# 2012 Wisconsin Badgers football team

The 2012 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers, led by seventh-year head coach Bret Bielema, through December 4, 2012, and Barry Alvarez for the Rose Bowl were members of the Leaders Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium. The Badgers lost their final game 20-14 in the Rose Bowl to the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference on January 1, 2013.

## Recruiting

College recruiting information (2012) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Vince Biegel LB | Wisconsin Rapids, WI | Lincoln HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 4.6 | Apr 23, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Hugs Etienne CB | Plantation, FL | South Plantation HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | N/A | Jun 22, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Arthur Goldberg DT | Pittsburgh, PA | Mount Lebanon HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | N/A | Jun 23, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Bart Houston QB | Concord, CA | De La Salle HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | N/A | May 3, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Vonte Jackson RB | Kenosha, WI | Bradford HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.53 | Mar 26, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Reggie Love WR | Boca Raton, FL | Spanish River HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | N/A | Nov 5, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Jake Meador OT | Whiteland, IN | Whiteland Community HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 305 lb (138 kg) | N/A | Feb 1, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Reggie Mitchell WR | Pittsburgh, PA | Shady Side Academy | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 166 lb (75 kg) | 4.82 | Jun 23, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Leo Musso RB | Waunakee, WI | Waunakee HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 4.64 | Jan 27, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 45 |||||||
| D.J. Singleton S | Jersey City, NJ | St. Peter's Prep | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.5 | Aug 21, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Dan Voltz OT | Barrington, IL | Barrington HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | 5.4 | Mar 15, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Walker Williams OT | Tacoma, WA | Tacoma Baptist HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 320 lb (150 kg) | N/A | Aug 12, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 63 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Wisconsin Badgers Commits 2012". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2012. "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 2, 2012. |||||||

## Watchlists/Preseason awards

* Jared Abbrederis
    Biletnikoff Award
* Montee Ball
    Doak Walker Award
    Maxwell Award
    Walter Camp Award
* Chris Borland
    Bednarik Award
    Butkus Award
    Lombardi Award
    Nagurski Trophy
* Travis Frederick
    Lombardi Award
    Outland Trophy
    Rimington Trophy
* Jacob Pedersen
    Mackey Award
* Mike Taylor
    Lombardi Award
    Nagurski Trophy
* Ricky Wagner
    Lombardi Award
    Outland Trophy
* James White
    Doak Walker Award

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 9 (FCS) Northern Iowa* | No. 12 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | BTN | W 26–21 | 79,568 |
| September 8 | 3:00 p.m. | at Oregon State* | No. 13 | Reser StadiumCorvallis, OR | Fox | L 7–10 | 42,189 |
| September 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Utah State* | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | BTN | W 16–14 | 79,332 |
| September 22 | 11:00 a.m. | UTEP* | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ESPN2 | W 37–26 | 79,806 |
| September 29 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 22 Nebraska | | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE (rivalry) | ABC | L 27–30 | 85,962 |
| October 6 | 2:30 p.m. | Illinois | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ABC/ESPN2 | W 31–14 | 80,096 |
| October 13 | 11:00 a.m. | at Purdue | | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | W 38–14 | 46,007 |
| October 20 | 11:00 a.m. | Minnesota | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI (Paul Bunyan's Axe) | ESPNU | W 38–13 | 80,587 |
| October 27 | 2:30 p.m. | Michigan State | No. 25 | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ABC/ESPN2 | L 13–16 $^{OT}$ | 80,538 |
| November 10 | 11:00 a.m. | at Indiana | | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | ESPN2 | W 62–14 | 43,240 |
| November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 6 Ohio State | | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | ABC/ESPN2 | L 14–21 $^{OT}$ | 80,112 |
| November 24 | 2:30 p.m. | at Penn State | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ESPN2 | L 21–24 $^{OT}$ | 93,505 |
| December 1 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. No. 14 Nebraska | | Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game) | Fox | W 70–31 | 41,260 |
| January 1, 2013 | 4:10 p.m. | vs. No. 8 Stanford* | | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (Rose Bowl, College GameDay) | ESPN | L 14–20 | 93,259 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 12 | 13 | RV | RV | RV | — | — | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | — | RV | RV |
| Coaches | 12 | 13 | 22 | 24 | 23 | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | 23 | RV |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Game summaries
### No. 9 (FCS) Northern Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9 (FCS) Panthers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| No. 12 Badgers | 3 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 26 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 79,568
* Referee: Dennis Lispski
* TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Chris Martin, and Jay Wilson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UNI | WIS |
| First downs | 14 | 22 |
| Total yards | 306 | 387 |
| Rushing yards | 41 | 168 |
| Passing yards | 265 | 219 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 20:55 | 39:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Iowa | Passing | Sawyer Kollmorgen | 18/34, 265 yards, 3 TD |
| Northern Iowa | Rushing | David Johnson | 8 rushes, 18 yards |
| Northern Iowa | Receiving | David Johnson | 4 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Danny O'Brien | 19/23, 219 yards, 2 TD |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Montee Ball | 32 rushes, 120 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Jared Abbrederis | 6 receptions, 84 yards, 2 TD |

