The 2013 Wisconsin Football Season…. As simulated by NCAA 14

It's July and we can't wait to get the season going, thankfully EA Sports' NCAA 14 was released this past Tuesday and we got our hands on a copy. Since I've had a copy or played the game at least once every season since the inception of this game (yes, I'm that old) it was like getting my hands on gold. It felt like Christmas present unwrapping, only much better because I didn't find the ugly Christmas sweater inside! 

Of course, that also means I get to see how this season plays out for the Badgers…. and lucky for you, I'll share the results. So, hey, why fork over the money for game tickets when you already know what EA Sports tells you is going to happen, right? 

Oh, wait…. The fine folks at EA Sports don't always get things right? Well, what you see below is the result of playing the game with the default settings except to take David Gilbert out of the starting lineup at defensive end. In case you were wondering it also means that Tanner McEvoy is the Badgers starting QB. 

Without further ado, here's how 2013 will play out according NCAA 14!!! 

UMass (8/31) – W, 65-10

Wisconsin crushes the Minutemen like the Redcoats wish they could've in the Revolution, kicking off the Gary Andersen era in typical cream-puff ass kicking style. Nice to know some things don't change in Madison, huh? New starting QB Tanner McEvoy goes 18-32 for 276 yards and FIVE TD's, while Stave sees action and goes 4-6 for 95 yards and two TD's of his own. James White runs for 89 yards on just 14 carries while McEvoy adds 76 yards on the ground and Melvin Gordon has 51 yards on just 9 carries. Bucky scores 28 unanswered points to open the game before UMass kicks a field goal to make it 28-3 nearly mid-way through the 2nd quarter. UMass does all their scoring in the quarter as Wisconsin puts up 21 points in the opening and final quarter of this complete domination.

Tennessee Tech (9/7) – W, 31-0 

Gee, who didn't see this coming? Of course the game says UW beat FCS East, but we all know that team to be the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech. Let's face it, a W is a W, but I'd fully expect the Badgers to hang half a hundred or more on the poor guys from the Smoky Mountain state. Wisconsin scored a single TD in each of the first three quarters and the game wasn't exactly over at the half like the scoreline might make you think. However, UW put up 488 yards of total offense and had 31 first downs to just 7 for TTU. Stave saw most of the passing action in this one, going 8-17 for 107 yards with a touchdown and an interception to his day. James White went for 120 yards on 15 carries and scored a TD. Derek Watt added a TD of his own too. Abbrederis had a great game, catching 5 passes for 115 yard and a TD. Point of this…. It was easy sailing for Bucky despite the low score on offense. Unfortunately Tanner McEvoy suffers a sprained ankle and is out two weeks heading into the bigger games on the schedule.

@ Arizona State (9/14) – W, 37-3 

Well, well, well… So much for that dreaded trip out west, huh? I'll take this kind of domination over a foe from the Pac 12 any day of the week. This game is tight for the 1st quarter as UW and ASU trade opening field goals, however that was it for the Sun Devils as Wisconsin scores 34 unanswered points in kicking the crap out of Todd Graham's bunch. UW goes w/ a spit at QB but Stave goes 8-12 on the day with a TD. Melvin Gordon tops the rushing list with 70 yards on just 11 attempts with a TD too. James White isn't far behind with 62 yards of his own in the W. Kyle French is becoming a clutch kicker too, going 3-3 with a long of 51 yards to earn player of the game honors. The W puts the Badgers in the rankings for the first time all season as well, coming in at No. 22 in the coaches poll.

Purdue (9/21) – W, 40-14

The Gary Andersen era keeps on rolling and the switch to the 3-4 defense sure is impressive as Wisconsin hasn't allowed more than two TD's to an opponent through the first four games of the season. UW goes up 10-0, but finds itself in a whole after a pair of Purdue TD's. That's all the Boilers could muster though as the Badgers cranked out 24 unanswered points to close out the action and move to 4-0 on the season. Bart Houston sees a ton of action in this game, going 12-28 for 228 yards and throwing 2 TD passes in his collegiate debut thanks to Joel Stave going down with a strained quad that will keep him out for three weeks. James White adds 100 yards and a TD on the ground. Jordan Fredrick shows up in the receiving department with 4 receptions for 100 yards with a 58 yard TD reception helping those numbers. Connor O'Neill has a monster defensive game with 7 tackles and 4 tfl's, but was topped by Peniel Jean's 2 interceptions on the day. In the end the Badgers keep rolling and move up to No. 20 in the coaches poll, while ranking No. 21 in the first media poll of the season.

