The Best Wisconsin Football Games by Week: Week Nine

MADISON, Wis. – To fill the void this weekend, BadgerBlitz.com is turning back the clock to pick the best/most meaningful Wisconsin regular-season games each Saturday.

To make it more interesting, we’re picking the best games of a specific week: the best season openers, the best week two games, week three, etc, of the modern era (since 1947). Some weeks won’t be a fair fight, as the number of games has increased over that time (nine games until 1965, 10 games until 1971, 11 games in 1997 and mostly 12 since) with the addition of more nonconference games, but the impact these games had for Wisconsin can’t be disputed.

RELATED: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 |

Our pick for Wisconsin’s best week nine game of the modern era: November 24, 1962, vs. No.5 Minnesota.

Two years removed from its seventh Big Ten championship, Wisconsin was primed for number eight.

Coached by Milt Bruhn (the first coach to lead Wisconsin to multiple Big Ten titles), the Badgers had built a dynamic offense. Senior end Pat Richter would be named a consensus All-American after the season, but the real star would be quarterback Ron Vander Kelen. Missing the 1960 season because of injury and academically ineligible in ’61, Vander Kelen leading the offense helped Wisconsin average 33.9 points per game, including a then-modern era record 69 points in the opener.

A frustrating 14-7 loss at unranked Ohio State was a setback for No.5 Wisconsin, but the Badgers rallied the next week with a sound 22-point victory at Michigan, delivered 21 third-quarter points to crush No.1 Northwestern and demolished Illinois in Champaign to set up a winner-take-all game for the Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth against No.5 Minnesota.

After dropping the season opener to No.10 Missouri and the conference opener to Northwestern, the Gophers won their next five games by a combined score of 79-13, including three shutouts. The Gophers were looking to play in their third straight Rose Bowl and exact some revenge on the Badgers, who kept them from winning the Big Ten title when the unranked Badgers delivered a 23-21 stunner to the third-ranked Gophers in Minneapolis.

Facing a long offseason, the University of Wisconsin delivered a scoring drive worthy of a run to the roses. Minnesota was anxious to help them get there.

Sophomore Ralph Kurek scored from two yards with 1:37 remaining, capping an 80-yard drive that gave Wisconsin a 14-9 victory, the outright Big Ten championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl.

The Gophers thought they’d be headed back to Pasadena minutes earlier when they intercepted Vanden Kelen, only to see it wiped out with a 15-yard personal foul penalty. When the Gophers’ bench drew another 15-yard penalty on top of that for unsportsmanlike conduct. With a first down at the Minnesota 13, UW took the lead three plays later.

The Badgers nearly gave the game away late when penalties helped Minnesota get a first down at the UW 14, but UW’s Jim Nettles delivered an interception in the end zone with a minute remaining to clinch the victory.

Minnesota’s defense kept Wisconsin in check for most of the game, limiting the Badgers to just 83 rushing yards, 136 yards through the air and forcing four turnovers. The Gophers opened the scoring with a touchdown and a missed extra point early in the second quarter. UW quickly responded with an eight-play driver that ended with Vander Kelen hitting Ron Leafblad for a 13-yard touchdown to take the lead into halftime. Minnesota tacked on a field goal in the third quarter, giving the Gophers a 9-7 lead heading into the final stanza.

Minnesota finished with 353 total yards and had 21 first downs to UW’s 14 but were ultimately done in by 130 yards in penalties.

Vander Kelen was named the Big Ten’s most valuable player for the 1962 season by guiding the Badgers to an 8-1 regular season. Finishing the nine-game schedule ranked No.2 in the AP poll, Wisconsin faced No.1 USC in the first bowl game to pair the top two teams in the AP poll since the poll was created in 1936. Despite playing the number one team in the country in southern California, the Badgers were listed as two-point favorites.

A game tied at seven at the end of the first quarter quickly got out of hand for UW, which was outscored 28-7 in the middle two quarters. Down 42-14 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, as fans were starting to head for the exits, the game turned from blowout to legendary.

After an 80-yard touchdown drive got UW back on the scoreboard, the Badgers recovered a fumble on the first play of the kickoff and scored four players later to make it 42-28. A bad snap on a punt resulted in a safety and good field position for UW, which Vander Kelen capitalized with a 19-yard pass to Richter to cap a 43-yard scoring drive in three plays. Suddenly, UW trailed 42-37 with 1:19 remaining but couldn’t recover the ensuing onside kick and didn’t get the ball back.

The game set 11 Rose Bowl records and is considered one of the greatest bowl games ever, but an outcome that kept the Badgers from winning its first national championship. UW would not return to Pasadena for 31 years.