Utah State/Wisconsin preview

The week has finally arrived. For the first time in eight months, it is Wisconsin Badgers game week! Unlike the last three years when the Badgers took on LSU twice and Alabama in their season opener, Wisconsin will not be in a big-time game on opening weekend. This year, Bucky welcomes the Utah State Aggies to Camp Randall Stadium on Friday night. Utah State went 3-9 last year under Matt Wells, but are poised for a much better season in 2017 with a veteran group returning. The last time the two schools met was 2012 when the Badgers overcame a 14-3 halftime deficit to defeat the Aggies 16-14 after Josh Thompson missed a potential game-winning 36-yard field goal with 14 seconds left. Wisconsin is coming in off an 11-3 season and a win in the Cotton Bowl, and will also bring back a very experienced nucleus.

When Wisconsin runs the ball...

It is difficult to do these sorts of articles prior to week one due to all the uncertainty about how much players will improve. However, Wisconsin is Wisconsin. First and foremost, this will be a running team. Despite the fact they lost two NFL running backs, Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale, the Badgers will still have a solid running game. The Badgers return sophomore Bradrick Shaw, who gained 457 yards and more than five yards per carry as a freshman. Bucky also gains junior transfer from Pittsburgh, Chris James. In his two seasons with the Panthers, James gained nearly 700 yards on the ground and rushed for 4.8 yards per carry. Coaches have raved about James ever since he transferred. In addition to his rushing skills, he also has been a tremendous receiving back in practice, something will be needed to offset the loss of Ogunbowale. The offensive line returns four starters and will look to finally be a ‘Wisconsin’ offensive line again. Last season, Utah State finished 89th in the country, allowing 203.3 rushing yards per game, as well as 19 touchdowns. Five of the front seven are gone, so the Aggies will need to do some rebuilding up front. With its experience and talent along the offensive line, Wisconsin should dominate the trenches. I expect Shaw and James to have big nights, and if he doesn’t redshirt, we should see plenty of talented freshman Jonathan Taylor.

Edge: Wisconsin

When Wisconsin passes the football...

I am interested to see how this has improved since last season. Last year in 12 games, Alex Hornibrook threw for just 1,262 yards and nine touchdowns. In order for the Badgers to take the next step, he will need to improve. As a sophomore in 2004, John Stocco had similar numbers to Hornibrook’s freshman campaign. Stocco took a big step his next two years and became a very solid quarterback for the Badgers. Wisconsin will need the same sort of progression from Hornibrook. He will have plenty of weapons at his disposal this season. Troy Fumagalli is one of the nation’s top tight ends, and the Badgers will look to him early and often. Wisconsin also returns No. 1 wide receiver Jazz Peavy, who had 635 yards and five touchdowns last season. Gone is No. 2 wideout Rob Wheelwright, but the Badgers have a few options to try to help take the pressure off Peavy and Fumagalli. Sophomore Quintez Cephus looked great at camp and freshman Danny Davis has made several eye-opening plays in camp. If one of those two emerges and Hornibrook improves a bit, the Badgers could have a very good passing attack to go along with a dynamic ground game. In passing yardage allowed last season, Utah State actually ranked 10th. However, that dropped to 67th in opponents QB rating, which means teams generally didn’t try (or need to) run against the Aggies in 2016. Utah State does have experience in the secondary, though. Safety Dallin Leavitt is the leading tackler returning (57), and led the team in interceptions a year ago (3). Cornerback Jalen Davis has also started all 35 games he has played in. This is a talented and experienced group, but the defensive line will need to pressure Hornibrook in order for them to be able to stop the Badgers through the air.

Edge: Push

When Utah State runs the ball...

Utah State finished the season at 81st in the country with 170.5 rush yards per game. However, its five yards per carry finished 42nd. As a matter of fact, Utah State actually had a better yards per carry than Wisconsin did in 2016. However, that will take a hit due to the Aggies losing four starters on the offensive line. Running back Tonny Lindsey is back, and he gained 763 yards and more than five yards per carry in place of the injured Devante Mays, who now is with the Green Bay Packers. Quarterback Kent Myers also rushed for 449 yards. On defense, Wisconsin returns its entire defensive line and the linebacker depth is incredible, especially at inside linebacker. Last season, the Badgers were second in the country in rush defense, allowing just 96.9 yards per game on the ground. With so much of the front seven returning for the Badgers and almost an entirely new offensive line for the Aggies, I imagine it will be tough sledding on the ground for the team from the Mountain West.

Edge: Wisconsin

When Utah State passes the ball...

Utah State returns its starting quarterback, as I mentioned above. Myers is more of a threat on the ground than through the air, as he just completed 58 percent of his passes and threw 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His yards per attempt was also at a career-worst 6.62. However, he did really well in his first two years, throwing for 21 touchdowns and throwing just six picks. As a sophomore, he had a 16-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio and his yards per attempt were a shade over eight. Myers does return his top two receivers from last year, which is good news for the Aggies. Junior Ron’quavion Tarver had 46 catches for 602 yards and three touchdowns last season and sophomore Rayshad Lewis had 40 catches for 476 yards and two scores. Unfortunately for them, they will be going up against one of the best cornerback duos in the country. The Badgers lost Sojourn Shelton to graduation, but will replace him with Hawaii transfer Nick Nelson, who many think will have a breakout season and might be the best cornerback on the roster. Pair Nelson with senior Derrick Tindal and you have a deadly duo. The Badgers will also have to replace Leo Musso with Natrell Jamerson. The latter will have to learn a new position, but he has become comfortable with the switch and he has a solid guy to learn from in new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. Wisconsin was 11th in opposing quarterback rating, and I don’t see it falling off much, if at all. The real question coming into the season is who will put pressure on the quarterback, as both T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel are off to the NFL. That is one question the Badgers will need answered by the start of conference play.

Edge: Wisconsin

Special Teams

The Badgers will get back kicker Rafael Gaglianone, who missed the final 11 games of the season with a back injury. He was off to a fantastic start to his 2016 season, making seven of his first eight attempts, including a clutch 47-yard field goal against LSU in the season opener that proved to be the game-winner. After a slow start to his freshman season, punter Anthony Lotti was very solid down the stretch. For the season, his punting average wasn’t great at 37.7 yards per punt, but he put 25 inside the 20, which was third in the conference. Neither of the return teams was very strong last season. Utah State’s kicker will be sophomore Dominik Eberle, who made 3-of-5 field goals last year, but has only made one longer than 22 yards. Aaron Dalton is the Utah State punter, and the Aggies were 125th in the country in net punting. Neither of the return units were any good for Utah State in 2016. Because of Rafael Gaglianone, even though he is coming back from injury, I give the Badgers the advantage here.

Edge: Wisconsin

Overview

After three straight season openers against top competition, this feels like a bit of a letdown. Utah State should be a bit better this year, but still, Wisconsin should take it to its foes from the Mountain West. With the experience returning up front and the lack of playing experience up front for Utah State, the Badgers should win going away. Of course, I have seen Wisconsin lose to UNLV by 18 in my lifetime, so they can’t take any team lightly, but the Badgers should run at will against the Aggies and it should be over by halftime.

