2006 Wisconsin Badgers football
Capital One Bowl, Won, 17-14
Conference	Big Ten
Ranking
Coaches	#5
AP	#7
2006 Record	12-1 (7-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach	Bret Bielema
Offensive Coordinator	Paul Chryst
Defensive Coordinator	Mike Hankwitz
Home Stadium	Camp Randall Stadium (80,321)
Previous Season Next Season 2005 2007

The 2006 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Bret Bielema, the Badgers completed the season with a 12-1 record, with a 7-1 mark in Big Ten Conference play, good enough for a second-place tie with Michigan. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Head Coach Bret Bielema 1st Year, 12-1 Home Stadium Camp Randall Stadium Capacity 80,321 - FieldTurf Conference Big Ten First Year 1889 Athletic Director Barry Alvarez Website UWBadgers. ... The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl (1947-1982) and the Florida Citrus Bowl (1983-2001). ... “Big Ten” redirects here. ... Bret Bielema (b. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Camp Randall Stadium was built in 1917 and is the current home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team. ... Wisconsin Badger Logo The Wisconsin Badgers are a variety of collegiate athletic teams from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. ... The University of Wisconsin–Madison (also known as UW–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin, or UW) is a selective public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin. ... The 2006 NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) football season, or the college football season, began on August 31, 2006 and, aside from all-star exhibition games that follow, concluded with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game on January 8, 2007 in Glendale, Arizona, USA, where the... Bret Bielema (b. ... “Big Ten” redirects here. ... The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a public coeducational university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ...

The season was one of the most successful in Badgers football history. The 11 regular-season wins and 12 overall wins were both single season records for the Badgers, and the season ended with a second straight victory in the Capital One Bowl, over Arkansas 17-14. The Badgers, who were not ranked in the preseason and were expected to finish in the middle of the Big Ten, surprised many with their success and ended the season ranked #7 in the AP Poll and #5 in the Coaches Poll. The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl (1947-1982) and the Florida Citrus Bowl (1983-2001). ... The University of Arkansas known also as the U of A or UA, is a public co-educational land-grant university. ... The Associated Press (AP) Poll, along with the USA Today Coaches Poll, ranks the top 25 NCAA Division I college football and basketball teams, weekly. ... The USA Today Coaches Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I-A college football and Division I college basketball teams. ...

Preseason

The Badgers were picked to finish in the middle of the Big Ten conference and were not ranked in the preseason for a number of reasons. Early defections to the National Football League by second-team All-Americans Brandon Williams and Brian Calhoun left the Badger offense with only three returning starters. Additionally, with the departure of Barry Alvarez - who had just completed his final season with 10 wins and a Capital One Bowl victory - the head coaching job was taken over by first-year head coach Bret Bielema, then the youngest head coach in Division I-A football. For other uses of National Football League, see National Football League (disambiguation). ... An All-America team is a sports team composed of star players. ... Brandon Williams is a current American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. ... Brian Calhoun (born May 8, 1984, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American football running back for the Detroit Lions. ... Barry Alvarez Barry Alvarez (born December 30, 1946, Langeloth, Pennsylvania) is a retired college football head coach and current Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin. ... The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl (1947-1982) and the Florida Citrus Bowl (1983-2001). ... Bret Bielema (b. ...

Bright spots for the Badgers included returning All-American offensive tackle Joe Thomas, who was coming off an ACL injury. John Stocco resumed the starting position at quarterback for his senior season, and P.J. Hill won the starting tailback job. The defense was to be led by senior linebacker Mark Zalewski and senior strong safety Joe Stellmacher. The special teams unit was considered strong, with All-American candidate Ken DeBauche punting the ball. The offensive team or offense in American football or Canadian football, is the team that begins a play from scrimmage in possession of the ball. ... Joe Thomas (born on December 4, 1984 in Brookfield, Wisconsin) is an offensive tackle for the Wisconsin Badgers. ... The anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL) is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. ... John Stocco (born June 14, 1983 in Richfield, Minnesota) is currently the starting quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers as a senior. ... P.J. Hill Jr. ...

