Brian Calhoun ran for 149 yards, including 133 in the first half, and a touchdown to lead No. 24 Wisconsin to a 41-24 victory over Hawaii on Friday night in Alvarez's final regular-season game with the Badgers.

"I'm not thinking about the end of my career because I have another game," Alvarez said.

Wisconsin (9-3) snapped a two-game skid and now waits to find out which bowl it will play in. The Badgers could be headed to the Capital One Bowl if Ohio State earns a BCS bid.

It was the 117th victory and secured the sixth nine-win season for Alvarez, who is retiring from coaching after 16 years. He will continue as Wisconsin's athletic director, a position he has held since April 2004.

"Most people thought a 6-6 season would be a good season going in. To win nine with this group and to have an opportunity to play in the Jan. 2 game, I feel great about it," he said.

Alvarez said the win hasn't changed his decision about giving up coaching.

"I made my decision," he said. "I feel good about it. I'm at peace with my decision."

Wisconsin's ground attack, led by the quick and shifty Brian Calhoun, wore down Hawaii and opened up the passing game.

Badgers quarterback John Stocco was nearly flawless, going 12-of-16 for 191 yards passing and two touchdowns. He also had a 1-yard scoring run on fourth-and-goal late in the third quarter to put the Badgers up by 17.

John Stocco said the team was motivated to win for Alvarez.

"Obviously, we want to honor him, and I think the best way to do that is to just win games," John Stocco said. "He's been huge for the program. When he got here, he really turned things around and took this program to the top. He's a real classy guy."

John Stocco connected with Jonathan Orr on a 17-yard touchdown pass to put the Badgers up 24-7.

The duo also teamed up in the opening quarter. Orr got past a defender and caught a 23-yard TD pass to give Wisconsin a 14-7 lead.

The Badgers totaled 440 yards of offense, including 292 in the first half, on a muggy night at Aloha Stadium.

Before the game, Alvarez emphasized to his players that the trip to the islands was a business trip, and not a vacation.

"The key to this is making sure your kids stay focused until the game," he said.

The Warriors (4-7), who have one more regular-season game next weekend, couldn't get their high-powered offense fully going. Hawaii has failed to reach the postseason for the first time in four years.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan was 33-of-53 for 403 yards and three touchdowns, but had problems with Wisconsin's aggressive defense. He has now thrown for 3,975 yards and 32 TDs in his first year with the Warriors.

The Badgers sacked Colt Brennan five times, intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter and forced him to fumble on Hawaii's 9, which was converted to a 24-yard field goal by Taylor Mehlhaff, giving Wisconsin a 27-10 lead.

"We had a huge fumble and the interception, we just didn't make plays," Hawaii coach June Jones said. "We had sacks that killed drives. We just have to learn to get it done."

Colt Brennan had touchdown tosses of 3 and 8 yards to freshman Davone Bess, who had four receptions for 34 yards and saw his string of 100-yard receiving games end at five.

Fellow freshman Ryan Grice-Mullen had 11 receptions for 140 yards and joined Bess in the 1,000-yard receiving club. Grice-Mullen has 1,062 yards this season.

Nate Ilaoa had a quick start for Hawaii, rushing for 51 yards on five carries in the first half, but only carried the ball two more times for 17 yards.

Brian Calhoun, who wrapped up the regular season with 1,423 yards rushing, scored Wisconsin's first touchdown on a 10-yard sweep to the left side, knocking down the pylon. The score was setup by a 38-yard, play-action pass to Brandon Williams.

Hawaii quickly tied it 7-7 on a short pass from Colt Brennan to a leaping Bess, just in front of the thousands of red-clad Wisconsin fans in attendance.

That was as close as it got, as Wisconsin proceeded to run over Hawaii.

Booker Stanley rushed 15 times for 78 yards and had a 6-yard TD run in the final quarter.


other Wisconsin football DVDs
other Hawaii football DVDs

NFL football DVDs / NCAA college football DVDs / NBA basketball DVDs / Major League Baseball DVDs / NFL Europe DVDs / XFL football DVDs / Super Bowl DVDs / NFL draft DVDs / Canadian football CFL DVDs / USFL football DVDs / Arena football AFL DVDs / World Leage WLAF football DVDs / Japanese baseball DVDs / NCAA college basketball DVDs / NHL hockey DVDs / Olympics hockey DVDs / other DVDs / contact