It wasn't actually frozen tundra, but I don't think the Clemson Tigers will be in a hurry to visit Green Bay's Lambeau Field in the near future. On a gray day with temps in the thirties, a chilly day amidst a relatively stretch of weather, Clemson actually looked like a contender for the first quarter.
Clemson's first drive went only two yards though, and Wisconsin took over. Emphasizing the talents of RB Montee Ball and QB Russell Wilson, the Badgers looked like a well oiled machine. Perhaps it was the Packers hiding in Wisconsin uniforms, because the drive that culminated in a Wilson to Jared Abbrederis 38 yard pass certainly could not have been outdone by Aaron Rodgers. But the Tigers seemed on it, responding with a touchdown as Andre Ellington shot through the Wisconsin "D" for a 68 yard run, to tie the game. But Wisconsin's offense just took the ball back and drove for 4 minutes until Russell Wilson ran it in from four yards out.
Clemson came back down the field with their own drive, and put up a Chandler Catanzaro 42 yard field goal, and the Tigers pulled within 14-10. Wisconsin finally punted, and the Tigers had the ball back with a chance to take the lead in the second quarter. Clemson drove down the field on the verge of silencing the Green Bay crowd, when a shock wave hit the Tigers momentum.
On the goal line, Clemson back Andre Ellington took the hand-off, fumbled just prior to scoring, and the Badgers grabbed the ball and ran it 99 yards for a TD. Suddenly, Wisconsin led 21-10, and had the crowd, weather, and all the karma they needed. Wisconsin scored two more touchdowns before halftime, and it was Badgers up 35-10 before Clemson could warm up in the locker room.
Clemson scored a touchdown in the second half, and missed the two-point conversion, and added a field goal, but the Badgers were in complete cruise mode. The final score was 45-19, and the Badgers head to Miami to meet top seed LSU in the Orange Bowl. The Big Ten is now 5-0 in first round games, and ACC futility continues, having lost three straight First Round games since Virginia Tech beat Texas Tech in 2008.
UPDATED TOURNEY RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Pittsburgh:
7 Boise State 62
10 West Virginia 70 (4 OT)
In Green Bay:
8 Wisconsin 45
9 Clemson 19
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Orange:
1 LSU
8 Wisconsin
Rose:
4 Stanford
6 Arkansas
Sugar:
2 Alabama
10 West Virginia
Fiesta:
3 Oklahoma State 38
5 Oregon 37
Semi-finals in Saint Louis:
LSU/Wisconsin versus Stanford/Arkansas
Alabama/West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State
BCS Championship in New Orleans
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