Schedule

Three human polls and one formulaic ranking make up the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) football rankings, in addition to various publications preseason polls. ... Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public four-year institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio, USA; about 20 miles south of Toledo, Ohio on I-75. ... Entrance ramp of the stadium Cleveland Browns Stadium is a football stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio ( ). It is the home of the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise. ... Cleveland redirects here. ... ESPN Plus is the popular name of ESPN Regional Television, which is an American televsion program syndicator. ... Western Illinois University, founded 1899 as Western Illinois State Teachers College, is a university located in Macomb, Illinois. ... Camp Randall Stadium was built in 1917 and is the current home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team. ... Nickname: Mad Town or Mad City Location of Madison in Dane County, Wisconsin Municipality City Incorporated 1848  - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz Area    - City 136. ... ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. The network was launched on March 4, 2005 from the Oklahoma State University Campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma. ... San Diego State University (SDSU), founded in 1897, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area (generally the City and County of San Diego), and is part of the California State University system. ... The 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team is representing the University of Michigan in the college football season of 2006-2007. ... Michigan Stadium, nicknamed the Big House, is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ... For the railroad company, see Ann Arbor Railroad. ... ESPN, formerly the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... Indiana University is the principal campus of the Indiana University system. ... Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. ... Location in the state of Indiana Coordinates: County Monroe Mayor Mark Kruzan Area    - City 51. ... ESPN2 debuted on October 1, 1993, as a sister station of ESPN. Nicknamed the deuce, ESPN2 was to be branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross, snowboarding, and BMX racing. ... Northwestern University is a prestigious private, coeducational, non-sectarian research university, located in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois. ... ESPN360 is a video content player that can be found at ESPN360. ... The 2006 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team will represent the University of Minnesota in the college football season of 2006-2007. ... The 2006 Purdue Boilermakers football team will represent Purdue University in the college football season of 2006. ... Ross-Ade Stadium is a stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana. ... West Lafayette (IPA: ) is a city in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, 65 miles (105km) northwest of Indianapolis. ... The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), is the largest campus in the University of Illinois system. ... The Nittany Lion The 2006 Penn State Nittany Lion football team will represent Pennsylvania State University in the college football season of 2006-2007. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... The 2006 Iowa Hawkeyes football team completed the season with a 6-7 record. ... Kinnick Stadium is a stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. ... Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, USA. It is the principal city of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of both Johnson and Washington counties. ... University at Buffalo The University at Buffalo, formerly known as the State University of New York at Buffalo, is located in Buffalo, New York, USA, and is one of the four university centers operated by the State University of New York. ... The 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team completed the season with a 10-4 record. ... The Florida Citrus Bowl (official name is Orlando-Orange County Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium) is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for American football and currently seats over 65,000. ... Nickname: The City Beautiful, O-Town, 407 Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ... The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl (1947-1982) and the Florida Citrus Bowl (1983-2001). ... The USA Today Coaches Poll is the current name for a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I-A college football and Division I college basketball teams. ...  CST or UTC-6 The Central Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC during standard time (UTC-6) and five hours during daylight saving time (UTC-5). ...

Roster

Game Notes

Bowling Green

In his debut, P.J. Hill had 130 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead the Badgers to a victory over the hometeam Falcons. The Badgers broke a 7-7 tie in the second quarter when Alonso Rojas blocked a punt and Jonathan Casillas returned it for a touchdown. John Stocco finished 9-of-15 for 124 yards and a touchdown, with an interception.

Western Illinois

P.J. Hill ran for over 100 yards for the second game in a row, and the Badgers overcame a rocky first quarter to beat the Leathernecks. After a fumble on the kickoff lead to a WIU field goal, the Badgers reeled off 34 straight points - 17 in the second quarter - to effectively put the game away. John Stocco was 15-25 for 227 yards and another touchdown, and Hill collected three touchdowns on the ground for the Badgers.

San Diego State

P.J. Hill ran for 184 yards and a touchdown and the defense shut out the Aztecs in the last game before the start of conference play. The Badgers allowed just 153 yards, but the offense was out of sync for the third straight week as Stocco completed just 12 of his 23 passes for 85 yards. Paul Hubbard registered a six-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.

