The Best Wisconsin Football Games by Week: Week Two

MADISON, Wis. – With no football games on the schedule (yet), 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 non-conference games, but the impact these games had for Wisconsin can’t be disputed.

RELATED: WEEK 1 |

Our pick for Wisconsin’s best week two game of the modern era: October 4, 1952, against No.2 Illinois.

Wisconsin had come tantalizing close to its first Big Ten regular season title since 1912 the season before, going 5-1-1 in the league. The only toe stub was against Illinois, 14-10 in Champaign, that cleared the path for the Illini to win the Big Ten and go on to win the Rose Bowl. Illinois hadn’t lost in its previous 11 games, including going 9-0-1 the year.

Wisconsin began the season by throttling Marquette and sat at No.8 in the country when the second-ranked Illini came to Madison in the conference opener for both teams.

A record crowd at the time of 52,071 watched Wisconsin dominate from the beginning, scoring in the first, third and fourth quarter to build a 20-0 lead. Fullback Alan Ameche ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on 32 attempts, while tailback Harland Carl also rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries. The production of those two players was a reason why Wisconsin outgained Illinois, 334-60, on the ground and ran 83 plays to Illinois’ 48.

After beating Marquette in his first collegiate game, sophomore quarterback Jim Haluska went 6-for-14 for 100 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

The Fighting Illini didn’t score until returning a kickoff 63 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The victory sent Wisconsin to uncharted waters in several ways. For starters, the victory pushed Wisconsin up seven shots to No.1 in the AP poll for the first and only time in school history (UW lost the following week at Ohio State). The Badgers finished 4-1-1 in conference play and were Big Ten co-champions, earning a bid to the 1953 Rose Bowl for the program’s first bowl game appearance.

After breaking the school rushing record as a freshman in 1951, Ameche broke his own mark in 1952, rushing for 946 yards as the Badgers made it to the Rose Bowl. He rushed for 133 yards in the 7-0 loss to USC, putting the cap on a season that would help him win the Heisman Trophy two years later.

In reality, there weren't too many intriguing games to choose from in the week two category. The Badgers haven't faced a ranked opponent since 2001 in week two and no Power-Five school in that slot since 2012. It's part of the reason why the Big Ten is trying to create more early-season buzz by moving some conference games earlier in the schedule. A week two matchup against a top-10 Big Ten would certainly move the needle and could set the stage for a memorable season, much like that victory over Illinois did for Wisconsin nearly 60 years ago.