Prediction: Wisconsin 48, Utah State 10

1. Wisconsin 42, Michigan State 39 (2011)

We are now down to the final game on the countdown, and what better way to end it than flashing back to the inaugural Big Ten Championship game? There were so many storylines to this game. First of all, this was the second meeting of the season, and the first one was fairly memorable. I think we all remember Michigan State’s Keith Nichol catching a Hail Mary to beat Wisconsin earlier in the year. Revenge was on the mind of Wisconsin, and so was the Rose Bowl. If the Badgers were to beat the Spartans, Wisconsin would make its second consecutive appearance in Pasadena. There were a number of similarities between the two games, as well as things I would consider poetic justice. First of all, going into the first meeting, the Spartans were one of the most penalized teams in the country and were called for zero penalties in East Lansing. None. That is nearly impossible to do. In the Big Ten Championship game, Michigan State would lose on a penalty at the end of the game. Secondly, the Badgers lost on a Hail Mary in East Lansing in the first meeting. In this matchup, Wisconsin returned the favor with a Hail Mary of sorts with Jeff Duckworth catching a fourth down pass to help Bucky score the eventual game-winning touchdown. Montee Ball was also trying for the all-time single-season touchdown record. He was five behind Barry Sanders, and would score four in this game to trail Sanders by one heading into the bowl game. This game would end up being one of the most memorable games in Wisconsin history and the Badgers would come out on top to win the inaugural Big Ten Championship game.

I mentioned that there were a number of similarities between the two games. Well, the game started very similar to the matchup in East Lansing. In the first meeting, Wisconsin would score the first 14 points of the game. They scored on the first possession, and recovered a fumble and turned that to six points as well. In this meeting, the Badgers would take a bit longer to open up the two score game. Just like normal, Wisconsin would start out handing the ball off to Ball early and often. The star running back would start by running the ball the first five plays of the game, running for 53 yards. That was followed by Russell Wilson’s first pass of the game, a 22-yard strike to Nick Toon down to the Spartans 6. Three plays later, Wilson would hit Duckworth in the end zone for a 3-yard score and the Badgers took the 7-0 lead.

Michigan State would come right back, though. Nick Hill had a nice kick return up to the Spartans 41, where Sparty would take over. Five of the six plays on the drive were runs. On the first play, Le’Veon Bell rushed for 26 yards to move into Wisconsin territory. A pass to Keshawn Martin moved the ball to the 20 and Michigan State would score on an 8-yard touchdown run from Edwin Baker and the Spartans would tie the game.

Bucky would receive great field position after the kickoff went out-of-bounds. Ball would pick up one first down before facing a 3rd-and-2 from the Michigan State 41. If you remember earlier in the season in a 59-7 win against Indiana, Ball received a pitch from Wilson and he then threw to the quarterback who ran snuck around the opposite side. Ball threw it to Wilson, who was wide open. Wilson caught the ball and walked in for the score. In this game, the Badgers ran the same play. It was much more impressive against the great defense of Michigan State. On the play, Ball would receive the pitch and throw it back side to Wilson. The Wisconsin quarterback would catch the ball and run down to the 9. Two plays later, Ball would score from six yards out and the Badgers took the lead right back, 14-7.

I told you that the Badgers would take a 14-point lead. It would happen late in the first quarter. After having a great kickoff return on his first attempt, Hill would turn it over on his second attempt. Hill would return it to the 25, but Conor O’Neill forced a fumble on the return and it was recovered by Jacob Pedersen for the Badgers. Two plays later, Ball would crash in from six yards out once again and the Badgers took a 21-7 lead late in the first quarter. That was the good news. The bad news is that these would be the last points of the half for the Badgers.

Much like the last meeting, Michigan State dominated the second quarter. In the game in East Lansing, the Badgers were outscored 23-0 in the second. In this meeting, the Badgers were outscored 22-0. Michigan State was driving as the quarter ended, but on the first play of the second quarter, Sparty was facing a 4th-and-1 from the Wisconsin 30. Kirk Cousins would go back to throw and find B.J. Cunningham wide open and he would run all the way to the end zone for the 30-yard score and the Spartans would cut it to seven.

Michigan State would put the clamps on the Wisconsin offense in the second quarter. The Badgers would have four possessions in the quarter and every single one of them ended in a three-and-out. The Spartans offense, however, would continue to roll. Cousins would pass for 42 yards on this drive, moving Michigan State to the Wisconsin 10. Then, Cousins found Nichol to the 7, but Nichol would pitch it to Cunningham, who ran it the rest of the way for the touchdown. Brad Sonntag ran in on a two-point conversion and the Spartans had the lead for the first time in the game.

KeShawn Martin had a great drive to help put the Spartans ahead by eight to end the half. Martin caught two passes for 41 yards, while also running for eight on the 84-yard drive. Bell would cap off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown. Cousins had 58 yards passing on the drive. After another three-and-out by the suddenly cold Wisconsin offense, Michigan State's Dan Conroy would miss a 51-yard field goal as time expired and the score was 29-21 at the half.

Bret Bielema couldn't have been more excited to see the second quarter end. After being ahead by 14 at the end of the first quarter, Michigan State owned the second once again. Wisconsin's defense had to set the tone early in the second half and did just that. Facing a 3rd-and-1 on the opening drive, Cousins handed it off to Bell and he was stuffed. He tried to find room, but could not find any and would lose seven yards on the play and Michigan State had to punt.

With the defense forcing a big three-and-out on Michigan State's first offensive possession of the third quarter, the Badgers offense finally woke up. After going three-and-out on all four drives in the second quarter, Wisconsin would need a big drive. The Badgers were facing a 3rd-and-3 on their own 45 and on the verge of having a fifth consecutive three-and-out, but Wilson found Toon for six yards to move into Spartans territory. Wisconsin would move to the 35, but would go backward the next few plays. The Badgers would face a 3rd-and-17 on the 42. Many expected the Badgers to play it safe, but Wilson would drop back to pass. Spartans defensive back Johnny Adams came free on a blitz, but would miss and grab Wilson's face mask instead. After Wilson was able to escape Adams, he launched a pass to an open Abbrederis in the end zone for the touchdown. Abbrederis' touchdown cut it to 29-28 and let people know that Bucky's offense was back.

Michigan State received great field position at the Badgers 48 after a punt from Wisconsin deep in its own territory. The first two plays went for a combined nine yards, but a penalty on the Spartans forced a 3rd-and-6. Five more yards was no problem for Sparty. On the third down play, the Badgers brought the blitz, but could not get home and Cousins found a wide open Cunningham running from left to right. He would outrun Wisconsin defenders to the end zone untouched for the 44-yard touchdown. The Badgers would limit the big plays in the second half, but Michigan State would be able to get this one. This gave the Spartans a 36-28 lead with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter.

But the Badgers would not go away, as Abbrederis would return the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to his own 48. Wisconsin would gain one yard in two plays to set up a 3rd-and-9. Wilson threw it to 'ol reliable Duckworth for 14 yards to the Spartans 37 for a first down. That would be the first of three consecutive double-digit yardage completions. Adams was whistled for a pass interference to set the ball at the 2. Ball was tackled for a loss of three on first down, but he would make up for it with a touchdown reception on the next play. On the 2nd-and-Goal from the 5, the Badgers would run a shovel pass. Wilson would take the snap out of the shotgun and pitch a forward pass to Ball, who would run it in for the score. The two-point attempt was no good, so Sparty maintained the 36-34 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin's defense could not afford to give up a touchdown on this Spartans drive. Michigan State would drive down the field after having great starting field position at the Spartans 40. Bell would rush for 13 yards on the 52-yard drive. Cunningham, who continued his great night, also rushed for 24 yards to move Sparty into the red zone. Wisconsin would hold Bell to five yards in two carries to force a 3rd-and-5 at the Wisconsin 8. The Badgers defense needed to hold the Spartans to a field goal. Cousins would throw a pass over the middle to Martin, who was well-covered on the play. Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland would dive and knock the ball away to force the field goal attempt. Conroy kicked a short field goal to give the Spartans a 39-34 lead with eight and a half minutes to go in the game.

