Sept. 22, 2007
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) – No. 9 Wisconsin needed a fourth-quarter rally to avoid an upset bid by Iowa, turning to P.J. Hill for the go-ahead score in a 17-13 victory Saturday night.
Nothing came easy for the Badgers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), who gradually overcame a stingy Hawkeyes defense to extend their winning streak to 13 games – the longest active streak in major college football.
The Badgers barely moved the ball in the first half, nearly fumbled away their first chance at a touchdown and went into the fourth quarter trailing 10-7.
After getting 50 yards on his first 12 carries, Hill played a central role on the go-ahead drive that began just before the end of the third quarter.
Hill carried 10 times for 43 yards and scored on third-and-goal from the 2, putting Wisconsin ahead 14-10.
The Hawkeyes (2-2, 0-1) answered with a 44-yard kickoff return from Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who earlier caught a touchdown on a one-handed grab in the second quarter.
After Iowa’s offense stalled in Wisconsin territory, Daniel Murray hit a 37-yard field goal to cut the Badgers’ lead to one with 6:29 remaining.
Badgers backup running back Lance Smith broke away for a 30-yard gain on Wisconsin’s next possession, setting up a 40-yard field goal by Taylor Mehlhaff to put Wisconsin ahead 17-13 with 2:02 remaining in the game.
Iowa had one last chance on its final possession when wide receiver Paul Chaney got behind the defense on fourth-and-8, but the deep ball from quarterback Jake Christensen sailed just past his outstretched arms.