2011 Big Ten Football Championship Game

2011 Big Ten Football Championship Game
Conference Championship
Wisconsin Badgers Michigan State Spartans (10–2) (10–2) 42 39 Head coach:  Bret Bielema Head coach:  Mark Dantonio AP Coaches BCS 15 12 15 AP Coaches BCS 11 9 13
1 2 3 4 Total Wisconsin 21 0 7 14 42 Michigan State 7 22 7 3 39
Date	December 3, 2011
Season	2011
Stadium	Lucas Oil Stadium
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
MVP	Russell Wilson
National anthem	Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band and University of Wisconsin Marching Band
Referee	Bill LeMonnier
United States TV coverage
Network	Fox
Announcers	Gus Johnson (Play-by-play)[1] Charles Davis (Color Analyst) Tim Brewster (Sideline Analyst) Dhani Jones (Sideline Analyst)

2011 Big Ten football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Legends Division
#11 Michigan State x		7	–	1					11	–	3
#12 Michigan %		6	–	2					11	–	2
#24 Nebraska		5	–	3					9	–	4
Iowa		4	–	4					7	–	6
Northwestern		3	–	5					6	–	7
Minnesota		2	–	6					3	–	9
Leaders Division
#10 Wisconsin xy$		6	–	2					11	–	3
Penn State x		6	–	2					9	–	4
Purdue		4	–	4					7	–	6
Ohio State		3	–	5					6	–	7
Illinois		2	–	6					7	–	6
Indiana		0	–	8					1	–	11
Championship: Wisconsin 42, Michigan State 39
$ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant As of January 10, 2012; Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Big Ten Football Championship Game was a college football game. It was played on December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, to determine the 2011 champion of the Big Ten Conference. The Wisconsin Badgers of the Leaders Division beat the Michigan State Spartans of the Legends Division by a score of 42–39.^[2][3] By winning the game, Wisconsin earned a berth in the 2012 Rose Bowl.

The game was the first football championship game ever played in the Big Ten's 115-year history. The game was played in prime time and televised by Fox.^[4]

Scoring summary

1st Quarter:

• WISC – Jeff Duckworth 3-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Philip Welch kick) WIS 7 MSU 0
• MICH-ST – Edwin Baker 8-yard run (Dan Conroy kick) WIS 7 MSU 7
• WISC – Montee Ball 6-yard run (Welch kick) WIS 14 MSU 7
• WISC - Ball 6-yard run (Welch kick) WIS 21 MSU 7

2nd Quarter:

• MICH-ST – B. Cunningham 30-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Conroy kick) WIS 21 MSU 14
• MICH-ST – Cunningham 7-yard pass from Cousins (Brad Sonntag rush) WIS 21 MSU 22
• MICH-ST – Le'Veon Bell 6-yard run (Conroy kick) WIS 21 MSU 29

3rd Quarter:

• WISC – Jared Abbrederis 42-yard pass from Wilson (Welch kick) WIS 28 MSU 29
• MICH-ST – Cunningham 44-yard pass from Cousins (Conroy kick) WIS 28 MSU 36

4th Quarter:

• WISC – Ball 5-yard pass from Wilson (Wilson pass failed) WIS 34 MSU 36
• MICH-ST – Conroy 25-yard field goal WIS 34 MSU 39
• WISC – Ball 7-yard run (Jacob Pedersen pass from Wilson) WIS 42 MSU 39

Kickoff time: 8:19 p.m. • End of Game: 11:52 p.m. • Total elapsed time: 3 hours 33 minutes

References

1. Scott Dochterman (2011-06-01). "BTN to ride the Gus (Johnson) in hoops coverage". Retrieved 2011-06-01.
2. D'Amato, Gary (2011-12-04). "Badgers' Dramatic Big Ten Title Game Victory an Instant Classic", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
3. Sipple, George (2011-12-03). "Wisconsin 42, Michigan State Spartans 39: Rose Bowl Bid Comes Up Short in Big Ten Title Game", Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2011-12-04.
4. "Big Ten Announces Media Agreement with FOX Sports to Televise 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games". BigTen.org: The Big Ten Conference Official Site. 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2011-04-11.