Michigan

Wisconsin performed admirably in the first half, scoring 10 points, but special teams miscues led to 10 Wolverine points by the break. P.J. Hill was held to 54 yards against the stout Michigan run defense, and Mario Manningham had 113 yards and two touchdowns through the air as Michigan raced out to 17 straight points in the second half to beat the Badgers, 27-13. The Badgers intercepted Chad Henne three times, but it was not enough to overcome the Wolverines' powerful offense. Wisconsin, which had beaten Michigan in 2005, had a five-game winning streak snapped. Michigan moved to 4-0 on the season. Mario Cashmere Manningham (born May 25, 1986 in Warren, Ohio) is a football wide receiver who plays for the University of Michigan. ... Chad Steven Henne (born July 2, 1985 in West Lawn, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback who plays for the Michigan Wolverines. ...

See also: 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team is representing the University of Michigan in the college football season of 2006-2007. ...

Indiana

The Badgers bounced back from their first loss of the season, racing out to a 52-0 lead over the hometeam Hoosiers en route to a dominating 52-17 victory. John Stocco threw for 304 yards and had three touchdown strikes by halftime, and P.J. Hill had 129 yards and another three touchdowns for the Badgers. The Hoosiers were held to just 147 yards through three quarters. Paul Hubbard caught seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown for the Badgers.

Northwestern

For the second straight week, the Badger defense stepped up big, holding NU tailback Tyrell Sutton to just 18 yards on the ground. Wisconsin avenged last year's loss to the Wildcats with a punishing ground game, highlighted by P.J. Hill's rumbling 60-yard touchdown in the first quarter. In his best effort to date, Hill piled up 250 of the Badgers' 316 yards on the ground as the Badgers prevailed.
Football sensation Tyrell DelShawn Sutton was born on December 19, 1986 in Akron, Ohio to Connie and Anthony Sutton, Sr. ...

Minnesota

The Badgers hosted Minnesota in the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe. The Badgers, who had moved into the AP rankings for the first time this season, prevailed 48-12 behind John Stocco's four touchdown passes, two to Travis Beckum, who also had 118 receiving yards. Stocco finished 12-of-19 for 193 yards. Jack Ikegwuonu opened the scoring by returning Amir Pinnix's first-quarter fumble 50 yards for a touchdown. P.J. Hill racked up 164 yards and two more scores as the Badgers defended the Axe. Paul Bunyans Axe is a traveling trophy, named after the mythical giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan, passed between the University of Minnesota (Gophers) and University of Wisconsin (Badgers) football teams, given annually to the winning team immediately upon the conclusion of the game. ...

See also: 2006 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

The 2006 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team will represent the University of Minnesota in the college football season of 2006-2007. ...

Purdue

The Badgers moved into the Coaches Poll for the first time, ranked #22 going into their showdown against Purdue. The Badger defense figured to get a good test against the Boilermakers offense, which led the Big Ten at over 470 yards a game entering the contest. Purdue managed only 299 yards and a field goal as the Badgers limited Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter to just 187 yards on 20-of-40 passing and an interception. P.J. Hill ran for another two touchdowns and 160 yards. Curtis Painter (born June 24, 1985) is the starting quarterback for the Purdue Boilermakers football team. ...

See also: 2006 Purdue Boilermakers football team

The 2006 Purdue Boilermakers football team will represent Purdue University in the college football season of 2006. ...

Illinois

The visiting Illini gave the #18 Badgers a scare, as Illinois quarterback Juice Williams engineered three scoring drives in the second quarter to give the Illini a 24-10 lead at halftime. P.J. Hill suffered a pinched nerve and left the game in the first quarter. Backup Lance Smith scored the Badgers' only touchdown of the first half. John Stocco threw for two touchdowns and Taylor Mehlhaff kicked two field goals in the second half, and the defense held Illinois scoreless throughout the second half to prevail victorious, 30-24.

Penn State

The Badger defense stepped up in a huge way against Penn State, yielding only a field goal and 244 yards. Consistent pressure frustrated Nittany Lions quarterback Anthony Morelli, and the offense controlled the clock with 148 yards from P.J. Hill. The Badgers won 13-3 to move to 9-1 on the season and their sixth straight victory. John Stocco suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter. Penn State starting quarterback, Anthony Morelli Anthony Michael Morelli (born June 21, 1985 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American football quarterback, playing collegiately for Penn State University. ...

