Orange you glad to be a Badger!

2017 Orange Bowl Match-up  Dec. 30, 2017
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That was a very satisfying win by the Wisconsin Badgers.  A 34 - 24 Orange Bowl victory over Miami on their home field to take home a bushel of oranges.

Coming into the game, one-loss Wisconsin was a mystery team.  They lost to Ohio State in the B1G Championship game.  Their 12 wins were fine, but not impressive.

Miami had just two losses and were ready to play in front of their fans and in their home stadium.  The experts framed it as the athletes of Miami against the plodding run-focused team from the north.

Jonathan Taylor, the Badgers stand-out freshman running back, looked like an athlete.  He earned 130 yards on 26 carries against the Hurricane, setting a new NCAA freshman season record.  In addition to the ball, Taylor has carried the Badgers for long stretches of several games this season.

Saturday night was a huge win for quarterback Alex Hornibrook.  The sophomore was subject to a fair amount of criticism from some vocal Badger fans.  He answered them with a superb performance, 23 of 34 for 258 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions.  Wisconsin's hopes depended on a strong performance by Hornibrook and he delivered.

Bucky's defense delivered a tough performance.   Miami was a leader all year in getting the ball away from the offense, but the Badgers won that game, 3 - 1.  An early Badger fumble, on my TV the runner appeared to be down, wasn't fatal.  An interception by Badger linebacker Andy Van Ginkel was the turning point reversing whatever momentum Miami had.  Wisconsin scored the next 21 points.

The offense, defense, and special teams put together a winning performance on a big stage.  Congratulations to the Orange Bowl Champs!

Coach Chryst prepares his ream well and doesn't get rattled.  Miami's Coach Richt, by rule should have been ejected in the first half for handling a ref when he was complaining about a call.  In my mind, if a coach can't keep it together, how can his team be calm under pressure.

This is the first time Wisconsin has ever won 13 games in a season.  It is their fourth straight bowl victory over a quality opponent (Chryst's 3rd in a row).  Some very good players will graduate, but most of the offense will return in 2018.

Hopes and expectations next year will be high - which I think is another reason Coach Chryst's mission statement for his team, "Have fun and play the game," is perfect.

It seems like a good day to purchase an "Orange you glad to be a Badger" T-shirt!  Go Badgers!