No single game marks the apex of Bret Bielema’s career, but an early one that really mattered was Wisconsin’s 48-28 win at Michigan in 2010. The brutishly physical Badgers — Rose Bowl-bound — had it rolling to such an extent that running backs Montee Ball and James White carried the ball a combined 52 times for 354 yards and six touchdowns against the powerless Wolverines. It was a soaring high and remains Bielema’s only victory at the Big House as a coach.
In the aftermath, Bielema teared up while connecting the moment to his sister Betsy, who had died at 27 in a tragic accident in 1990. An Iowa defensive lineman all those years ago, Bielema had learned of her death while celebrating a rare win for the Hawkeyes in Ann Arbor.
