# 1996 Wisconsin Badgers football team

The 1996 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. They were led by seventh year head coach Barry Alvarez and participated as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 7 | 11:30 a.m. | Eastern Michigan* | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ESPN2 | W 24–3 | 74,279 |
| September 14 | 9:00 p.m. | at UNLV* | Sam Boyd StadiumWhitney, NV | | W 52–17 | 40,091 |
| September 21 | 11:30 a.m. | Stanford* | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ESPN2 | W 14–0 | 77,894 |
| September 28 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 3 Penn State | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ABC | L 20–23 | 79,607 |
| October 12 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 2 Ohio State | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH | ABC | L 14–17 | 94,215 |
| October 19 | 11:30 a.m. | No. 14 Northwestern | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ESPN | L 30–34 | 79,576 |
| October 26 | 11:30 a.m. | at Michigan State | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI | ESPN2 | L 13–30 | 69,217 |
| November 2 | 11:30 a.m. | Purdue | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ESPN | W 33–25 | 78,330 |
| November 9 | 11:00 a.m. | Minnesota | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (Paul Bunyan's Axe) | ESPN+ | W 45–28 | 78,006 |
| November 16 | 11:30 a.m. | at Iowa | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA (rivalry) | ESPN | L 0–31 | 66,570 |
| November 23 | 1:00 p.m. | at Illinois | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | | W 35–15 | 37,814 |
| November 30 | 11:00 p.m. | at Hawaii* | Aloha StadiumHonolulu, HI | | W 59–10 | 26,819 |
| December 27 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. Utah* | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ (Copper Bowl) | ESPN | W 38–10 | 42,122 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Season summary

Wisconsin started off quickly in 1996, winning their first three games against Eastern Michigan, UNLV, and Stanford. However, the Badgers then encountered far stiffer opposition against Penn State, Ohio State, Northwestern, and Michigan State. In the Northwestern game, Wisconsin RB Ron Dayne stunningly fumbled with just under a minute remaining. Northwestern recovered and scored the winning touchdown, sealing Wisconsin's third consecutive loss. The Badgers lost their fourth straight game the next week, falling 30–13 to Michigan State.
The Badgers snapped their four-game losing streak with consecutive wins against Purdue and rival Minnesota, before suffering a humiliating 31–0 loss at the hands of Hayden Fry's Iowa Hawkeyes. After falling to 5–5, the Badgers would win the final games on their regular season slate by beating Illinois and Hawaii, earning a bid to the Copper Bowl. The Badgers defeated the Utah Utes 38–10 in the 1996 Copper Bowl.
Wisconsin RB Ron Dayne ran for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns in the 1996 season, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Honors in the process.

## Regular starters

| Position | Player |
| Quarterback | Mike Samuel |
| Running Back | Ron Dayne |
| Fullback | Cecil Martin/Aaron Gibson |
| Wide Receiver | Donald Hayes |
| Wide Receiver | Tony Simmons |
| Tight End | Kevin Lyles |
| Left Tackle | Chris McIntosh |
| Left Guard | Jamie Vanderveldt |
| Center | Derek Engler |
| Right Guard | Cayetano Castro |
| Right Tackle | Jerry Wunsch |
| Position | Player |
| Defensive End | Tarek Saleh |
| Defensive tackle | Neil Miklusak |
| Defensive tackle | Rod Spiller |
| Defensive End | Bryan Jurewicz |
| Outside Linebacker | Daryl Carter |
| Inside Linebacker | Pete Monty |
| Outside Linebacker | David Lysek |
| Cornerback | Cyrill Weems |
| Free Safety | Kevin Huntley |
| Strong Safety | Bob Adamov |
| Cornerback | Jason Suttle |

## Team players selected in the 1997 NFL Draft

| Player | Position | Round | Overall Selection | NFL Team |
| Jerry Wunsch | Guard | 2 | 37 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Pete Monty | Linebacker | 4 | 103 | New York Giants |
| Tarek Saleh | Linebacker | 4 | 122 | Carolina Panthers |