Now the fun really began. Wisconsin had the ball with 8:20 to play down five. You got the feeling that the Badgers needed a touchdown on the drive in order to win. Wisconsin would face a huge third down on the Badgers 42. Wilson calmly found a wide open Abbrederis on the left side for 11 yards into Spartans territory. Four plays later, Wisconsin faced a fourth down on the Michigan State 43. If people were to remember one play from the game, it would be this one. If you were to mention the name Jeff Duckworth to any Badgers fan, he/she would smile and this play would immediately come to mind. A Rose Bowl berth was on the line for the Badgers. Wisconsin had a 4th-and-6 with 4:20 to play. The Badgers went for it, fearing that they might not get the ball back if they were to punt. Wilson received the snap and had a little pressure and rolled off to his left. For a second, he thought he maybe could run, but the Spartans linebackers were spying and started to rush him. So Wilson launched it across the field. In the last meeting, it was an unlikely hero in Nichol who made the game-winning play on a Hail Mary. This time it was Duckworth who caught what was basically a Hail Mary. Wilson launched a pass to Duckworth inside the 10. The Badgers wide receiver went up and grabbed it in between two Spartans defensive backs. Isaiah Lewis misjudged the ball and the other was a bit late in getting over to help out and Wisconsin had the ball at the 7 with four minutes to play. On the very next play, Ball would blast his way in for the score standing and the Badgers had their first lead since very early in the second quarter. Pedersen caught the two-point conversion and Wisconsin had a 42-39 lead with 3:45 left in the game.

Michigan State only needed a field goal to tie the game up and good starting field position near the Spartans 40. The first two plays gained two yards and Michigan State was forced with a 3rd-and-8 from their own 39. Cousins would be flushed to the left and fire a pass to Martin along the sideline. It was a ruled a spectacular grab with Martin getting one foot in. But the play would go to review and it was ruled that it was incomplete, so the Spartans would have to punt and rely on their stingy defense to get their offense the ball back. The punt would be caught by Abbrederis at the 19.

The Spartans had two timeouts and they used them after two consecutive runs by Ball, which gained five yards. So the Badgers had a 3rd-and-5. One first down would seal the game. The question would be what the Badgers would do, pass it and risk an incompletion or run it and run more clock? It turns out it would be a Ball run for two yards and it would bring up a 4th-and-3. Those two yards would be critical because Nortman would come onto punt. The Spartans came after the punt and Nortman kicked a line drive that was fielded by Martin at the 33, and the Michigan State returner found daylight along the left sideline untouched until he was pushed out of bounds by Nortman at the Wisconsin 3. But there was a flag. Running into the kicker on Michigan State. First down Wisconsin. Ball game! On the punt, Nortman left his leg up in the air and Lewis for Michigan State hit his plant leg. Lewis did not hit Nortman’s leg very hard, but the Wisconsin punter fell down and sold the call. With all of the calls that were not called in East Lansing, Sparty deserved this called on them.

Wilson would take a knee three times and the Badgers would make the return trip to Pasadena in an incredibly entertaining conference championship game. I know Michigan State won on a last minute play against Iowa in the 2015 Big Ten Championship game and last year's was a very good game as well, but this one is at the top in terms of Big Ten Championship games. It just had everything you could ask for in a football game. It was a heavyweight fight that went the distance, but in the end, Wisconsin was the team standing at the end.

I hope you enjoyed my countdown of the memorable games for the Wisconsin Badgers in the last 16 years. I hope I could refresh your memory on some of the Badgers biggest games in the history of Wisconsin football. I know some people may not agree with the order, so if you disagree, feel free to leave a comment. I hope everyone has a great time watching Wisconsin open the season against Utah State under the lights tomorrow night at Camp Randall Stadium.

2. Wisconsin 31, Ohio State 18 (2010)

“And this game is underway with a bang!”

Those are the words from Wisconsin radio announcer Matt Lepay after the Badgers kick returner David Gilreath returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown against top-ranked Ohio State. College Gameday was there once again and No. 18 Wisconsin was hosting No. 1 Ohio State. This was the first time the Badgers had hosted a top-ranked team since 1997. The Buckeyes were the new No. 1 team after Alabama lost the previous week 35-21 at South Carolina. Ohio State was rolling in at 6-0, having won every game by double digits. Wisconsin would jump out to a 21-0 lead on the strength of Gilreath and running back John Clay. The Buckeyes would come back and cut it to 21-18, but Wisconsin would make a big-time drive and end it with a James White touchdown. The Badgers would win 31-18 and the crowd stormed the field. It would be the second week of three consecutive weeks that the top team in the country would go down. This was Bret Bielema’s biggest win at Wisconsin and would propel the Badgers to the Rose Bowl.

Wisconsin was in need of a good start against the No. 1 team. The Buckeyes had struggled up to that point in 2010 in kickoff coverage. Ohio State allowed a kickoff return touchdown to Miami’s Lamar Miller in the Buckeyes 36-24 win over the Hurricanes a month before. On this date, it was Gilreath who would make the play. It was a night game, Ohio State was No. 1 and College Gameday was there. The crowd was already jacked up, but Gilreath would help turn it up to a new level. It would also be a reminder to late-arriving students to get to the game on time. Drew Basil’s kickoff for Ohio State was fielded by Gilreath at the 3. When reaching the 20, he cut to his right and found a seam. He exploded through the hole and was off to the races. Nobody on Ohio State would catch Gilreath and the Badgers would have their great start. Despite being one of the best return men in Wisconsin history, this was his only kickoff return for a touchdown as a Badger. It was not a bad time for it.

The confidence only grew as the Badgers would force a punt on Ohio State’s first possession. Terrelle Pryor threw a pass to DeVier Posey for a first down on the first snap, but would go backward after that and would have to punt to Gilreath, who would have a nice 13-yard punt return to the Wisconsin 42. The Badgers would then drive 58 yards in six plays, with Wisconsin gashing the Buckeyes defense on the ground with Clay. The big running back would have 51 yards alone on the drive on five carries. His last two carries on the drive were a 16-yard run down to the 14, and that was followed immediately by a 14-yard score. On the touchdown, the offensive line opened up a gaping hole and Clay blasted through the hole and went untouched to give the Badgers the 14-0 lead just five minutes into the game. Ohio State had not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 29 games, but Clay ran for 104 yards on 21 carries to snap the streak.

The Buckeyes would move into Badgers territory on the next possession on the strength of Pryor’s legs. His 22-yard run on the first play moved the ball near midfield. He would also rush for a gain of six to pick up a first down three plays later. However, Pryor would throw three consecutive incompletions and Ohio State was forced to give up the ball to the red-hot Wisconsin offense.

The plan was much of the same on the next drive for the Badgers. Wisconsin was not picking up big chunks of yards like last drive, but it was just as effective. On this drive, Bucky mixed in some James White to go along with Clay. This drive began at their own 11 and the Badgers drove 89 yards in 19 plays. The Badgers would dink and dunk their way to seven first downs on the the drive. Clay would rush seven times on the drive for 23 yards, while White had 20 yards on seven carries. Whenever the Badgers needed a big play on the drive, Tolzien would make a big throw. He was 4-of-4 on the possession for 40 yards, including an 18-yard pass to Gilreath on a 3rd-and-6 to give the Badgers a 1st-and-Goal. He also had a first down on a quarterback sneak on fourth down to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, Clay would dive in from a yard out and Wisconsin took a commanding 21-0 lead. The Badgers outgained Ohio State an incredible 122-35 in the first quarter.

