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MADISON, Wisconsin (Ticker)--- Ron Dayne became the all-time leading rusher in NCAA Division I-A history and ninth-ranked Wisconsin made it all the more special by earning a return trip to the Rose Bowl. Dayne rushed for 216 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries to break Ricky Williams' record in the Badgers' 41-3 Big Ten Conference victory over last-place Iowa. Needing just 99 yards to set the mark, Dayne surpassed Williams on a 31-yard run with 4:23 remaining in the second quarter. He rushed for 127 yards on 17 carries in the first half alone. "I am happy and grateful," Dayne said. " I don't know whether to laugh or cry." Dayne, currently second in the nation in rushing, closed the regular season with 6,397 yards and eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the 31st time in 41 career starts. The NCAA does not include bowl games in its records. It was the 11th time Dayne cleared 200 yards, tying the record shared by Williams and Marcus Allen. The Wisconsin fans marked the occasion by hanging Dayne's uniform No. 33 from the stadium facade. "I just want to say to all the fans, 'Thanks, I love you all,' " he said. "I was amazed and dazed." Last season, Williams broke the 22-year-old rushing record held by Tony Dorsett, finishing his career at Texas with 6,279 yards before the New Orleans Saints made him the fifth pick in the draft. After being held to 80 yards at Minnesota on October 16, Dayne came on strong, averaging 196.2 yards over the final five contests, including three 200-yard games. He rushed for 222 yards in last week's 28-21 victory over Purdue. "With our offense, he was going to get enough carries," Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. "The important think was that he had to stay healthy. We felt if he stayed healthy for 11 games, he would break the record and thank goodness it worked out." Dayne presented the game ball to Bernie Wyatt, the assistant coach who recruited him to Wisconsin. "It feels good," Dayne added. "We got one more game to play and I just want to go out and play hard and enjoy it." Earlier today, Wisconsin (9-2, 7-1) got some help from Michigan, which upset No. 8 Penn State, 31-27. The Badgers' victory gave them the outright Big Ten championship and clinched their third trip to the Rose Bowl in the 1990s. Knowing Penn State had lost, the Badgers put away Iowa (1-9, 0-7) early, grabbing a 27-3 halftime lead and cruising to their seventh straight victory. "I tried to do everything like I usually do," Dayne said. "It seemed like a normal game to me." With the outcome well in hand, the capacity crowd of 79,404 turned Camp Randall Stadium into a party-like atmosphere in the second half. Alvarez, on crutches while awaiting knee surgery, came down from the press box early in the fourth quarter to hug his players, drawing a huge ovation from the Wisconsin fans. "Ron's been a special player to me and I think we have a good bond," Alvarez said. "The first time I met him, I hugged him, so I think it was only appropriate that I hugged him when he broke the record. I'll never forget that big smile of his." Freshman Brooks Bollinger completed 9-of-12 passes for 144 yards and three touchdowns for Wisconsin, which was just 2-2 following consecutive losses to Cincinnati and Michigan in September. Bollinger, who improved to 7-0 as a starter, also rushed for 113 yards on 11 carries. Wisconsin, which gained 604 yards of total offense, becomes the first Big Ten team to make back-to-back appearances in Pasadena since Michigan in 1992 and 1993. The Badgers have won consecutive titles for the first time in more than 100 years. Wisconsin captured back-to-back Western Conference crowns in 1896 and 1897, its first two seasons of play. Iowa was limited to just 247 yards. Scott Mullen completed 14-of-30 passes for 131 yards while Ladell Betts rushed for 73 yards on 16 carries. The Badgers took a 13-0 lead in the first quarter on Bollinger's four-yard touchdown pass to Chad Kuhns and Dayne's one-yard TD plunge. After Iowa got on the board on Jason Baker's 22-yard field goal 4:07 into the second period, Bollinger tossed TD passes of 24 and 16 yards to Chris Chambers, giving the Badgers a 24-point halftime margin. Bollinger added a two-yard TD run in the fourth quarter before Scott Kavanaugh capped the scoring with a one-yard TD plunge. Wisconsin posted its third straight win over Iowa and grabbed a 37-36-2 lead in the all-time series. The Hawkeyes close their first season under coach Kirk Ferentz next week against Minnesota.
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