On the night of December 1, 2018, as red and white confetti descended from the rafters of Lucas Oil Stadium, Clayton Thorson was the last Wildcat to leave the field. He wanted one more moment to appreciate the significance of this game.
After, he spoke of dreaming of a rose in his mouth postgame after pulling off a massive upset of Ohio State. “We’re really proud to get here, but that wasn’t the end goal,” Thorson said. Pat Fitzgerald called it a learning experience.
“Now [the players] know what it takes to win a Big Ten Championship,” Fitz said.