@ # 2 Ohio State (9/28) – L, 35-27

Well, this was bound to happen, after all the Horses… Horsesass is a terrible place for the Badgers to play. Wisconsin and OSU trade blows in the first half and go to the break tied at 14-14. UW finds a way to win the 3rd quarter and is up 24-21 at the end of the quarter, but they can't hang on as OSU adds their 2nd straight TD and go up 28-21 early into the 4th quarter. Wisconsin only musters a field goal with 7:20 left on the clock and can't get over the hump as OSU adds some insurance with the final TD of the game with 3:36 left in the contest. Bart Houston is o.k. in his first ever start, going 11-30 for 175 yards with 2TD's and 1 pick. However James White was a stud, dropping 105 yards on the Buckeyes. Gordon stepped up as well, adding 78 yards of his own. Fredrick continues to show big play ability with a 54 yard TD reception and 88 total yards to lead all Badger receivers. The loss drops the Badgers to No. 23 in the coaches poll and No. 24 in the media poll. 

Northwestern (10/12) – L, 35-10

Following a bye after the loss to OSU the Badgers come back against a pesky Northwestern squad who drops the Badgers in a big way at home. Venric Mark outscores the Badgers 21-0 in the first half alone and UW doesn't get on the board until it's way too little too late. Down 28-0 the Badgers get a rushing TD from the now healthy Tanner McEvoy with 2:37 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Kyle French adds a 30 yard FG to close out the scoring for the day, but this was bad news bears for the Badgers. About the only good thing UW did on the day came from James White who had 81 yards. Jordan Fredrick also continues to prove he's a viable 2nd option, leading the team with 7 catches for 46 yards on the day. Northwestern's Venrick Mark kills the Badgers with his FOUR TOUCHDOWNS despite gaining just 63 yards on the day. Can you say ouch? Needless to say UW gets booted from the rankings after this one, falling to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten play. 

@ Illinois (10/19) – W, 38-3

Wisconsin gets back on track with the other team from the land of F.I.B.'s and Lincoln. Following a 7-3 first quarter the Badgers flip a switch and score 31 unanswered points the rest of the way in crushing the Illini and moving to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The loss drops the Illini 2-4 overall and they remain winless in the Big Ten. UW's defense holds the Illini to just 251 total yards on the day, while the offense racks up 467 on their own, including 227 yards on the ground. This is McEvoy's best all around game as he completes 62% of his passes for 240 yards and 2 TD's to go with 33 yards rushing and 2TD's on the ground. The big surprise is Melvin Gordon finally breaking out as he runs wild for 123 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown. Duckworth, Fredrick, and Abbrederis all rack up three catches a piece with Fredrick and Abby getting the TD receptions. UW is 2 games behind both Ohio State and Penn State in the Leaders Division race at this point.

@ Iowa (11/2) – W, 29-26 (6-2, 3-2)

The Heartland Trophy is finally being played for again and damn it feels good to see that thing staying in it's rightful home inside Camp Randall following the trip to Kinnick Stadium. It wasn't easy though as the Badgers needed a TD from McEvoy to Isaiah Williams with 2:06 left in the game and forcing a safety with 11 seconds left to win this one.  Amazingly none of that would've mattered had UW not held out for a 7-0 3rd quarter, erasing a 17-13 halftime deficit and making the comeback actually matter. It wasn't pretty for the UW defense as they gave up 400 yards of total offense to the Hawkeyes (245 of it through the air). Kyle French went 3-3 on FG's and hit a 55 yarder to earn another player of the game honor. McEvoy was back to his mediocre self, going just 14-29 for 193 yards with 2TD's and 2INT's. James White led the way rushing with 84 yards and a TD of his own while Jacob Pedersen was the main target receiving wise with 6 receptions for 84 yards on the day. Jared Abbrederis missed the game due to injury. UW moved up to No. 20 in the rankings following that win. 

BYU (11/9) – L, 14-13 (6-3, 3-2)

A tight game against BYU…. Something tells me Gary Andersen has seen this one play out before and been on the losing end too. Oh, that's right, that's because its happened before. What makes it worse is Wisconsin played well, but BYU had the final say, scoring the winning touchdown with 1:12 left in the game. McEvoy continues to struggle hitting his receivers, completing just 48% of his passes again (I'm seriously starting to question Ludwig's ability to judge a QB… seriously, can't Stave or Houston throw for better percentages and better results?) with only 166 yards and 1 TD to show for his efforts. James White continues to rack up decent, but not eye popping numbers as he gains 75 yards on just 13 carries while Gordon comes up with 55 yards on 11 attempts himself. Most impressive is White's overall contribution as he also hauled in 8 receptions for 119 yards including a nice 34 yard gainer and a TD as well. This one hurts to say the least. Both teams leave Camp Randall with 6-3 records.

