TEMPE, Ariz. – The University of Wisconsin has a tradition at Camp Randall Stadium. Between the third and fourth quarters of football games, House of Pain’s song “Jump Around” blares over the loudspeakers and everyone in the stands does just that, shaking the 96-year-old Madison landmark to its foundations.
When Arizona State visited on Sept. 18, 2010, both the song and the band names proved appropriate: The band because Camp Randall became the Sun Devils’ house of pain that day; the song because on the game’s crowning play, the Badgers’ Jay Valai jumped around the Sun Devils' line to block an extra point with 4:08 remaining to preserve a 20-19 Wisconsin victory.
“I remember that game like it was yesterday,” said ASU senior cornerback Osahon Irabor, who was a redshirt freshman on that team. “We were the underdog, and I think we outplayed them, but it’s a game we let slip away.”
Most of the faces are gone from that game, including the coaches for both teams. ASU’s Dennis Erickson was fired; Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema left for Arkansas. But if the Sun Devils need motivation when the No. 20 Badgers come to Sun Devil Stadium on Saturday, they might want to review the game tape, which could either be viewed as a comedy or a tragedy, depending on your perspective.
“I actually did watch the film from that game,” ASU safety Alden Darby said. “It wasn’t funny. One mistake can cost you a game.”
The Sun Devils made several in Madison.
Thomas Weber, the 2007 Lou Groza Award winner as the nation's best kicker, missed a 25-yard field goal try on ASU's opening drive, then the final PAT.
Receiver George Bell dropped a touchdown pass that led instead to three points.
Jamal Miles' 80-yard punt return for a score was negated by a questionable holding call.
Sun Devils running back Deantre Lewis tripped and fell, untouched in the open field, on a third-quarter run that could have gone 98 yards to the house.
And on a play that is mentioned in his bio in the ASU media guide, Kyle Middlebrooks' 95-yard kickoff return on the final play of the first half came up just short of the end zone thanks to a diving tackle by Wisconsin's Shelton Johnson.
"It drives me crazy to this day,” Middlebrooks said. “I think about it, people talk about it and it’s something I’m basically known for.
“I saw him in the corner of my eye but I was like, ‘I see the touchdown, I see the touchdown.’ I’ve got like 10, 15 more yards so I have to keep going.’ At the last second, I felt him grab my leg and I twisted so all I could think was ‘stretch the ball out and hopefully land in the end zone.’ I ended up being like six inches short.”
The Sun Devils were even victimized by the officials when Badgers defensive back Niles Brinkley got away with a blatant pass interference penalty in the third quarter by shoving ASU receiver T.J. Simpson out of the end zone before the pass arrived.
The game was a microcosm for ASU's season, which was defined by a series of narrow misses against top teams like Oregon, USC and Stanford. But to ASU receivers coach and passing game coordinator, DelVaughn Alexander, there was an underlying reason why the Badgers came away victorious.
“That team over there is disciplined,” said Alexander, who was the Badgers’ wide receivers coach in that game. “ASU didn’t surprise us. We knew about the talent they had over there. We knew that when you play in the Big Ten vs. the Pac-10, people are going to talk about their skill and speed vs. our strength and size.
“But I just tell our guys now how much effort (Wisconsin is) going to give on Saturday. They never give up on plays. That team is going to be relentless, they’ll play with passion, and they’re going to be very, very disciplined, so we have to be the same.”
One thing working in the Sun Devils’ favor is their history against Big Ten teams at Sun Devil Stadium. ASU is 8-0 vs. Big Ten teams in Tempe, including a 44-7 trouncing of a Iowa team that was ranked 16th nationally on Sept. 18, 2004.
That list doesn't include one of the biggest wins in school history against a current Big Ten team. ASU stunned top-ranked Nebraska, 19-0, on Sept. 21, 1996 to set up a Rose Bowl run.
ASU has outscored its past three Big Ten opponents on Frank Kush Field 138-36, and in the eight home games against Big Ten competition, ASU has outscored opponents, 320-111 (40 to 13.9 per game).
For a handful of holdovers, stretching that record to 9-0 would be a sweet way to kick off the legitimate portion of ASU’s schedule in which Stanford, USC and Notre Dame follow.
"That game three years ago would have paved the way for the rest of the season,” Darby said of the 2010 loss. “This one could do the same.
“We just can’t let the hype distract us, because there is hype. It’s a sold-out game. It’s a blackout game. They’re coming into our house, and it’s going to be rowdy. We have to make sure we take care of business.”
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