Ball, Badgers rout Penn State

MADISON, Wis. -- Reeling after back-to-back losses took them out of the national championship picture a month ago, running back Montee Ball and No. 16 Wisconsin have rallied for a spot in the Big Ten title game and a shot at the Rose Bowl.

And as Ball makes a run at the NCAA's single-season touchdown record, the Badgers just might be grooming a late-blooming Heisman Trophy contender.

Ball scored four more touchdowns and Wisconsin routed No. 19 Penn State, 45-7, yesterday. With the win, Wisconsin will play Big Ten Legends division winner Michigan State in Indianapolis next Saturday.

"We had a group of men in our room that we knew would take one day at a time to get to where we wanted to be," Badgers coach Bret Bielema said.

Wisconsin went into the season promoting quarterback Russell Wilson for the Heisman, but recently added a push for Ball, who rushed for 156 yards on 25 carries. Ball has scored 34 touchdowns this season for the Badgers (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten), the second most in a single season in NCAA history. Barry Sanders holds the record, scoring 39 for Oklahoma State in 11 games in the 1988 season.

The Nittany Lions (9-3, 6-2) came into the game hoping to salvage something from a season dwarfed by scandal. They took an early 7-0 lead but soon unraveled, falling behind 28-7 by halftime.

Penn State interim coach Tom Bradley was frustrated by turnovers and poor tackling -- but insists that his team deserves to go to a bowl game despite a scandal that has tainted the entire program.

"They didn't have anything to do with it," Bradley said. "They weren't involved in any way. And I think they deserve an opportunity to play in a bowl."-- AP