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Saleh said the "refuse-to-lose attitude of the players and the staff," factored into his decision to pick Wisconsin over Penn State. "When you have good people, good things happen," he said. Every time Saleh moved or wiggled, the group moved or wiggled which prompted Rudolph to observe, "I don't think he was nervous as much as he thought this was just the greatest thing." Fair enough. He was a freshman on a team fighting to go to the Rose Bowl. How great was that? The players were eventually set free and the Badgers went out and crushed Illinois, 35-10. Saleh took a lot of ribbing, but the '93 season accelerated his growth as an elite college football player, one of the very best to ever play the game at Wisconsin. Saleh still holds the school records for career sacks (33) and TFLs (58). Along with Pete Monty, the alltime tackles leader, and Rob Lurtsema, he was one of the freshmen who played a role in '93. In fact, they all saw playing time in the biggest game of the season, the Rose Bowl. "I was really young that year, it was a baptism by fire," Saleh said. "But being able to learn from those older guys really helped me going forward in my career, both in college and the NFL." One thing comes to mind when Saleh reflects on that 1993 team. "The refuse-to-lose attitude of the players and the staff," he said. It factored into his decision to pick Wisconsin over Penn State. On his campus visit, Saleh sensed the "energy and enthusiasm and the passion for the game" from the players, the coaches, most notably his recruiting coach, John Palermo, and the support staff. "When you have good people," Saleh said, "good things happen." Saleh moved back to the Madison area after his NFL career because "I really like it here." Home is Waunakee and he stays busy with Kollege Town Sports and Profit Point Tax Technologies. On renewing his friendship with some teammates during the 20th anniversary reunion, he said, "I can't wait to see them and just reflect on the great memories; memories that will last forever." 20 YEARS AGO... 11/6/93 • #15 WISCONSIN 14, #3 OHIO STATE 14 ›› A sellout crowd of 77,745 watched as UW drove 65 yards on its final series to set up a chance at a game-winning field goal, but Rick Schnetzky's 33-yard attempt was blocked by Ohio State's Marlon Kerner to preserve a 14-14 tie. The Badgers held a 14-7 lead thanks to a second-quarter touchdown pass from Darrell Bevell to Lee DeRamus and a third-quarter TD run by RB Brent Moss ― who posted his eighth-straight 100-yard game ― but OSU tied things up with a 26-yard touchdown strike to WR Joey Galloway in the fourth period. 11/11/93 • #14 WISCONSIN 35, ILLINOIS 10 ›› Wisconsin got one step closer to a Big Ten title and snapped a nine-game winless streak in Champaign by running all over the nation's No. 4-ranked rushing defense. UW pounded out 301 yards on the ground, including 139 from Terrell Fletcher and 124 from Brent Moss, with each finding the end zone. QB Darrell Bevell went 17-for-22 through the air for 222 yards and threw three touchdown passes, including a pair to TE Michael Roan. UW rolled up 523 offensive yards wihle holding the Illini to 227 total yards. 12/4/93 • #10 WISCONSIN 41, MICH. STATE 20 ›› Wisconsin clinched its first Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl berth in 31 years half a world away from Madison by scoring a 41-20 win over Michigan State in the Coca-Cola Bowl at the Tokyo Dome. Brent Moss rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns, while Terrell Fletcher tallied another 112 yards and pair of TDs on the ground to pace a UW offense that rolled up 521 total yards and staked the Badgers to a 24-7 lead by halftime. 1/1/94 • #9 WISCONSIN 21, UCLA 16 ›› Behind big yards from Brent Moss, a big play from Darrell Bevell and a big stop on defense, Wisconsin claimed its firstever Rose Bowl victory in front of nearly 70,000 Badgers fans that made the trip to Pasadena. Moss racked up 158 rushing yards and scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, but it was Bevell's unlikely scoring run -- a 21-yard gallop in the fourth quarter – that gave the Badgers all the cushion they would need. UCLA was driving for the lead late when Wayne Cook was dropped at the UW 15-yard line and the Bruins could only watch as the clock ran out. 41