Indiana (11/16) – W, 44-10 (7-3, 4-2)

Typical Wisconsin vs. Indiana game here. You know the drill, we kick the crap out of the Hoosiers and their fans are already in basketball mode anyway, so who cares, right? UW opened up with 24 unanswered points and it was 27-10 at the half. UW would blank the Hoosiers in the 2nd half scoring 17 more points in the route. The Badgers offense poured it on to the tune of 501 yards of total offense, while the defense only allowed the Hoosiers 154 yards OF TOTAL OFFENSE, including just 50 on the ground. McEvoy improved a bit in this one, completing 59% of his passes for 280 yards, but he had another INT to his 2TD's (anyone else seeing a bad pattern develop here by EA Sports?). Melvin Gordon just missed the 100 yard mark, going for 95 yards on the ground in 15 carries with a TD to his credit as well. White added 61 and McEvoy 43 in the winning effort on the ground. Abbrederis was back at it with 6 receptions for 88 yards, but it was Fredrick and White who hauled in the TD receptions on the day. The W put the Badgers back in the rankings, coming in No. 25 in the coaches poll but aren't in the media or BCS polls this week.

@ Minnesota (11/23) – W, 28-10 (8-3, 5-2)

YES!! A DECADE OF DOMINATION COMES TRUE… Don't you worry, we'll have the T's ready for you to purchase the second this one goes final in real life!! The first quarter went scoreless, but the Badgers broke up the Gophs' hopes and dreams thanks to two unanswered touchdowns late in the 2nd and to open the 3rd quarters respectively. Wisconsin was a ridiculous 7-12 on 3rd down conversions in the game, helping them to keep the Gophs' offense off the field in a big way. It was another typical mediocre game for QB #14 (a.k.a McEvoy) who completed a whole 52% of his passes for 202 yards, but once again went 2TD and 1INT for the game. James White traded with Gordon, topping his previous week high by a yard, going for 96 yards this week with a TD on the ground. Gordon had 45 yards, while McEvoy added 32 of his own. Abbrederis topped the receiving charts again with 5 catches for 79 yards. UW ranks No. 19 in the coaches poll following a ton of change at the bottom of the polls, but is only No. 25 in the media poll and thus is somewhere in the middle according to the BCS, who puts the Badgers at No. 23 following the annual beating of the Gophs. 

Before we get to the final regular season game let's take a look at where some of the players rank and the highlight has to be James White, who comes into the final week with a good chance at a 1,000 yard rushing season with 918 yards to his name already, which puts him 32nd nationally. 

Penn State (11/30) – W, 41-21 (9-3, 6-2)

This game was massive in the division as PSU was coming off a loss the previous week where they were ranked (strange because of the NCAA sanctions, but hey, this is fantasy land so apparently those parameters don't count?). No sweat in Camp Randall though as the Badgers blow the doors off the hapless folks from Happy Valley. Penn State opens up the scoring quickly on their first drive of the game, but the Badgers woke up just as quickly, scoring the next 34 points in the contest to put themselves up 34-7 with 10:45 left in the 3rd quarter. The win helps the Badgers move up to No. 13 in the coaches poll, No. 17 in the media poll, and No. 17 in the BCS rankings. McEvoy didn't see much time in this one, but Stave was good enough in spot duty, going 12-23 for 162 yards and the usual 2TD, 1INT combo for the Badgers QB's in 2013. James White reached the 1,000 yard mark and a bit extra in this one, going for 113 yards on 17 attempts for a 6.6 yard per carry average. Gordon had 61 yards and TD on the ground, while Abbrederis exploded for 3 touchdown receptions of his own in the W. 

Final 2013 Individual Stats: 

T. McEvoy – 1,669yds, 18TD's, 6INT's, 166.9ypg, 51% comp. rate; 350yds, 3.5avg, 4TD's rushing

J. White – 1,076yds, 5.3avg, 6TD's rushing; 26rec, 353yds, 13.5avg, 2TD's receiving

M. Gordon – 823yds, 5.5avg, 6TD's rushing; 8rec, 146yds, 18.2avg. receiving

J. Abbrederis – 42rec, 609yds, 14.5avg., 10TD's receiving

J. Pedersen – 45rec (team best), 539yds, 11.9avg., 3TD's

J. Fredrick – 40rec, 544yds, 13.6avg., 7TD's

2013 Big Ten Regular Season Standings: 

How the postseason plays out: 

Wisconsin's Kyle French wins the Lou Groza award as the best place kicker in the country and Drew Meyer takes home the Ray Guy Award as the best punter in the country, so take that world!! Taylor Martinez wins the Heisman Trophy for the Big Ten's sake, but the Huskers lose to Braxton Miler and Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game with the undefeated Buckeyes going to the national title game against Alabama (how original EA Sports) and the Huskers heading to the Orange Bowl (how fitting for their return to the BCS, huh?) Wisconsin takes on South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl. It's a matchup of the #15 Badgers (9-3) vs. the #6 Gamecocks (11-2). In total the Big Ten sends 7 teams (Penn State makes it in the game, but in real life we all know it doesn't happen) to bowl games. Wisconsin losses a close one, 26-21, to South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl, while both of the Big Ten's BCS representatives win their games. That's right Ohio State wins the National Championship and Nebraska beats Miami in the Orange Bowl, ya know, cause we need to hear about those two teams awesomeness even more in the offseason, right? 

Well, I hope you've enjoyed our look at how 2013 plays out according to the beloved NCAA '14 and as always… ON WISCONSIN!!