Confetti smothered the field turf directly under the 175-foot long scoreboard at AT&T Stadium on Monday afternoon. But the confetti didn’t sprinkle on P.J. Fleck and the Western Michigan Broncos, who exited the field with an unfamiliar feeling — the first loss in a 13-1 season.
Eight points short of perfection.
The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Broncos 24-16 in a hard-fought game in Arlington to win the 81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The game marked the finale of the 2016 MAC champions’ most successful season in program history and the end of the legendary careers of several Western Michigan seniors.