### At Oregon State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 13 Badgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Beavers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
* Date: September 8
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Partly sunny, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 42,189
* Referee: Mike Cannon
* TV announcers (Fox): Craig Bolerjack, Joel Klatt, and Petros Papadakis
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WIS | ORST |
| First downs | 13 | 18 |
| Total yards | 207 | 354 |
| Rushing yards | 35 | 78 |
| Passing yards | 172 | 276 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 24:25 | 35:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Danny O'Brien | 20/38, 172 yards, TD, INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Montee Ball | 15 rushes, 61 yards |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Jeff Duckworth | 7 receptions, 55 yards |
| Oregon State | Passing | Sean Mannion | 29/47, 276 yards, TD |
| Oregon State | Rushing | Malcolm Agnew | 11 rushes, 45 yards |
| Oregon State | Receiving | Markus Wheaton | 8 receptions, 87 yards |

### Utah State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Badgers | 0 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 16 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: September 15
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 76 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 79,332
* Referee: Todd Geerlings
* TV announcers (BTN): Matt Devlin, Glen Mason, and Jay Wilson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | USU | WIS |
| First downs | 13 | 12 |
| Total yards | 308 | 234 |
| Rushing yards | 127 | 156 |
| Passing yards | 181 | 78 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:55 | 33:05 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah State | Passing | Chuckie Keeton | 18/34, 181 yards, 2 TD |
| Utah State | Rushing | Chuckie Keeton | 15 rushes, 75 yards |
| Utah State | Receiving | Kerwynn Williams | 6 receptions, 78 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Danny O'Brien | 5/10, 63 yards |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Montee Ball | 37 rushes, 139 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Brian Wozniak | 2 receptions, 24 yards |

### UTEP

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 26 |
| Badgers | 2 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 37 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: September 22
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 44 °F (7 °C)
* Game attendance: 79,806
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway, and Lewis Johnson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UTEP | WIS |
| First downs | 20 | 21 |
| Total yards | 336 | 423 |
| Rushing yards | 77 | 213 |
| Passing yards | 259 | 210 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:20 | 28:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Nick Lamaison | 22/39, 259 yards, 2 TD |
| UTEP | Rushing | Xay Williams | 8 rushes, 53 yards, TD |
| UTEP | Receiving | Michael Edwards | 7 receptions, 151 yards, 2 TD |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Joel Stave | 12/17, 210 yards, TD, INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Melvin Gordon | 8 rushes, 112 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Jared Abbrederis | 6 receptions, 147 yards, TD |

### At No. 22 Nebraska

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Badgers | 14 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| No. 22 Cornhuskers | 3 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 30 |
at Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
* Date: September 29
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 85,962
* Referee: Bill LeMonnier
* TV announcers (ABC): Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, and Holly Rowe
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WIS | NEB |
| First downs | 17 | 24 |
| Total yards | 295 | 440 |
| Rushing yards | 56 | 259 |
| Passing yards | 239 | 181 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 29:00 | 31:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Joel Stave | 12/23, 214 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Montee Ball | 31 rushes, 93 yards, 3 TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Jared Abbrederis | 7 receptions, 142 yards, TD |
| Nebraska | Passing | Taylor Martinez | 17/29, 181 yards, 2 TD |
| Nebraska | Rushing | Taylor Martinez | 13 rushes, 107 yards, TD |
| Nebraska | Receiving | Kenny Bell | 4 receptions, 57 yards |

### Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Badgers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 31 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: October 6
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 46 °F (8 °C)
* Game attendance: 80,096
* Referee: Dave Witvoet
* TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Bob Wischusen, Danny Kanell, and Maria Taylor
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ILL | WIS |
| First downs | 15 | 18 |
| Total yards | 284 | 427 |
| Rushing yards | 106 | 173 |
| Passing yards | 178 | 254 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 31:48 | 28:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Nathan Scheelhaase | 18/29, 178 yards, TD, INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Nathan Scheelhaase | 22 rushes, 84 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Darius Millines | 5 receptions, 54 yards |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Joel Stave | 16/25, 254 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Montee Ball | 19 rushes, 116 yards, 2 TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Jared Abbrederis | 7 receptions, 117 yards, TD |

### At Purdue

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Badgers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Boilermakers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Ross–Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Indiana
* Date: October 13
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Mostly cloudy, 59 °F (15 °C)
* Game attendance: 46,007
* Referee: Dennis Lipski
* TV: BTN
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | WIS | PUR |
| First downs | 30 | 11 |
| Total yards | 645 | 252 |
| Rushing yards | 467 | 128 |
| Passing yards | 178 | 124 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 38:42 | 21:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Joel Stave | 12/21, 178 yards, TD, INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Montee Ball | 29 rushes, 247 yards, 3 TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Jacob Pedersen | 4 receptions, 77 yards, TD |
| Purdue | Passing | Caleb TerBush | 7/16, 80 yards, INT |
| Purdue | Rushing | Akeem Hunt | 4 rushes, 85 yards, 1 TD |
| Purdue | Receiving | Antavian Edison | 3 receptions, 58 yards |

### Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Gophers | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Badgers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: October 20
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 48 °F (9 °C)
* Game attendance: 80,587
* Referee: Todd Gerrling
* TV: ESPNU
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MINN | WIS |
| First downs | 12 | 24 |
| Total yards | 245 | 443 |
| Rushing yards | 96 | 337 |
| Passing yards | 149 | 106 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:04 | 34:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Minnesota | Passing | Philip Nelson | 13/24, 149 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Minnesota | Rushing | Philip Nelson | 16 rushes, 67 yards |
| Minnesota | Receiving | Brandon Green | 3 receptions, 44 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Joel Stave | 7/15, 106 yards |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | James White | 15 rushes, 175 yards, 3 TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Jared Abbrederis | 2 receptions, 68 yards |

### Michigan State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Spartans | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
| No. 25 Badgers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: October 27
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 44 °F (7 °C)
* Game attendance: 80,538
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, and Jeannine Edwards
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MSU | WIS |
| First downs | 17 | 10 |
| Total yards | 277 | 190 |
| Rushing yards | 61 | 19 |
| Passing yards | 216 | 171 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 29:05 | 30:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Michigan State | Passing | Andrew Maxwell | 24/39, 216 yards, 2 TD |
| Michigan State | Rushing | Le'Veon Bell | 21 rushes, 77 yards |
| Michigan State | Receiving | Keith Mumphery | 5 receptions, 63 yards |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Joel Stave | 9/11, 127 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Montee Ball | 22 rushes, 46 yards |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Jacob Pedersen | 3 receptions, 65 yards, TD |

### At Indiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Badgers | 14 | 10 | 17 | 21 | 62 |
| Hoosiers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
* Date: November 10
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST/12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 43,240
* Referee: Dan Capron
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins and Joey Galloway
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Wisconsin | Passing |
| Wisconsin | Rushing |
| Wisconsin | Receiving |
| Indiana | Passing |
| Indiana | Rushing |
| Indiana | Receiving |

### No. 6 Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| No. 6 Buckeyes | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Badgers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: November 17
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 54 °F (12 °C)
* Game attendance: 80,112
* Referee: Bill LeMonnier
* TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Joe Tessitore and Matt Millen
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Ohio State | Passing |
| Ohio State | Rushing |
| Ohio State | Receiving |
| Wisconsin | Passing |
| Wisconsin | Rushing |
| Wisconsin | Receiving |
During the game, there was a ceremony to honor the 1962 Wisconsin Badgers football team on the 50th anniversary of their Big Ten Championship.

