2003 Wisconsin Badgers football team

2003 Wisconsin Badgers football

Music City Bowl, L 14–28 vs. Auburn
Conference	Big Ten Conference
2003 record	7–6 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Barry Alvarez (14th year)
Offensive coordinator	Brian White
Defensive coordinator	Kevin Cosgrove
MVP	Lee Evans
Captain	Lee Evans
Captain	Jim Leonhard
Captain	Jeff Mack
Captain	Jim Sorgi
Home stadium	Camp Randall Stadium (Capacity: 76,634)

2003 Big Ten football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#6 Michigan $		7	–	1		10	–	3
#4 Ohio State %		6	–	2		11	–	2
#18 Purdue		6	–	2		9	–	4
#8 Iowa		5	–	3		10	–	3
#20 Minnesota		5	–	3		10	–	3
Michigan State		5	–	3		8	–	5
Wisconsin		4	–	4		7	–	6
Northwestern		4	–	4		6	–	7
Penn State		1	–	7		3	–	9
Indiana		1	–	7		2	–	10
Illinois		0	–	8		1	–	11

$ – BCS representative as conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 2003 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2003 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Barry Alvarez, the Badgers completed the season with a 7–6 record, including a 4–4 mark in the Big Ten Conference, finishing in a tie for 7th in the Big Ten.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	11:00 AM	at West Virginia*	No. 21	Mountaineer Field • Morgantown, WV	ESPN	W 24–17	60,663^[1]
September 6	2:30 PM	Akron*	No. 18	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN	W 48–31	75,401^[1]
September 13	11:00 AM	UNLV*	No. 14	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN2	L 5–23	78,043^[1]
September 20	11:00 AM	North Carolina*		Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN	W 38–27	77,439^[1]
September 27	5:00 PM	at Illinois		Memorial Stadium • Champaign, IL	ESPN2	W 38–20	58,495^[1]
October 4	11:00 AM	at Penn State		Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	ESPN	W 30–23	107,851^[1]
October 11	8:00 PM	No. 3 Ohio State	No. 23	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN	W 17–10	79,793^[1]
October 18	11:00 AM	No. 13 Purdue	No. 14	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN	L 23–26	79,541^[1]
October 25	11:00 AM	at Northwestern	No. 20	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	ESPN2	L 7–16	36,233^[1]
November 8	11:00 AM	at No. 24 Minnesota		Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome • Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe)	ESPN	L 34–37	59,543^[1]
November 15	11:00 AM	No. 21 Michigan State		Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI	ESPN2	W 56–21	79,256^[1]
November 22	2:30 PM	No. 17 Iowa		Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI (Rivalry)	ABC	L 21–27	79,931^[1]
December 31	11:00 AM	vs. Auburn*		The Coliseum • Nashville, TN (Music City Bowl)	ESPN	L 14–28	55,109^[1]
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Central Time.

Season summary

Wisconsin entered the 2003 season ranked, after an 8–6 campaign the year before. The Badgers defeated West Virginia and Akron to open the season, but then were shocked by perennially underachieving UNLV at home, 23–5. The stunning upset knocked the Badgers (then ranked 14th) out of the polls entirely, and they would not return until after wins in their first two Big Ten games, against Illinois and Penn State (teams that would combine for a 1–15 Big Ten record). With defending National Champion Ohio State coming to town on a 19-game winning streak, the Badgers put together a solid game, and ended the Buckeyes' winning streak in a 17–10 upset.

At 3–0 in the Big Ten and having defeated Ohio State, the Badgers were looking to put together a run at a Big Ten title. Unfortunately for the Badgers, Kyle Orton and the Purdue Boilermakers ended Wisconsin's undefeated Big Ten campaign with a 26–23 win in Camp Randall. The next week in Evanston, the 20th ranked Badgers lost 16–7 to Northwestern.

With Paul Bunyan's Axe on the line against Minnesota, the Badgers were unable to avoid giving up another late drive, and Minnesota beat the Badgers in Minneapolis for the 2nd time in a row, 37–34. Disheartened but not yet finished, the Badgers dealt a massive blow to Michigan State (which was riding a losing streak of its own) as they routed the Spartans, 56–21. It was their second straight win over MSU. WR Lee Evans caught 10 passes for 258 yards and 5 touchdowns^[2] in the game.

Against Iowa the next week, the Badgers took a 21–7 lead, which they proved unable to hold. Iowa defeated Wisconsin 27–21, a devastating loss on Senior Day that left the Badgers tied for 7th in the Big Ten. The Badgers accepted an invitation to the 2003 Music City Bowl against Auburn, a team ranked 6th in the nation in the preseason. The Badgers lost 28–14, closing out their 3rd season in a row with 6 or more losses.

FS Jim Leonhard caught 7 interceptions on defense for Wisconsin, leading the Badgers and the Big Ten. However, Wisconsin's defense gave up late scoring drives against Purdue, Minnesota, and Iowa, all games the Badgers lost.

