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Wisconsin caps big season with victory over Arkansas

Jan 2, 2007 - 12:31 AM ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema is going to have a tough time coming up with an encore to his debut season.

Bielema closed his first season with a victory as No. 6 Wisconsin pulled out a 17-14 triumph over No. 12 Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl.

Wisconsin capped the winningest season in school history. The Badgers (12-1) had never had won 12 games and had not won 11 in the regular season before this campaign - their first under Bielema, who was named the Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year.

"We talked about three words all week," Bielema said. "The first word was winning. They define themselves by being the winningest football team in Wisconsin history. The second was finish. We wanted to make the month of November mean something, but we had the ultimate finish today.

"And the last one was respect. This program needs to have those three things to go where we want to go and I think those three things came out today stronger than ever." The Badgers were making their second straight appearance in the Capital One Bowl and won it again despite being shut out in the second half and having their running game totally bottled up. A year ago, Wisconsin posted a 24-10 victory over Auburn.

Badgers redshirt freshman P.J. Hill finished fifth in the nation in rushing at 127.75 yards per game and also ran for 15 touchdowns. Against the Razorbacks, he managed just 36 yards on 19 carries.

Taylor Mehlhaff kicked a 52-yard field goal in the first quarter to open the scoring for the Badgers. John Stocco also threw a TD pass in each of the first two quarters to give the Badgers a 17-7 halftime lead.

Arkansas (10-4) pulled within 17-14 on a 12-yard TD run by Felix Jones with 14 minutes to play, but the Razorbacks could not overcome the Badgers or their own mistakes.

The Razorbacks held a 368-201 advantage in total yards. They also limited the Badgers minus-5 rushing yards but were done in by 12 penalties and a pair of interceptions.

"I don't feel good," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "It's not a good feeling. I love winning. It's much better and we all know that, but we had our chances. We had 60 minutes and we just didn't get it done."

"Their defense is very good," Stocco said. "They're right up there with Michigan."

The game's MVP, Stocco completed just 14-of-34 passes for 206 yards. But he hit Paul Hubbard for a 22-yard TD in the first quarter and Trevis Beckum for a 13-yard score in the second period.

"This is the best group I have ever been around since I have been here," Stocco said. "He's a big-time winner," Bielema said.

After Melhaff's field goal, Arkansas wasted little time answering. Jones, who had a career-high 150 yards on 14 carries, gave the Razorbacks a 7-3 lead 42 seconds later on a 76-yard TD run.

The Razorbacks finished with 257 yards rushing, including 89 on 19 carries by Heisman Trophy finalist Darren McFadden. But Arkansas struggled to pass and had 123 yards in penalties.

Casey Dick and Mitch Mustain split time at quarterback and neither was effective. Dick started and was 9-of-21 for 98 yards and Mustain was 5-of-10 for 41 yards. Both threw interceptions.

Arkansas finished with a three-game losing streak after winning 10 in a row, capturing the Southeastern Conference West Division title and missing out on a BCS bowl bid with a loss to No. 2 Florida in the SEC title game.

"It hurts real bad, just losing your last three ballgames after going on a 10-0 run," Arkansas senior defensive tackle Keith Jackson said. "It's kind of frustrating for the team to know we had the game in our favor."

Wisconsin won its final nine games following a 27-13 loss at Michigan on September 23.

"I felt if we were able to get out of here today with a victory, it would be a huge step," Bielema said. "Not only for this team, but more important a building block for the future."