The Buckeyes would get three back on the following drive. Dan Herron would rush for 38 yards on the drive, while Pryor would rush for 20 of his own. However, once Ohio State moved it to the Wisconsin 3, the Badgers defense stood tall. Two Pryor rushes and a carry by Herron would lose one yard and Devin Barclay kicked a 21-yard field goal to get Ohio State on the board.

The Badgers made their first mistake of the game late in the second quarter. On a 2nd-and-14 at his own 42, Tolzien threw a pass over the middle that was intercepted by Ohio State linebacker Andrew Sweat, who returned inside the Badgers 40. A very questionable personal foul on Lance Kendricks moved the ball to the 23. But after two plays and one yard, Ohio State was faced with a 3rd-and-9 at the Wisconsin 22. Enter J.J. Watt. The star defensive end would sack Pryor for a loss of six on the third down play, forcing a 45-yard field goal attempt, which was missed. The score would remain 21-3 the remainder of the half.

Top-ranked Ohio State would wake up in a big way in the third quarter. Pryor would convert a third down with a pass to Dane Sanzenbacher for a first down on a gain of 11. Sanzenbacher would also have another nice gain of 24 to move down to the Badgers 26. From there, Pryor would rush for 13 and Herron would follow with another 13-yard run and a touchdown to cut it to 21-10.

The Badgers would have to punt on the next possession after moving into Ohio State territory. The Buckeyes would stop Clay on a 3rd-and-2 and force Bucky to punt. Brad Nortman would pin Ohio State deep in its own territory on the punt at the 6. Ohio State’s offense would stay hot as the Buckeyes would travel 94 yards in 19 plays to cut the Wisconsin lead down to 21-18. The drive took nearly 10 minutes off the clock and would end three and a half minutes into the fourth. Two passes by Pryor for 32 yards to Posey and Sanzenbacher moved the ball to the Badgers 41. From there, Ohio State inched forward the rest of the way. The Buckeyes would convert three third downs on the drive that would end with a Herron 1-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was also successful on a pass from Pryor to Reid Fragel.

With their backs against the wall, the Badgers would embark on the biggest drive of their season. The biggest play was a 3rd-and-3 from the Wisconsin 34. With Wisconsin facing the possibility of going three-and-out and giving the ball back to the white-hot offense of the Buckeyes, the senior quarterback made one of the biggest throws of his career. Tolzien threw a strike to Nick Toon along the sideline for 20 yards into Ohio State territory. From that point on, there was no stopping Bucky’s offense on the drive. The Badgers would not face another third down on the possession and White would come of age. The future Super Bowl hero would catch a 9-yard pass for a first down and then would run three consecutive plays to put the ball into the end zone. On the first down from the 12, Tolzien would hand it off to White, who would run around the left side and slip a tackle and go into the end zone. The score gave Wisconsin a 28-18 lead with seven minutes remaining.

Pryor would throw three consecutive incompletions on the following drive and the Buckeyes would have to punt. That is where the Badgers would grind out the victory. With everyone from the fans to the Buckeyes defense expecting Wisconsin to begin the drive with a run, offensive coordinator Paul Chryst would fake it to the running back and throw it down field to a wide open Jacob Pedersen for 33 yards down to the Buckeyes 35. Wisconsin would pick up one more first down, forcing Ohio State to use its first two timeouts of the half. Philip Welch would connect on a 41-yard field goal to give the Badgers the 31-18 lead.

Ohio State would travel into Wisconsin territory on its last drive, but Blake Sorensen would end the game. Pryor was going deep over the middle, but it was underthrown and Sorensen picked it off and the Badgers took a knee to win the game. After losing at Michigan State in the conference opener, this win got Bucky right back in the thick of the conference title race. Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State would all tie for the conference title, but the Badgers went to Pasadena due to being the highest ranked team in the BCS standings.

3. Wisconsin 20, Purdue 17 (2004)

If you were to mention the name Scott Starks to a Purdue fan, it might ruin his or her day. Starks has single-handedly killed the Purdue football program. Going into the 2004 matchup between Wisconsin and Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium, the No. 5 Boilermakers had one of the best offenses in the country. Purdue had scored at least 38 points in four of its first five games. The No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers, on the other hand, had only allowed three touchdowns total in their first six games of the year, and one of those was a punt return. With the game hanging in the balance, Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton would run a bootleg for the first down, but would be helicoptered and fumble. Starks picked it up for the Badgers and would race 40 yards for the touchdown to give the Badgers the 20-17 lead. Purdue’s Ben Jones would miss a potential game-tying field goal in the the final minute to seal the deal and give the Badgers a 7-0 start. It would also send Purdue’s football program into a tailspin that it has yet to recover from.

It was a less than exciting first half with only seven points being scored and even the touchdown was scored with just two minutes to go in the first half. Wisconsin would move the ball into Purdue territory on its opening drive, but would be forced to punt. The best drive by the Boilermakers in the first half would end in a Starks interception. Purdue would drive 40 yards in seven plays. Orton would throw for 54 yards on the drive (Purdue was whistled for 15 yards in penalties). But on the seventh play, Orton would be hit as he threw and the ball floated into the arms of Starks.

Wisconsin would go on back-to-back three-and-outs, but luckily for the Badgers, their defense would hold down the high-powered Boilermakers offense. With six minutes left in the first half, the Badgers would start a drive that would end with the first points of the day. Anthony Davis started off the drive with a 33-yard gain off right tackle to move Wisconsin into Purdue territory. The Badgers would convert two third downs on the drive, both on 14-yard completions from Stocco to a wide receiver named Brandon (White and Williams). The conversions moved the Badgers to the Boilermakers 8. Two plays later, Davis found a hole on the right side and would score from six yards out to score the first points of the night.

Purdue would try to respond at the end of the half. The Boilermakers would get a big kickoff return by Jerome Brooks of 66 yards down to the Wisconsin 32 with a minute and a half remaining in the first half. However, the threat went away as on the first play following the kickoff return, as Wisconsin’s Jamal Cooper sacked Orton and forced him to fumble. Cooper also recovered the loose ball for the Badgers. The score would remain 7-0 the rest of the half.

Somebody woke up Purdue’s offense at halftime. After back-to-back punts, Purdue would start its second drive of the half at its own 18. The Boilermakers would drive the 82 yards in 11 plays. Purdue would use a mix of short passes and runs to drive down the field. Only one play of the 11 went for more than 10 yards. Orton went 4-of-5 on the drive for 30 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown pass came on an Orton pass to a wide open tight end Charles Davis on the left side of the end zone to tie the game up.

It would look like Wisconsin would answer right back. A pass from Stocco to Owen Daniels for 17 yards and a pass to Darrin Charles for 25 yards put the ball at the Boilermakers 34. The Badgers would pick up one more first down, but then would go backward. On 3rd-and-19 from the 32, Stocco threw over the middle and it was picked off by George Hall, who returned the ball 44 yards to the Badgers 36.