West Virginia

#21 Wisconsin at West Virginia

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Wisconsin	7	0	3	14	24
West Virginia	10	0	7	0	17

Date: August 30
Location: Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
Game start: 11:00 a.m. CST
Game attendance: 60,663
TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones (Play-by-play), Bob Davie (Color) & Holly Rowe (Sideline)

Scoring summary

Q1	WIS	Timbers recovered blocked punt in end zone (Campbell kick)	WIS 7–0

Q1	WVU	Cooper 27 yard field goal	WIS 7–3

Q1	WVU	Wilson 10 yard run (Cooper kick)	WVU 10–7

Q2	WVU	Wilson 3 yard run (Cooper kick)	WVU 17–7

Q2	WIS	Campbell 29 yard field goal	WVU 17–10

Q4	WIS	Evans 20 yard pass from Sorgi (Campbell kick)	Tie 17–17

Q4	WIS	Davis 2 yard run (Campbell kick)	WIS 24–17

^[3]

Ohio State

#3 Ohio State at #23 Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio State	0	3	0	7	10
• Wisconsin	0	7	3	7	17

Date: October 11
Location: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
Game start: 8:00 p.m. CST
Game attendance: 79,793
TV announcers (ESPN): Ron Franklin (Play-by-play), Mike Gottfried (Color) & Adrian Karsten (Sideline)

Scoring summary

Q2		WIS	Stanley 2 yard run (Allen kick)	WIS 7–0

Q2		OHST	Nugent 24 yard field goal	WIS 7–3

Q3		WIS	Allen 38 yard field goal	WIS 10–3

Q4		OHST	Jenkins 6 yard pass from Krenzel (Nugent kick)	Tie 10–10

Q4	5:20	WIS	Evans 79 yard pass from Schabert (Allen kick)	WIS 17–10

^[4]

Wisconsin snapped Ohio State's 19-game winning streak and handed them their first loss since the 2002 Outback Bowl.

Michigan State

#21/#22 Michigan State at Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan State	0	7	7	7	21
• Wisconsin	14	14	21	7	56

Date: November 15
Location: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
Game start: 11:00 a.m. CST
Game attendance: 79,256
TV announcers (ESPN2): Pam Ward (Play-by-play) & Chris Spielman (Color)

Source: ESPN

Scoring summary

1	11:22	Wisconsin	Lee Evans 9-yard pass from Jim Sorgi (Mike Allen kick)	Wisconsin 7-0

1	0:27	Wisconsin	Dwayne Smith 3-yard run (Mike Allen kick)	Wisconsin 14-0

2	4:21	Wisconsin	Lee Evans 75-yard pass from Jim Sorgi (Mike Allen kick)	Wisconsin 21-0

2	2:51	Michigan St	Kyle Brown 21-yard pass from Jeff Smoker (Dave Rayner kick)	Wisconsin 21-7

2	1:39	Wisconsin	Lee Evans 18-yard pass from Jim Sorgi (Mike Allen kick)	Wisconsin 28-7

3	9:13	Wisconsin	Lee Evans 70-yard pass from Jim Sorgi (Mike Allen kick)	Wisconsin 35-7

3	7:49	Michigan St	Aaron Alexander 30-yard pass from Jeff Smoker (Dave Rayner kick)	Wisconsin 35-14

3	4:05	Wisconsin	Lee Evans 18-yard pass from Jim Sorgi (Mike Allen kick)	Wisconsin 42-14

3	1:32	Wisconsin	Dwayne Smith 14-yard run (Mike Allen kick)	Wisconsin 49-14

4	13:11	Wisconsin	Dwayne Smith 26-yard run (Mike Allen kick)	Wisconsin 56-14

4	4:56	Michigan St	Drew Stanton 13-yard run (Dave Rayner kick)	Wisconsin 56-21

Lee Evans tied the Big Ten record for touchdowns receptions in a single game while breaking the school records for single-game receiving yardage and career receiving touchdowns.

Regular starters

Position	Player
Quarterback	Jim Sorgi
Running Back	Anthony Davis
Fullback	Matt Bernstein
Wide Receiver	Lee Evans
Wide Receiver	Brandon Williams
Tight End	Tony Paciotti
Left Tackle	Morgan Davis
Left Guard	Dan Buenning
Center	Donovan Raiola
Right Guard	Jonathan Clinkscale
Right Tackle	Mike Lorenz

Position	Player
Defensive End	Darius Jones
Defensive Tackle	Anttaj Hawthorne
Defensive Tackle	Jason Jefferson
Defensive End	Jonathan Welsh
Outside Linebacker	Jeff Mack
Inside Linebacker	Alex Lewis
Outside Linebacker	Kareem Timbers
Cornerback	Scott Starks
Strong Safety	Ryan Aiello
Free Safety	Jim Leonhard
Cornerback	Levonne Rowan

Players selected in the 2004 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Overall Selection	NFL Team
Lee Evans	Wide Receiver	1	13	Buffalo Bills
Alex Lewis	Linebacker	5	140	Detroit Lions
Jim Sorgi	Quarterback	6	193	Indianapolis Colts

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "2003 Wisconsin Football". University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Athletics. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
↑ "Individual Game-by-Game Summaries". University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Athletics. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
↑ "Davis Scores Winning Touchdown with 2:57 Left". ESPN. August 30, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
↑ "Buckeyes' 19-Game Win Streak Snapped". ESPN. October 11, 2003. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
↑ "2004 NFL Draft". Pro-Football Reference. Retrieved December 22, 2014.

Wisconsin Badgers football

Venues	Randall Field (1895-1916) Camp Randall Stadium (1917–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Iowa (Heartland Trophy) Minnesota (Slab of Bacon, 1930–1943; Paul Bunyan's Axe, 1948–present) Nebraska (Freedom Trophy)

Culture & lore	Bucky Badger "On, Wisconsin!" Marching band "Jump Around" Tall Grass Game

People	Head coaches Players in the NFL Draft Statistical leaders

Seasons	1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

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