### At Penn State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Badgers | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Nittany Lions | 7 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 24 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 24
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST/3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy with flurries, 32 °F (0 °C)
* Game attendance: 93,505
* Referee: Dave Witvoet
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Mark Jones and Brock Huard
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Wisconsin | Passing |
| Wisconsin | Rushing |
| Wisconsin | Receiving |
| Penn State | Passing |
| Penn State | Rushing |
| Penn State | Receiving |

### Vs. No. 14 Nebraska (Big Ten Championship)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Cornhuskers | 10 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Badgers | 21 | 21 | 21 | 7 | 70 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: December 1
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST/8:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 41,260
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, and Julie Alexandria
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Nebraska | Passing |
| Nebraska | Rushing |
| Nebraska | Receiving |
| Wisconsin | Passing |
| Wisconsin | Rushing |
| Wisconsin | Receiving |
Wisconsin had 2 running backs run for over 200 yards (Montee Ball and Melvin Gordon) and Badgers running backs accounted for 8 rushing touchdowns on the day (along with a passing touchdown by running back James White). The 70 points tied the second-highest mark in Wisconsin history, set against Northwestern in 2010 and Austin Peay in 2010 (the Wisconsin record for most points in a game is 83 against Indiana in 2010). The Badgers returned their first interception for a touchdown, as senior defensive back Marcus Cromartie returned a deflected Taylor Martinez pass 29 yards to put Wisconsin up 14-0 less than 3 minutes into the game.
A wild rushing touchdown by Taylor Martinez and a Brett Maher field goal narrowed Wisconsin's advantage to 14-10, but the Badgers went 45 yards on two plays to set up another scoring drive, capped off by a 9-yard rushing touchdown by James White. When Nebraska's offense stalled, Wisconsin's offense roared into gear and scored three more touchdowns in the 2nd quarter alone, taking a 42-10 lead at the half with a James White passing touchdown to TE Sam Arneson.
In the second half, Nebraska managed to gain a grand total of 3 yards before Martinez threw his second interception on Nebraska's first drive of the half. Wisconsin scored on the next play, taking a 49-10 lead.
The Badgers secured their third consecutive Big Ten Championship and a third consecutive Rose Bowl berth with the blowout win, improving to 8-5 on the year and snapping their 2-game losing streak.
On December 4, head coach Bret Bielema announced he would take the head coaching vacancy at the University of Arkansas, ending his career at Wisconsin after 7 seasons (from 2006 to 2012). Bielema had a 68-24 overall record in 7 seasons at Wisconsin and his teams went 37-19 in Big Ten conference games. In addition, Bielema won both of the first two Big Ten Conference Championship Games.

### Vs. No. 8 Stanford (Rose Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Badgers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 8 Cardinal | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
* Date: January 1, 2013
* Game time: 4:10 p.m. CST/2:10 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 61 °F (16 °C)
* Game attendance: 93,359
* Referee: Jerry McGinn
* TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox, and Tom Rinaldi
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Wisconsin | Passing |
| Wisconsin | Rushing |
| Wisconsin | Receiving |
| Stanford | Passing |
| Stanford | Rushing |
| Stanford | Receiving |

## Awards

* Jared Abbrederis
       First Team All-Big Ten (Consensus)
* Beau Allen
       All-Big Ten Honorable mention (Consensus)
* Montee Ball
       Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year
       First Team All-Big Ten (Consensus)
       First Team All-American (American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, ESPN)
       Consensus All-American
       Jim Brown Award
       Doak Walker Award
* Chris Borland
       First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches) / Honorable mention (Media)
* Marcus Cromartie
       All-Big Ten Honorable mention (Consensus)
* Travis Frederick
       First Team All-Big Ten (Media) / Honorable mention (Coaches)
* David Gilbert
       All-Big Ten Honorable mention (Consensus)
* Ryan Groy
       Second Team All-Big Ten (Coaches) / Honorable mention (Media)
* Ethan Hemer
       All-Big Ten Honorable mention (Coaches)
* Drew Meyer
       All-Big Ten Honorable mention (Media)
* Jacob Pedersen
       Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year
       First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches) / Honorable mention (Media)
* Devin Smith
       Second Team All-Big Ten (Media) / Honorable mention (Coaches)
* Dezmen Southward
       All-Big Ten Honorable mention (Consensus)
* Mike Taylor
       First Team All-Big Ten (Media) / Honorable mention (Coaches)
* Ricky Wagner
       First Team All-Big Ten (Consensus)
       Second Team All-American (CBS Sports)

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position |
| Bret Bielema | Head coach |
| Matt Canada | Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks coach |
| Chris Ash | Defensive coordinator/Defensive backs coach |
| Zach Azzanni | Wide receivers coach |
| Andy Buh | Linebackers coach |
| Eddie Faulkner | Tight ends coach |
| Thomas Hammock | Assistant head coach/Running backs coach/Recruiting coordinator |
| Mike Markuson | Offensive line coach |
| Bart Miller | Offensive line coach |
| Charlie Partridge | Associate head coach/Co-Defensive coordinator/Defensive line coach |
| Ben Strickland | Defensive backs/Special teams coach |
| Terrance Jamison | Graduate assistant |

