TCU quarterback Andy Dalton (14) passes during the first half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae Hong)
PASADENA — TCU head coach Gary Patterson used his Rose Bowl pulpit to make sure the world knew how he felt about his quarterback, Andy Dalton.
“He’s my Heisman candidate. He’s my Davey O’Brien candidate,” Patterson said. “He’s all of that. That’s what he means to TCU and that’s what he means to Fort Worth.”
The senior proved his worth, sparking the No. 3 Horned Frogs (13-0) to a 21-19 win over No. 4 Wisconsin (11-2) in the Rose Bowl.
Dalton, the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, earned those same honors for the game, completing 15-of-23 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown. He was also TCU’s leading rusher with 28 yards and a score.
It was a redeeming performance after last year’s 17-10 loss to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, where Dalton threw three interceptions. Saturday, he was virtually mistake-free.
“I knew it was important to him after last year,” Patterson said. “He was very hard on himself after the Fiesta Bowl a year ago. And I’m very proud of the way he came back and I’m happy for him because he had to live for a year with (knowing) he didn’t get it done in the Fiesta Bowl.”
Said Dalton: “That was motivation for me. I felt like I didn’t play very well in the game last year. So to come out and win this game and execute well on offense — we didn’t have any turnovers, the penalties were a minimum — I think as an offense on the whole we came out and played well.”
Over the past two years, Dalton is 25-1 as a starter; he’s 36-3 over the past three years. His 42 wins are the most among all active NCAA quarterbacks.
“Dalton impressed me all year long on film,” said Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema. “And he didn’t disappoint the TCU fans tonight. He’s a very, very good quarterback.”
Dalton pushed the tempo during the highest scoring first quarter in Rose Bowl history (14-10 TCU) and eased off the throttle when ball possession became more important in the second half. Despite just three offensive possessions in the first half, TCU held a 14-13 lead at the break. The Badgers enjoyed a 21:28 to 8:32 advantage in time of possession. In the second half, it was a near split; 15:07 for Wisconsin to 14:53 for TCU.
“We felt like we hadn’t played going into halftime,” Dalton said. “We scored twice and then went three-and-out and we were watching the rest of the time.
“We knew we had to take advantage of our opportunities because Wisconsin’s got such a great run offense and they can run the clock. So that’s the attitude we took in the second half. We have to take advantage, keep moving the ball, and we were able to get the win off of that.”
Obviously, the Badgers wanted to pressure Dalton. But by the time they got there, the ball was usually gone. The result was zero sacks and just one tackle for a loss for the Wisconsin defense.
“You give your best football player the ball,” said Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt. “They wanted him to run the ball. They wanted him to pass the ball and he had success doing it … we didn’t stop him and that’s how you lose the football game.
“A lot of our defensive linemen had success, but the ball was gone. You’re not going to get many sacks when the guy’s getting the ball out in two seconds.”
The Mountain West Conference is 8-2 in bowl games over the past two years. Both of the losses have come to Boise State, which will join the Mountain West in 2011. In last year’s Fiesta Ball, Boise State topped TCU and in this year’s Las Vegas Bowl the Broncos beat up Utah 26-3.
It was a dark Saturday for Big Ten fans, who watched the conference go 0-5. To go with the Wisconsin loss, Northwestern, Michigan State, Michigan and Penn State all lost.
Watt said he hasn’t decided whether he’ll go into the NFL — where he’s projected to be one of the top defensive ends. But through teary eyes, he had this to say about the Badgers.
“The Wisconsin Badgers will be back to the Rose Bowl. I haven’t made my decision, but if I’m back or if I go, the Wisconsin Badgers will be back to the Rose Bowl. I don’t know if it will be next year … (but) they’ll be back better than ever. When they come back, they’ll win.”
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