 105 rushing yards against Oregon to set a new school record for rushing yards in a season.
The 2012 Rose Bowl Game will be played on Monday, January 2, 2012 in Pasadena. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. PST. The game will be televised by ESPN, with Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, and Erin Andrews on the call.