Purdue would pick up a first down by a penalty that would move the Boilermakers to the 21. However, the Badgers would hold the Boilermakers offense to a field goal by Jones and Purdue took the 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Badgers would go on a three-and-out and the Boilermakers would make it three consecutive drives with points. This would be a drive that was dominated by the running game for Purdue. Orton only threw one pass on the drive, and it was a 23-yard toss to Taylor Stubblefield to move to the Badgers 20. Brandon Jones would carry the ball six times on the nine play drive for 29 yards. On 2nd-and-Goal, Purdue thought it had the game won. Orton rolled to the right and tucked it and ran. He had all kinds of running room and could have moon walked his way into the end zone. The Badgers had not done much all half, so Wisconsin was basically left for dead after the Boilermakers took a 17-7 lead.

All of a sudden, something clicked for the Badgers offense. Wisconsin would just need a little more than two minutes to drive 73 yards to cut the deficit to 17-14. Stocco would go 6-for-7 for all 73 yards on the drive. Three of the six passes went to Brandon Williams for 44 yards. However, the touchdown was a pass to Booker Stanley from seven yards out. Stocco was looking into the end zone, but would drop it off to Stanley and he would run it the rest of the way for the score.

Purdue would get the ball at its own 17 with five and a half minutes remaining. Just a couple first downs would wrap up the game. The Boilermakers would face two third downs on the drive. On the first one, Orton would rush for five yards for a first down. Jerod Void would rush for seven yards in two plays to set up a 3rd-and-3. Wisconsin would take a timeout with 2:49 remaining. If Purdue were to pick up a first down, the game is pretty much over. That would set up one of the most remembered plays in Wisconsin history.

On the third down play, Orton would take the snap and roll out the right on the bootleg. He would run and pick up the first down with a yard to spare. However, instead of sliding to make sure he would not get hurt and/or turn the ball over. Orton would be helicoptered by a pair of Badgers defensive backs. It was Starks who tackled Orton down low and Robert Brooks up high. When the Purdue quarterback was up in the air, the ball was hanging in Orton’s right hand and it would come lose before hit the ground. With the ball on the ground, Starks got up and picked up the loose football and raced 40 yards for the score. The extra point would be blocked by Bernard Pollard, so the Badgers would only be up by a field goal.

Purdue would have one more shot to tie the game up or win it. The Boilermakers would travel 62 yards in 16 plays. Orton would go 6-for-12 on the drive for 54 yards. Purdue would convert two third downs and a fourth down, but the drive would stall at the Wisconsin 25 and Jones would come onto the field to kick a 42-yard field goal. The field goal was wide right and the Badgers would take a knee to end the game.

The Badgers would win two more games to start 9-0, but in the Purdue game, star defensive lineman Erasmus James was injured and would not play as well as he did prior to the injury. After the 9-0 start, Bucky lost his final three games of the season to finish 9-3. But the poor ending to the season does not take away from how great this ending was as it takes its rightful spot at No. 3 on this list

Wisconsin Badgers Season Preview

The Wisconsin Badgers have the opportunity to build on a great 2016 campaign. After coming into the season with such little expectations, Wisconsin finished 11-3 and a win in the Cotton Bowl over Western Michigan. Gone are running back Corey Clement, All-American offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, linebackers T.J. Watt and Vince Biegel and cornerback Sojourn Shelton. However, the cupboard is far from bare. The season became a bit more challenging after linebackers Jack Cichy and Zack Baun were lost for the season before it even started. But the Badgers do return some big time players like wide receiver Jazz Peavy, tight end Troy Fumagalli and cornerback Derrick Tindal. The team returns some top talent, which makes me think this could be a team that could surprise and make the College Football Playoff for the first time.

Offense

I mentioned the Badgers lost Clement and Ramczyk above. They also lost Clement's backup, Dare Ogunbowale, quarterback Bart Houston and wide receiver Rob Wheelwright. However, that is pretty much it. They return eight starters (if you count Alex Hornibrook as the starter over Houston). The key is the quarterback, Hornibrook. He had a decent freshman season in which he threw nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. There is need for improvement, though. He tends to loft his passes, and it tends to get him in trouble on occasion. He has worked on gaining more zip on his passes, and it has been a noticeable improvement during camp. Hornibrook will have plenty of weapons at his disposal this season.

Replacing Clement and Ogunbowale will be tough, but those guys are not irreplaceable. Filling those shoes will be sophomore Bradrick Shaw and junior Chris James, who is a transfer from Pittsburgh. Shaw as a freshman rushed for 457 yards and five touchdowns, averaging more than five yards per carry. In his two years with Pittsburgh, James rushed for nearly 700 yards and close to five yards per carry. Since coming over, people have raved about his receiving ability. If he is anywhere close to as good of a receiver as former Badgers running back Brian Calhoun, they’ll be in good hands. As nice of a player as Ogunbowale was, James could be a better runner and receiver than Dare was in his time here. Clement was a very good back, but as we have found out, no Wisconsin running back is irreplaceable. Melvin Gordon was close, but after a year of a subpar ground attack, they came back with a solid attack in 2016. The duo of Shaw and James will be a dynamic duo, especially behind a very good Wisconsin offensive line. They will also mix in some of freshman Jonathan Taylor and the Badgers will be back to mauling teams on the ground.

In addition to the running backs, Wisconsin will have a more explosive passing attack. Hornibrook will have more weapons to throw to than in 2016. Wheelwright was a solid player, but Wisconsin will certainly still be fine at wide receiver. They return Jazz Peavy and emerging playmakers Quintez Cephus and A.J. Taylor, as well as gain a nice freshman, Danny Davis. This is the deepest the unit has been in years. The last three have to live up to expectations, though. Cephus and Taylor showed flashes last season, but were not consistent enough to be counted on through the air. If one of them emerges as a big target to complement Peavy, the sky is the limit for this offense. And finally, the Badgers have arguably the best tight end in the country, Troy Fumagalli. He was not looked at enough last season. The 6-6 tight end had a huge game against LSU in the season opener last year with seven catches for 100 yards in the upset victory. However, after that game, he only had two games the rest of the season in which he had more than 52 yards receiving. Fumagalli is the top target on the team and should have 10 targets a game. He should have 800 yards receiving this year, no excuses. Fumagalli is that good. He also should get close to double digit touchdowns. His big body should be lethal in the red zone, but he only had two scores in 2016.

Lastly on this offense, the line should be fantastic once again. Last season, the line had to be shuffled around due to injury. This season, the line should be back closer to the 2010 and 2011 versions than the 2015 one. Even though the team lost Ramczyk to the New Orleans Saints, it returned everybody else. The first official depth chart has two juniors, two sophomores and a redshirt freshman starting, and the unit is ready to take the next step. The line was solid last year, but the Badgers still only averaged 4.3 yards per carry, which ranked 71st. There is room for improvement, and I expect the unit to take another step toward being similar to the 2010 and 11 units.

Defense

One of the strongest units of this defense will be the defensive line. They return everybody of note and add intriguing redshirt freshman Isaiah Loudermilk. This unit is very good and very deep. Alec James or Chikwe Obasih and Conor Sheehy will be the starting ends with Obasih/James and Loudermilk rotating in. The nose tackles will be junior Olive Sagapolu with sophomore Garrett Rand backing him up. This unit will be one of the best in the conference, if not the country.