## 2012 statistics
### Passing

Note: G = Games played; COMP = Completions; ATT = Attempts; COMP % = Completion percentage; YDS = Passing yards; TD = Passing touchdowns; INT = Interceptions; EFF = Passing efficiency
| Pos. | Player | G | COMP | ATT | COMP % | YDS | TD | INT | EFF |
| WR | Jared Abbrederis | 13 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 326.8 |
| QB | Danny O'Brien | 7 | 52 | 86 | 60.5 | 523 | 3 | 1 | 120.7 |
| QB | Curt Phillips | 7 | 46 | 81 | 56.8 | 540 | 5 | 2 | 128.2 |
| QB | Joel Stave | 8 | 70 | 119 | 58.8 | 1104 | 6 | 3 | 148.3 |
| RB | James White | 14 | 1 | 2 | 50.0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 227.6 |

### Rushing

Note: G = Games played; ATT = Attempts; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average yard per carry; LG = Longest run; TD = Rushing touchdowns
| Pos. | Player | G | ATT | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
| WR | Jared Abbrederis | 13 | 8 | 83 | 10.4 | 24 | 0 |
| RB | Montee Ball | 14 | 356 | 1830 | 5.1 | 67 | 22 |
| WR | Kenzel Doe | 14 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 12 | 0 |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 14 | 62 | 621 | 10.0 | 60 | 3 |
| RB | Jeffrey Lewis | 3 | 4 | 13 | 3.2 | 6 | 1 |
| QB | Danny O'Brien | 7 | 15 | -82 | -5.5 | 7 | 0 |
| TE | Jacob Pedersen | 14 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| QB | Curt Phillips | 7 | 27 | 99 | 3.7 | 52 | 0 |
| QB | Joel Stave | 8 | 19 | -51 | -2.7 | 16 | 0 |
| FB | Derek Watt | 14 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 3 | 0 |
| RB | James White | 14 | 125 | 806 | 6.4 | 69 | 12 |

### Receiving

Note: G = Games played; REC = Receptions; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average yard per catch; LG = Longest catch; TD = Receiving touchdowns
| Pos. | Player | G | REC | YDS | AVG | LG | TD |
| TE | Sam Arneson | 13 | 4 | 19 | 4.8 | 9 | 2 |
| WR | Jared Abbrederis | 13 | 49 | 837 | 17.1 | 60 | 5 |
| RB | Montee Ball | 14 | 10 | 72 | 7.2 | 16 | 0 |
| WR | Kenzel Doe | 14 | 16 | 121 | 7.6 | 19 | 0 |
| WR | Jeff Duckworth | 13 | 9 | 60 | 6.7 | 10 | 1 |
| WR | Jordan Fredrick | 14 | 17 | 196 | 11.5 | 20 | 1 |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 14 | 2 | 65 | 32.5 | 57 | 1 |
| WR | Chase Hammond | 12 | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 30 | 0 |
| WR | Reggie Love | 5 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 19 | 0 |
| TE | Jacob Pedersen | 14 | 27 | 355 | 13.1 | 31 | 4 |
| QB | Curt Phillips | 7 | 1 | 27 | 27.0 | 27 | 0 |
| FB | Derek Watt | 14 | 12 | 150 | 12.5 | 33 | 0 |
| RB | James White | 14 | 8 | 132 | 16.5 | 62 | 1 |
| TE | Brian Wozniak | 14 | 9 | 94 | 10.4 | 21 | 0 |

### Kick and punt returning

Note: G = Games played; PR = Punt returns; PYDS = Punt return yards; PLG = Punt return long; KR = Kick returns; KYDS = Kick return yards; KLG = Kick return long; TD = Total return touchdowns
| Pos. | Player | G | PR | PYDS | PLG | KR | KYDS | KLG | Total Return TDs |
| WR | Jared Abbrederis | 13 | 17 | 111 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DT | Beau Allen | 14 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WR | Kenzel Doe | 13 | 8 | 99 | 82 | 7 | 195 | 47 | 1 |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 151 | 32 | 0 |
| RB | James White | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 114 | 26 | 0 |
| RB | Kyle Zulegar | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 20 | 0 |

