Almost exactly a year apart, 2012’s Fail Mary and 2013’s Wisconsin Badgers officiating snafu will haunt the minds of diehard Wisconsin sports fans.
Here’s a video of what went down last night if you missed it.
It’s difficult to decide which one is worse because they both contain an extreme incompetence for the game of football and the acting referees assumed no accountability at the time of the call.
We could go on and on about what happened in the desert last night, but let’s make a list of exactly why Badgers fans need to look to the future instead of dwelling on things they cannot change.
1.) LB Chris Borland immediately following the game had the right kind of attitude. “I don’t think this is something that anyone has ever been a part of. But what’s done is done. This won’t affect our practice Monday and it doesn’t change our goal. We can still be Big Ten champions.”
Additional postgame video from Dez Southward and Joel Stave (courtesy of Badgers youtube channel).
2.) While Borland and the rest of the Badgers players were mature enough to move on, the Bielema family is still not ready to do that. Does anyone see what’s wrong with this picture?
3.) While not the exact same situation, Gary Andersen had a gut-wrenching loss last season. His Utah State team missed a field goal at Camp Randall that they should have made and do you want to know how he and his team responded to that? Only with a 9-1 record and a convincing 41-15 victory over Tulsa in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Here are Andersen’s comments following the tough loss. (also courtesy of Badgers youtube channel).
4.) Your team has Melvin Gordon, arguably the most exciting player in college football. The sophomore has a 60+ yard run in four of his last five games. How about them apples?
5.) With upcoming games against the likes of Ohio State, Northwestern and BYU who are a combined 8-1 on the season, the Badgers will have ample opportunity to prove what kind of contender they are on a national stage.
What are you most looking forward to in the rest of Wisconsin’s schedule? Let me know by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys sharing Fantasy Advice and pretends to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.
Images obtained from ESPNWisconsin.com and Official Badgers Facebook page.