The linebackers are where most of the concern is. I mentioned that Watt and Biegel are gone and Cichy and Baun are out for the year. Fortunately, last year proved what kind of depth the Badgers had. Cichy and to a lesser extent Baun, would have had big roles this year. Cichy was one of the best inside linebackers in the country before suffering a torn pectoral in Iowa City last year. Baun was a solid reserve at outside linebacker, and would have been this year if not for the injury. Even with the Cichy injury, Wisconsin has tremendous depth at inside linebacker. Last year, the Badgers lost 2015 starter Chris Orr to a torn ACL on the first defensive snap of 2016, and he will return in a reserve role this year. T.J. Edwards is one of the best inside linebackers in the country in pass defense and Ryan Connelly is one of the best inside linebackers in the conference in run defense, so they complement each other well. Orr and Arrington Farrar, who was moved from safety, will be the backups. Alabama transfer Christian Bell will likely be in the mix when he comes back from injury as well. The loss of Cichy hurts, but the Badgers have a number of solid inside linebackers. Outside linebacker is a different story, though. The starters are set, Leon Jacobs and Garret Dooley. But they will need a pass rush out of those two and they have a combined 6.5 sacks in their careers. People have said Jacobs is primed for a big year, and I think he is certainly capable, but he will need to prove it on the field this season. Behind them, it is also a question. As of right now, junior college transfer Andrew Van Ginkel and walk-on sophomore Tyler Johnson are the next outside linebackers in line. I guess we’ll see. I have confidence in Tim Tibesar and Bob Bostad to get the most out of this unit.

Despite losing Shelton and safety Leo Musso, I expect the defensive backs to be a real strength once again. Shelton was a very good four-year starter for the Badgers, but Wisconsin gains a really good transfer cornerback Nick Nelson from Hawaii who is prepared to be a breakout star for Wisconsin after sitting out the 2016 season. He will start opposite from Tindal, who returns after posting 11 pass breakups and three interceptions last season. That duo could be one of the best in the country. Behind them, it is redshirt freshman Dontye Carriere-Williams and senior Lubern Figaro. I hope the freshman takes the nickelback job and runs with it. I have seen enough of Figaro to realize he is a No. 4 cornerback at best. At safety, the Badgers return D’Cota Dixon and have moved Natrell Jamerson to safety to take over for Musso. Jamerson, by most accounts, has adapted to safety well and Bucky hopes it is a smooth transition for the former cornerback. Sophomores Jake Ferguson and Patrick Johnson will back them up. The secondary will be a massive strength for the team with the cornerbacks leading the way.

Special Teams

This unit was a sore spot for the Badgers last year, as kicker Rafael Gaglianone missed all but three games in 2016, and the kicking suffered. Punter Anthony Lotti struggled to start the year, but improved as the season went along. The return units once again struggled. This season, Gaglianone is back and Lotti is looking to improve upon his solid end to the season. Lotti struggled in net punting, but did finish third in the Big Ten with 25 punts downed inside the opponents 20. The return units have struggled for years, and the Badgers will turn to Nelson at punt returner and Taylor will be the kick returner. Paul Chryst would like to see more from the return game, which would set up more short fields.

Overview

Wisconsin once again will have a new defensive coordinator as Jim Leonhard will replace the departed Justin Wilcox, who took the head coaching job at the University of California. The cupboard is far from bare defensively for Leonhard, though. The schedule is much more manageable, too. The Badgers should roll through their first two games, no problem, but they have a tough game at BYU in week three. Wisconsin does avoid Penn State and Ohio State in the regular season, though, and will play Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium. Bucky has high expectations, as this is the first time Wisconsin has been ranked in the preseason top 10 since 2007. It should be a fun season. Let’s just sit back and enjoy the ride.

4. Wisconsin 17, Ohio State 10 (2003)

Sometimes you only get one chance to make a name for yourself in athletics. If you are to mention the name Matt Schabert to any die-hard Wisconsin Badgers fan, one play will pop into your head. Schabert had a solid game two years before as a freshman against Michigan State, but he did not accomplish much at Wisconsin outside of one game. But that ‘one shining moment’ for him happened to be on national television and has turned out to be one of the most memorable plays in the history of Wisconsin football. Ohio State was the defending national champion and were the proud owners of a 19-game winning streak. The Badgers were 5-1, with the loss being an embarrassing 23-5 home loss to UNLV the previous month. Ohio State was 5-0 and ranked No. 3 in the nation. However, three of those games were decided by one score, including a 44-38 home win in triple overtime over North Carolina State.

With Ohio State living dangerously in all of 2002, even in winning the championship, and keeping that trend through the first part of 2003, their luck was bound to run out at some point. Schabert got his chance in the third quarter to show what he could do after Ohio State linebacker Robert Reynolds choked Wisconsin’s starting quarterback Jim Sorgi, knocking him from the game. After Michael Jenkins caught a game-tying touchdown with six minutes to play, Schabert and Wisconsin made the play of the night. The backup quarterback would find star wide receiver Lee Evans down the right sideline for a 79-yard touchdown to give the Badgers a 17-10 lead and the eventual win to snap the Buckeyes 19-game winning streak.

It looked like it would start out well for the Badgers, as Wisconsin forced a three-and-out on the Buckeyes first drive of the game. The punt by future Green Bay Packers draft bust B.J. Sander would be returned by Jim Leonhard 26 yards to the Ohio State 44. Wisconsin would pick up one first down, but a run by Dwayne Smith for a loss and a penalty on the Badgers forced Bucky to punt on his first drive. It would remain scoreless at the end of the first quarter, but the Badgers were on the doorstep as the second quarter began.

The Badgers would go on a seven and a half minute drive to take the lead. Playing for the injured Anthony Davis, Booker Stanley would have a big game. He would rush for 38 of his 125 yards on the drive, and he scored from two yards out to give the Badgers the first lead of the game. The Badgers would convert three third downs on the drive, including the Stanley touchdown. On the last play of the first quarter, Sorgi fumbled, but fullback Matt Bernstein recovered for the Badgers to retain possession. On the following play, Stanley scored to put Bucky on top on the first play of the second quarter.

It would remain 7-0 until late in the second quarter. After a three-and-out was forced by the Wisconsin defense, Sander’s punt was muffed by Leonhard in the rain and Ohio State’s Jason Bond recovered the loose ball at the Badgers 18. Ohio State would get one first down and would move down to the 7, but the Badgers defense would hold and Mike Nugent’s 24-yard field goal was good to cut it to 7-3. It would remain that way the remainder of the half.

Wisconsin was looking at increasing the lead coming out of the half. Stanley rushed for 33 yards on two carries to open the drive. However, Sorgi would throw an interception to Dustin Fox at the Badgers 14 to end the threat. Sander would have booming punt after the Buckeyes drive ended and it was downed at the Badgers 1. Wisconsin would go three-and-out and Ohio State was expected to get terrific starting field position. Chris Gamble was back deep to receive the punt and Wisconsin’s R.J. Morse boomed it to the Ohio State return man, but Gamble would muff the punt and the Badgers would recover at the Buckeyes 39. That would set the stage for one of the signature moments in the game.

Stanley would gain 16 yards on the first two carries of the drive to move the ball to the 23, but would lose five on the next two. That would set up Wisconsin with a 3rd-and-15 from the 28. Sorgi would drop back to pass and not find a receiver open, so he took off and ran. He got what he could, down to the 20. When on the ground, Sorgi was being held down by a number of Ohio State defenders, including A.J. Hawk. Buckeyes linebacker Robert Reynolds would come in and and grab a hold of Sorgi’s neck and started choking him. Wisconsin center Donovan Raiola came in and started protecting his quarterback. There would be no flag on the play, but Reynolds was suspended for the following game for his actions. Sorgi would have a hard time breathing and was unable to speak. So obviously he would be unable to come back into the game. Enter backup Matt Schabert. But first, Mike Allen would kick a 38-yard field goal to put the Badgers in front 10-3. It would stay that way until midway through the fourth quarter.

