Oct. 4, 1997

Northwestern Falls to Wisconsin

EVANSTON, Ill. - Matt Davenport kicked a 48-yard field goal -- the longest of his career -- with six seconds remaining to lift Wisconsin to its fifth straight victory, 26-25 over Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern.

Davenport's kick culminated a nine-play, 66-yard drive, highlighted by a 28-yard pass from Mike Samuel to Tony Simmons that gave the Badgers (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) a first down on the Northwestern 42-yard line.

The Wildcats (2-4, 0-2) had taken a 25-23 lead on Brian Gowins' 48-yard field goal with 14 second remaining in the third quarter. They drove inside the Wisconsin 10 but gave up the ball on downs in the final two minutes.

Northwestern held Wisconsin fullback Ron Dayne to 93 yards on 25 carries, but he was able to break free for touchdown runs of two and six yards. The Heisman Trophy hopeful now has 740 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

Northwestern's Adrian Autry had 103 yards on 24 carries for his second straight 100-yard game and third of the season.

Both squads were able to move the ball. Wisconsin had 351 yards of total offense and Northwestern gained 357 yards.

Samuel complete 16-of-25 passes for 271 yards and Northwestern's Tim Hughes was 13-of-16 for 163 yards. Simmons had six catches for 158 yards while Brian Musso led Northwestern with six for 76.

Wisconsin leads all-time series, 51-29-5, the most wins it has over any opponent. However, the Badgers won for just the second time in their last six road meetings with the Wildcats.