No. 5 Badgers survive scare to top UNLV

I-A College Football News

Sep 9, 2007, 5:42 GMT

Las Vegas, NV - Senior quarterback Tyler Donovan's spectacular 29-yard touchdown run with 1:53 remaining in regulation helped the fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers survive a scare against UNLV, 20-13, at Sam Boyd Stadium.Donovan completed 14-of-26 passes for 138 yards with one touchdown and carried six times for 53 yards while adding the game-deciding score for Wisconsin (2-0), which won for the 11th consecutive time dating back to last season.P.J. Hill dominated the running game, carrying 30 times for 147 yards. Travis Beckum caught six passes for 66 yards, Garrett Graham ended with two receptions for 11 yards and a TD, and Taylor Mehlhaff chipped in with a pair of field goals for the Badgers.Travis Dixon completed 23-of-36 passes for 258 yards, with one touchdown and one interception for UNLV (1-1), which failed to capitalize on last week's victory over Utah State.'We don't accept moral victories,' Dixon said. 'We set a high standard for ourselves and we just let this one get away from us.'Casey Flair led the receiving corps with 10 catches for 126 yards and a score, and Sergio Aguayo booted field goals of 25 and 35 yards.UNLV came back out for the second half trailing 9-7, and after stuffing Wisconsin's Hill on a 4th-and-1 rush attempt, started the next series at its own 30.Flair's 35-yard reception put the Rebels on the Badgers' 35. Dixon then rushed for three yards and David Peeples gained 14 on his carry, but the running game was shut down after that point. Frank Summers was held to a yard and Chris Brogdon had no gain to stall the drive before Aguayo trotted onto the field and drilled a 25-yard field goal at 7:16 to put UNLV on top, 10-9.The tide tuned in the fourth quarter, however, as Dixon had a pass picked off by Wisconsin's Shane Carter and returned to the Rebels' 39. The Badgers went three-and-out, but Mehlhaff split the uprights from 51 yards away to boost his club to a 12-10 lead with 12:22 remaining in the contest.The see-saw matchup continued, as UNLV answered in the ensuing possession. Aaron Straiten had a 15-yard catch and followed that up with a nine-yard reception. The march seemed to stall until a huge 10-yard completion to Ryan Wolfe moved the chains. Flair added another 14-yard catch on first down, and three plays later Aguayo put the Rebels back on top, 13-12, with a 35-yard field goal.Wisconsin began to pound the ball on its next drive, as Hill converted on a critical 4th-and-1 on the Rebels' 38. Hill picked up seven yards on his next run and four on second down. A delay of game put the Badgers back five, but a draw play found Donovan all alone, and he sprinted 29 yards before leaping with his right arm extended, football in hand, across the goal line. The play was briefly reviewed, but the ruling on the field stood that Donovan's hand remained inside the left pylon before he sailed out of bounds.The two-point conversion, caught by Luke Swan, gave Wisconsin a 20-13 advantage and the defense held the rest of the way.The Rebels scored the game's first points, as Flair hauled in a five- yard touchdown pass from Dixon with 3:13 remaining in the first stanza. The score capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive highlighted by Flair's 21-yard reception on 3rd-and-14 from the Wisconsin 27.The Badgers battled back in the second quarter, as a four-yard pass from Donovan to Graham tied the game at 6-6 before the extra-point failed.Wisconsin tacked on a 27-yard field goal by Mehlhaff as time expired to carry a 9-7 edge into the locker room.Game NotesWisconsin's 11 victories in a row ranks is currently the longest active streak in the country...The Badgers are 22-1 in their last 23 regular-season non- conference games...The game marked the eighth all-time meeting between Wisconsin and UNLV on the gridiron, with the Badgers holding a 6-2 series advantage. The teams last met in Madison in '04, a game won by Wisconsin, 18-3.© 2007 The Sports Network

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No. 5 Badgers survive scare to top UNLV

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