Ohio State would tie it up with six minutes to go, ending a 75-yard drive. Senior wide receiver Drew Carter would only make three catches on the night, but two of them would come on this drive. He would lead off the drive with a 12-yard reception up to the Ohio State 37. After a third down reception by Jenkins, Craig Krenzel would go back to Carter. On the first down play, Krenzel aired it out down the right sideline for Carter, who would make a great catch down to the Badgers 6 for a 46-yard gain. Two plays later, Krenzel found Jenkins for the touchdown to tie the game up at 10.

At that point, most people expected the Buckeyes to come out on top. First of all, the momentum had shifted squarely to Ohio State. Wisconsin was playing with its backup quarterback and he would need to make a play in order for the Badgers to win since the Buckeyes would stack the box in order to stop the run. Wisconsin had not reached midfield in the two possessions with Schabert up to that point. Secondly, Ohio State was used to winning these types of games. For the last year and a half, the Buckeyes had made a living winning games like this. Nobody thought Wisconsin had a chance to win.

On the second play of the drive following the kickoff, the Badgers were faced with a 2nd-and-9 from their own 21. That is when the training wheels were taken off the backup quarterback. Bucky was in desperate need of somebody to make a play, and that would come on the following snap. Up to that point, Evans was shut out. Gamble had not allowed one catch to the Badgers star wide receiver. On the play of the game, Schabert went back to pass. The play was called 56 Jerk. It worked against Akron earlier in the season and Sorgi found Evans for a 99-yard score. On the outside, Evans ran an out and up against Gamble. Expecting the Badgers to play it safe and go for the short pass, Ohio State’s star cornerback bit hard on the out route. But Evans then ran right by him down the right sideline. Ohio State brought a blitz, but the Wisconsin offensive line picked it up well and Schabert had a clean pocket to throw it deep down the field to the wide open Evans. The receiver caught it at midfield and raced into the end zone for the 79-yard touchdown to give Wisconsin the 17-10 lead with 5:20 remaining in the game.

Ohio State would move into Wisconsin territory after two Krenzel passes for 21 yards and a 19-yard run. However, a holding penalty would push the Buckeyes back into their own territory, forcing them to punt. The punt by Sander was downed at the 6. The expectations were that the Ohio State defense would force a three-and-out and the offense would get great starting field position to begin its next drive. However, the Buckeyes would not get the ball back.

The Badgers took over at their own 6 after the Sander punt. The drive did not start well for Ohio State, as the Buckeyes were whistled for offsides to give Wisconsin five free yards. The first two carries by Stanley gained three yards and Ohio State used its final two timeouts. With the game on the line, offensive coordinator Brian White made an unexpected play call. The Ohio State defense was expecting another run by Stanley, but Schabert would make another huge play. Schabert faked it to Stanley and ran a bootleg to the left and gained five yards to pick up a huge first down with a little under three minutes left. Wisconsin could not take a knee and run out the clock quite yet, but Stanley would insert the dagger two plays later. On a 2nd-and-7 from the 22, Stanley received the handoff and went down the left sideline for 24 yards to seal the deal. Schabert would take a knee twice and the Badgers would come out with a huge win and end Ohio State’s 19-game winning streak. Schabert would also become a folk hero in Madison after this performance.

5. Wisconsin 16, LSU 14 (2016)

I wanted to put this higher, but I just couldn’t. Nevertheless, this was an enormous win by the Badgers. Yes, I went to this game, so I am biased and feel obligated to put this right near the top. But there were so many storylines to this game. First off, Wisconsin was facing off against former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who bolted to LSU in the offseason. Secondly, the No. 5 Tigers came in as one of the preseason favorites to make it to the College Football Playoff, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Leonard Fournette. On the other hand, Wisconsin had to play LSU and Ohio State in Wisconsin, while playing Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa all on the road. Many, such as Colin Cowherd, predicted the Badgers to be a 6-6 team. Arnie Spanier said Wisconsin was not that good any more and that LSU would cover the massive 10.5-point spread with ease. And oh yeah, the game was at Lambeau Field, the crown jewel of all NFL stadiums. As former boxing referee Mills Lane would say, “Let’s get it on!”

College Gameday was in the house for this one. I mean, despite the fact that there were so many other great games that weekend, there was no way the show was not going to be held at Lambeau. Many called it the greatest opening weekend for college football ever. It did not disappoint. It was quite impressive that out of all the outstanding games that weekend, they chose this matchup for College Gameday. The Badgers had to replace their winningest quarterback of all-time, Joel Stave. They replaced him with senior Bart Houston, who waited for his turn despite being a highly ranked recruit coming in from California. Fittingly, Houston was named after former Packers legend Bart Starr, who had played in that stadium 50 years before. You can't make this stuff up.

In addition to Cowherd and Spanier, seemingly nobody gave the Badgers much of a chance to beat the mighty LSU Tigers. But, as Chris Berman would say, "that’s why they play the game."

Wisconsin received the opening kickoff and would get a pair of first downs on Aranda’s defense before having to punt. LSU would go three-and-out on its first possession, which was a theme for the Tigers offense in the first half. LSU would gain just 64 yards on 21 plays in the first half and four of the six drives would last three or fewer plays for the Tigers.

Twice the Badgers would drive deep into LSU territory, but would be turned away each time. On its second drive, Bucky would drive to the Tigers 23 on the strength of a Houston 21-yard pass to Rob Wheelwright. However, on the 4th-and-1, Clement would be stopped behind the line of scrimmage and the Badgers had to turn the ball over on downs. On their very next drive, Wisconsin would move into the red zone. However, on 3rd-and-9 from the LSU 10, Houston went to the right corner of the end zone intended for Kyle Penniston, but it was woefully underthrown and easily picked off by Rickey Jefferson.

It would remain scoreless until well into the second quarter. In a defensive struggle, turnovers would be magnified. They took points off the board for Wisconsin in the first quarter, but it would benefit from a big one in the second. Following a P.J. Rosowski punt, the Tigers started at their own 36. On the first play, they ran a jet sweep with running back Derrius Guice, and he was tackled and fumbled near the sideline. After a few seconds with the ball sitting on the ground, Conor Sheehy recovered for the Badgers at the 36.

This time, the scoring chance would not go to waste. Wisconsin would pick up two first downs on the drive to move down the field to the LSU 12, where the drive would stall. On the third down play, Houston threw a pass off the hands of Wheelwright in the end zone, so the Badgers had to settle for three. Rafael Gaglianone’s 30-yard field goal split the uprights and Bucky took the 3-0 lead with a little more than four minutes remaining in the first half.

Wisconsin’s defense was not done making plays in the second quarter, though. After one first down from LSU’s offense, Fournette gained nine yards on two carries to set up a 3rd-and-1. After the Heisman Trophy candidate was stuffed on third down, Les Miles decided to roll the dice on fourth down in his own territory. Fournette got the carry again, and he was stopped short of the first down by Jack Cichy and Arrington Farrar and Bucky took over on downs at the LSU 45.

Wheelwright would make his presence felt in the first half. The senior had four catches for 60 yards, three catches of which came in the first half. On the opening play of the drive, Houston found Wheelwright along the sideline, who broke a tackle and ran to the middle of the field for a 12-yard gain and a first down. That would set up Gaglianone for a 48-yard field goal, which he drilled with less than a minute left in the half. That would remain the score at the end of one half of play.

