Fletcher’s Big Man For Badgers

Hall of Fame Bowl

One of Wisconsin’s smallest players saved his biggest game for last.

“That little guy is something,” Badgers coach Barry Alvarez said after Terrell Fletcher carried 39 times for 241 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-20 victory over Duke in the Hall of Fame Bowl on Monday.

The 5-foot-9 senior set Hall of

Fame records for attempts and yardage as he scored from 1 and 49 yards in the second half to power the Badgers (7-4-1). Fletcher had 160 of his yards on three TD drives after Duke tied it at 13 in the second half.

It marked the second time in as many games that Fletcher set a career-high rushing total. With a bowl berth on the line, he had 192 yards to lead the Badgers past Illinois in their regular-season finale.

“You always dream about having big games,” Fletcher said, “but I never, ever dreamed about anything like this.”

The Badgers won four of their last five games in a season dominated by off-the-field news, including one incident involving Brent Moss, the player who started ahead of Fletcher. It was a stark contrast from last season, when Wisconsin won the Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl.

This season, two Badgers were suspended for their alleged involvement in a shoplifting matter, and the team lost two players in separate cocaine incidents, including Moss.

Fletcher called the victory “an emotional moment for everybody. It was an exclamation point for the whole team.”

No. 25 Duke (8-4) lost four of five after a school-record 7-0 start under first-year coach Fred Goldsmith.

“They overcame adversity early and really made a great game out of it, one that I thought we really could win,” Goldsmith said.

But in the end, Fletcher was just too much for Duke.

“I’d say 90 percent of the time we’d hit him at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield,” Duke safety Ray Farmer said. “He’s just a tremendous back. He’d bounce off and spin and do whatever he had to do …”

Wisconsin 34, Duke 20

Duke 0 10 3 7 - 20 Wisconsin 13 0 6 15 - 34

Wis-Messenger 19 interception return (Schetzky kick)

Wis-FG Hall 48

Wis-FG Hall 43

Duke-Baldwin 7 run (Cochran kick)

Duke-FG Cochran 30

Duke-FG Cochran 30

Wis-Fletcher 1 run (kick failed)

Wis-Burns 11 pass from Bevell (Fletcher from Bevell)

Duke-Baldwin 2 run (Cochran kick)

Wis-Fletcher 49 run (Schetzky kick)

A-61,384.

Duke Wis First downs 23 19 Rushes-yards 29-85 48-285 Passing 314 161 Return Yards 2 77 Comp-Att-Int 28-46-4 11-20-1 Punts 4-43 1-38 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-2 Penalties-Yards 5-40 12-86 Time of Possession 29:14 30:46

RUSHINGDuke, Baldwin 21-70, Fischer 6-15, White 1-0, Lowman 1-0. Wisconsin, Fletcher 39-241, Burns 6-45, Bevell 3-(minus 1).

PASSINGDuke, Fischer 28-46-4-314. Wisconsin, Bevell 11-20-1-161.

RECEIVINGDuke, Khayat 11-109, Jensen 6-97, Farquhar 3-41, Thomas 3-30, Fleming 2-13, Lowman 1-10, Baldwin 1-9, Opalenick 1-5. Wisconsin, Simmons 1-52, Dawkins 3-29, Burns 2-28, Roan 1-17, Johnson 2-17, Jackson 1-10, Fletcher 1-8.