SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 15, 2012
No. 22 Wisconsin 16, Utah State 14: Montee Ball scored the go-ahead touchdown and Josh Thompson missed his first field-goal attempt of the season with less than 10 seconds remaining as the Badgers rallied from a double-digit deficit to defeat the upset-minded Aggies.
Kenzel Doe added a punt return for a touchdown as the host Badgers (2-1) won their 18th straight home game.
Wisconsin, which attempted just 16 passes, concentrated primarily on the running game after benching quarterback Danny O’Brien as Ball logged 37 carries – one short of a matching a career high – for 139 yards.
After Ball broke loose for a 17-yard TD run midway through the third quarter, neither team could mount much offense until the Aggies (2-1) forced a punt from Wisconsin with just more than two minutes remaining.
Utah State managed to drive the ball 49 yards in 10 plays to set Thompson up for the game-winning field goal, but he pushed his 37-yard attempt to the right in the final seconds.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Freshman Joel Stave came on in relief of an ineffective O’Brien at the start of the second half and completed just two of his six attempts. … One season after 10 of Utah State’s 13 games were decided by seven points or less, the Aggies fell to 1-1 in such contests after three games.