### Kicking

Note: G = Games played; FGM = Field goals made; FGA = Field goals attempted; LG = Field goal long; XPT = Extra points made; XPT ATT = XPT attempted; TP = Total points
| Pos. | Player | G | FGM | FGA | LG | XPT | XPT ATT | TP |
| K | Kyle French | 13 | 10 | 16 | 46 | 38 | 40 | 68 |
| K | Jack Russell | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 15 | 14 |

### Punting

Note: G = Games played; P = Punts; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average per punt; LG = Punt long; In20 = Punts inside the 20; TB = Touchbacks
| Pos. | Player | G | P | YDS | AVG | LG | In20 | TB |
| P | Drew Meyer | 14 | 80 | 3323 | 41.5 | 61 | 36 | 5 |

### Defensive

Note: G = Games played; Solo = Solo tackles; Ast = Assisted tackles; Total = Total tackles; TFL-Yds = Tackles for loss-yards lost; Sack = Sacks; INT = Interceptions; PDef = Passes defended; FF = Forced fumbles; FR = Forced recoveries
| Pos. | Player | G | Solo | Ast | Total | TFL-Yds | Sack | INT | PDef | FF | FR |
| LB | Mike Taylor | 14 | 69 | 54 | 123 | 15.0-59 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| LB | Chris Borland | 12 | 56 | 48 | 104 | 10.0-40 | 4.5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| LB | Ethan Armstrong | 14 | 54 | 39 | 93 | 2.0-6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| S | Dezmen Southward | 14 | 44 | 25 | 69 | 8.0-18 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| CB | Marcus Cromartie | 14 | 38 | 24 | 62 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| CB | Devin Smith | 14 | 35 | 22 | 57 | 1.0-4 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| S | Shelton Johnson | 11 | 30 | 26 | 56 | 0.5-0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| DE | David Gilbert | 14 | 21 | 21 | 42 | 9.5-46 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| DT | Beau Allen | 14 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 7.5-31 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| DE | Brendon Kelly | 11 | 17 | 11 | 28 | 6.0-29 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| LB | Derek Landisch | 14 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 1.0-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DT | Ethan Hemer | 14 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 2.5-12 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| S | Michael Trotter | 13 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 1.0-8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| CB | Darius Hillary | 14 | 16 | 7 | 23 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| DE | Tyler Dippel | 13 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 5.5-34 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DE | Pat Muldoon | 11 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 5.5-18 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| LB | Conor O'Neill | 14 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| DT | Warren Herring | 14 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 1.0-6 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| FB | Derek Watt | 14 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| CB | Michael Caputo | 13 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DT | Bryce Gilbert | 13 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RB | Kyle Zulegar | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WR | Lance Baretz | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LB | Marcus Trotter | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DT | Konrad Zagezebski | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| LB | Jake Keefer | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CB | Deven Gaulden | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LS | James McGuire | 14 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CB | Jerry Ponio | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WR | Kenzel Doe | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DE | Jacob Ninneman | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DE | James Adeyanju | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CB | Peniel Jean | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| WR | Jake Stengel | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| CB | Terrance Floyd | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RB | Derek Straus | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DE | Josh Harrison | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G | Ryan Groy | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C | Travis Frederick | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TE | Jacob Pedersen | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RB | Melvin Gordon | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P | Drew Meyer | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| RB | Montee Ball | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Regular starters

| Position | Player |
| Quarterback | Joel Stave |
| Running Back | Montee Ball |
| Fullback | Derek Watt |
| Wide Receiver | Jared Abbrederis |
| Wide Receiver | Jordan Fredrick |
| Tight End | Jacob Pedersen Brian Wozniak |
| Left Tackle | Ricky Wagner |
| Left Guard | Ryan Groy |
| Center | Travis Frederick |
| Right Guard | Kyle Costigan |
| Right Tackle | Rob Havenstein |
| Position | Player |
| Defensive End | David Gilbert |
| Defensive Tackle | Beau Allen |
| Defensive Tackle | Ethan Hemer |
| Defensive End | Pat Muldoon |
| Outside Linebacker | Mike Taylor |
| Middle Linebacker | Chris Borland |
| Outside Linebacker | Ethan Armstrong |
| Cornerback | Devin Smith |
| Strong Safety | Dezmen Southward |
| Free Safety | Shelton Johnson |
| Cornerback | Marcus Cromartie |