This game drew the ire of Penn State head coach Joe Paterno as the first half came to a close. Under the clock rules introduced at the beginning of the season, the clock began running immediately as the ball was kicked, rather than when it was fielded by the receiving team. Following a Stocco touchdown that gave the Badgers a 10-3 lead with 23 seconds to go, Coach Bielema deliberately ordered his kickoff unit to run offsides before Taylor Mehlhaff kicked off. Because the Badgers were offsides (and thus further downfield), the Penn State special teams were unable to field the ball well, and thus would have had awful field position; they instead elected to rekick. Wisconsin repeated the tactic, essentially running out the clock on the first half. Bielema's strategy was decried by many as unsportsmanlike; others praised him for bringing light to a loophole in the new clock system. After the regular season, the clock rules were reverted to their pre-2006 form. Joseph Vincent Paterno (born December 21, 1926, in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed JoePa, is the head coach of Pennsylvania State Universitys college football team, a position he has held since 1966. ...

See also: 2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The Nittany Lion The 2006 Penn State Nittany Lion football team will represent Pennsylvania State University in the college football season of 2006-2007. ...

Iowa

After moving up to #16 in the coaches poll, Wisconsin ended a two-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes with a 24-21 victory in Iowa City. With John Stocco sitting out due to injury, backup Tyler Donovan played an efficient game, going 17-of-24 for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Hawkeyes quarterback Drew Tate threw for Iowa's three touchdowns, but was frustrated all game, completing fewer than a third of his attempts. With the win, the Badgers completed conference play with a 7-1 mark, wrapping up a second place tie in the Big Ten. Iowa City is a city located in Johnson County, Iowa, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 62,220. ... Drew Tate (born October 8, 1984 in Baytown, Texas) is the starting quarterback for the Iowa Hawkeyes. ...

See also: 2006 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The 2006 Iowa Hawkeyes football team completed the season with a 6-7 record. ...

Buffalo

On Senior Day, the #10 Badgers started sluggishly, but scored two touchdowns just before halftime and added two more in the second half to win decisively over Buffalo, 35-3. Tyler Donovan once again performed proficiently, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns with an interception on 16-of-26, and the defense forced four turnovers and held Buffalo to just 159 yards. P.J. Hill scored a touchdown and picked up 86 yards on the ground.

With the win, the Badgers finished 11-1, the best regular season in school history. There was a minor controversy concerning the Bowl Championship Series, whose rules state that only two teams from one conference may receive bids to BCS bowl games. Ohio State and Michigan were ranked ahead of the Badgers in the final BCS standings, granting those two schools BCS invitations and relegating the Badgers to a lesser bowl. Nevertheless, Wisconsin again accepted an invitation to the Capital One Bowl, where it would defend its championship against Arkansas.
BCS Logo 2006-Present The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is designed to pair the top two teams in college football against each other in the BCS National Championship Game with the winner being the BCS national champion. ... This article is about Ohio State; there is also an Ohio University. ... The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl (1947-1982) and the Florida Citrus Bowl (1983-2001). ... The University of Arkansas known also as the U of A or UA, is a public co-educational land-grant university. ...

Capital One Bowl - Arkansas

The Badgers returned to Orlando to face the #13 Razorbacks, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden. McFadden burst for 45 yards on his first carry but was brought down from behind by Jack Ikegwuonu at the 9-yard line, a pivotal play that led to a missed field goal by Arkansas. The Badgers led 17-7 at halftime behind John Stocco's two touchdown passes, and eventually survived a nailbiting second half in which the Razorbacks continually had great field position but failed to capitalize. Despite being held to -5 rushing yards while giving up 232, including 150 from Arkansas' Felix Jones, the Badgers won 17-14. John Stocco, playing in his final collegiate game, was named the game's MVP. Nickname: The City Beautiful, O-Town, 407 Location in Orange County and the state of Florida. ... John Cappellettis 1973 Heisman Trophy is part of an exhibit at the Penn State All-Sports Museum located at Beaver Stadium, on the campus of the Pennsylvania State University. ... Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987 in North Little Rock, Arkansas) is the 2006 All-American starting tailback for the University of Arkansas and the 2006 Doak Walker Award winner as the nations top running back. ...

The Badgers finished the season on a nine-game winning streak to reach #5 in the final coaches poll and #7 in the final AP poll. The 12 wins were a new single season record.

See also: 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

The 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team completed the season with a 10-4 record. ...

Statistics