CBS SportsLine wire reports
Sept. 12, 1998

MADISON, Wis. -- Ron Dayne returned to Wisconsin's lineup and rushed for three touchdowns as the 17th-ranked Badgers whipped Ohio 45-0 Saturday.

Dayne

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rushed 20 times for 111 yards. But with the blowout secure thanks to the bruising tailback and a dominating defense, Dayne returned to the sideline and Billy Marek's school rushing record was safe for another week.

Dayne, a junior, needs 33 yards in his 26th game next week against UNLV to become the Badgers' career rushing leader, surpassing Marek, who had 3,709 rushing yards from 1973-75.

"I don't even know what the record is," Dayne said.

DAYNE, WHO SAT OUT THE OPENER with a sprained right ankle, scored on runs of 9, 5 and 1 yards before leaving with Wisconsin safely on top 31-0 with six minutes left in the third quarter.

"You really need about nine guys in the box to try to slow that big guy down," Ohio coach Jim Grobe lamented.

The Badgers (2-0), who held San Diego State to 58 yards rushing in the opener, stifled Ohio's triple option attack, limiting the Bobcats (0-2) to 65 yards on 38 attempts.

The Bobcats came into the game as the No. 1-ranked rushing team in the nation on the heels of a 361-yard effort in a 34-31 loss to North Carolina State.

They had nowhere to run Saturday, reaching Wisconsin territory just once, and not getting beyond the Badgers 32 at that.

DAYNE

Dayne needed only three quarters to amass 111 yards on 20 carries. (AP)

CARRIED SIX TIMES for 49 yards on the Badgers' opening possession, scoring on a 9-yard run around right end after a pitch from Mike Samuel for a 7-0 lead.

"From the start of the game I felt real good," Dayne said. ``I got my first TD and ran over a guy and felt I was back. I love running over guys."

The Badgers had to go 34 only yards in five plays to make it 14-0. Freshman Carlos Daniels, a third-string tailback who filled in for Dayne and Eddie Faulkner (shoulder) last week, took it in from six yards.

Freshman Nick Davis' 46-yard punt return to the Ohio 44 set up Wisconsin's third score, a 25-yard field goal by Matt Davenport that made it 17-0 at the half.

Dayne's second and third TDs came after Ohio had conseutive three-and-out possessions to start the second half.

HE BULLED IN FROM FIVE YARDS, taking the pile with him into the end zone for a 24-0 lead, and added a 1-yard scamper following a 21-yard strike from Samuel to Dague Retzlaff that made it 31-0 with six minutes left in the third quarter.

After that, Dayne was done, but the Badgers weren't.

Ohio didn't make it into Badgers territory until its eighth possession, and that drive ended at the Wisconsin 32 when freshman backup quarterback Dan Jordan, who took over for ineffective Kareem Wilson, badly underthrew Trendale Perkins on fourth down.

After Bobcats punt returner Raynald Ray fumbled at his 15 and Joey Boese recovered for Wisconsin, Scott Kavanagh hit Chad Kuhns with a 4-yard touchdown pass that made it 38-0.

Kuhns decided to play despite the death of his father, Russell, from a heart attack Friday night in Bellevue, Ohio.

"It was a very emotional situation at the hotel last night," Alvarez said. "He and his family felt that it was important for him to stay and play."

"He and his dad are in our prayers," Samuel said. ``And it was really great that he got that touchdown."

BOESE INTERCEPTED JORDAN'S PASS at the Badgers 47 on the Bobcats' next drive, setting up Marcus Carpenter's acrobatic 11-yard TD catch from Kavanagh that capped the scoring.

"We were a better team than they were. Our kids executed," Alvarez said. "One of our goals going into this game was to leave the field a better team than we were a week ago, and I felt that happened. I expect that to happen again next week."

Ray muffed another punt with 13 seconds left and Mike Schneck recovered for the Badgers.

Wilson rushed 11 times for 3 yards and Ohio tailback Steveland Hookfin gained just 19 yards on eight carries.