You can’t understate the job Wisconsin’s defense did in the first half. Now, no one will ever confuse LSU’s offense with the 1999 St. Louis Rams, but to hold a team to 64 yards of offense in the first half is really impressive. What is even more impressive is that they held arguably the nation’s best running back (and future top five draft pick) to just 35 yards on 11 carries. He would break off a few long runs in the second half to inflate his numbers, but for the most part, he was bottled up by a salty Wisconsin front seven. You knew LSU would not stay down for long, though.

However, the Tigers offense would pick up in the second half right where it left off in the first, going three and out and having to punt. Wisconsin would waste little time in the second half putting the first touchdown on the board. Following the LSU punt, the Badgers would travel 58 yards in less than two minutes to put them ahead by two scores. The first three plays of the drive went for first downs, starting with a 27-yard pass from Houston to tight end Troy Fumagalli to move the ball to the LSU 31. This would be the coming out party for Fumagalli. After having 500 yards receiving combined in his first two seasons, the big tight end would catch seven passes for an even 100 yards against the vaunted LSU defense. Clement would do the rest on the drive. The first three carries went for a combined 26 yards to move it to the 5. Then he would get the ball again and make a cut and fight his way into the end zone for the score. Clement was first ruled down at the 1, but after review, it was determined that he broke the plane. Bucky led 13-0.

Fournette finally made his presence felt on the next drive. He would gain 51 yards on the next four carries to move to the Wisconsin 32. But the Badgers defense would stand tall and push the Tigers back and force a punt. But that is the whole game changed.

After a few short runs from Clement set up a 3rd-and-4, Houston made a game-changing mistake. He went back to pass from his own end zone and fired a dangerous pass along the left sideline that was picked off by LSU’s Tre’Davious White, who picked it off and weaved his way 21 yards for the first Tigers score of the season.

It only got worse for the Badgers on the next drive. Even though Wisconsin still had the lead by six, the momentum was swinging to the side of the SEC school. After the kickoff, the Badgers gained one yard in two plays. On the third down, Houston found junior wide receiver George Rushing for a first down, but he would be hit and the ball came free. White recovered it for the Tigers and they were in business again at the Wisconsin 41. That was the third turnover for the Badgers and every one was painful. Thinking the defense would be on its heels after a sudden change of possession, Miles went for a shot. Brandon Harris struggled mightily on the day, only going 12-of-21 for 131 yards, but he would find a wide open Fournette down the left sideline for 31 yards. It would not take long for the Tigers to go from being down 13-0 to in front 14-13, as Harris threw a short pass to wide receiver Travin Dural, who shook free of D’Cota Dixon and waltzed into the end zone from 10 yards away. It was quite a turn of events.

The score would stay that way until late in the game. That isn’t to say there weren’t key plays, though. Starting inside linebacker T.J. Edwards broke his foot during the summer and would miss this game, so ‘Three sack’ Jack Cichy started in place of him. Already without Edwards, the other starting inside linebacker, Chris Orr, tore his ACL on the very first defensive snap of the season. Down both starting inside linebackers, former walk-on sophomore Ryan Connelly made one of the biggest plays of the game, and maybe the season. With LSU facing a 3rd-and-8 from its own 33, Miles called a screen pass. Harris threw it to Fournette and the blocking was set up nicely, but Connelly knifed through to bring down the 228-pound running back in the open field. That forced the Tigers to punt with a little more than eight minutes to play.

Wisconsin started at its own 23, looking for one of its biggest non-conference regular season wins of all-time. Houston, despite making his first start, looked as poise as you can be, completing all three passes he attempted on the drive for 38 yards. He and his big tight end got the drive rolling, as the two connected on 20-yard pass to move into Tigers territory. Backup running back Dare Ogunbowale would run for 14 yards on the the ensuing play and all of a sudden, Wisconsin was at the LSU 33. However, Paul Chryst would play it conservative and settle for the field goal attempt of 47 yards.

Gaglianone, wearing No. 27, had already hit two on the day, including one of 48. The kicker had switched his number to 27 from No. 10 to honor his friend Sam Foltz. In July of 2016, former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler and Foltz, who was entering his senior season at Nebraska, were returning from a kicking camp at Wisconsin when the car Sadler was driving lost control on wet pavement, left the road and struck a tree. Both were killed. LSU kicker Colby Delahoussaye was also in the car, but he survived and needed stitches in addition to suffering burns to his legs. It would only make sense that Gaglianone would be called upon to give Wisconsin a lead against the No. 5 team in the country late in the game.

The snap was good and Gaglianone’s kick was drilled right down the middle to give the Badgers the 16-14 lead with 3:47 remaining. It did not make it by much, but it was plenty much for the Badgers. To celebrate his big-time kick, Gaglianone pointed to his jersey. “That one was for you brother,” he tweeted after the game. “I know you were looking down and helping me make those kicks!!”

LSU had one more chance, and it was up to Wisconsin’s defense to bring home the win. The Badgers wouldn’t have had it any other way. The Tigers offense had not done much of anything to that point, gaining just 217 yards. But the drive started well for LSU, as Harris found tight end DeSean Smith for 19 yards up to the 44. Three plays later, the Tigers looked to be in business, as Harris connected with future Green Bay Packer Malachi Dupri for a first down to move to the Wisconsin 45. That was only their second third down conversion of the game. It looked even more like LSU would come out of Lambeau with a win when Fournette blasted through a hole for 15 yards before being upended by safety Leo Musso and injuring his leg. That injury would force him to miss LSU’s next game against Jacksonville State. With less than a minute and half left in the game, the Tigers were without their best player and were just whistled for a false start. Instead of being able to run the ball with confidence since Fournette was out of the game, Harris had to put the ball in the air.

Going into the season, people wondered who would replace the starting safeties from 2015, Michael Caputo and Tanner McEvoy. Those two complemented each other well. Caputo was the safety who played in the box and McEvoy was the center fielder, leading the team with six interceptions as a senior. Most of all, Caputo added leadership to a young cornerback duo. Musso had to take on more of a leadership role, and helped lead a secondary that was second in the country in interceptions. The safeties combined for nine and would make numerous big plays throughout the season. Not one was bigger than D’Cota Dixon’s in the season opener.

Harris went back to pass on the game-deciding play, and quickly was under pressure from Vince Biegel, who came in unblocked. The LSU quarterback was able to spin away from Biegel and find some space to throw. Unfortunately, for the Tigers, he rushed his throw intended for wide receiver D.J. Chark that was picked off by Dixon to seal the deal. In celebration, the safety was leveled by LSU offensive lineman Josh Boutte, which deservedly got him ejected and suspended for the following week's game. Houston took a knee three times and the Badgers emerged with a monumental win over LSU at Lambeau Field. The win was the first victory for Wisconsin over an AP top five team while unranked since 1985. It also snapped LSU’s FBS-record 52-game non-conference winning streak. The Badgers also snapped a seven game losing streak to top 10 teams.

There are no words that can describe how big this victory was. For a team that came into the season with really low expectations by Wisconsin standards, this gave them confidence that they could compete with the big boys. This win jump-started the Badgers to what would turn out to be an incredible season that would end with a victory in the Cotton Bowl in Texas.

6. Wisconsin 23, Michigan 20 (2005)

John Stocco was a terrific three-year starting quarterback for the Badgers, but he will always be remembered for one play. It was Sept. 24, 2005, and Wisconsin was playing No. 14 Michigan. It was Barry Alvarez’s last season as Wisconsin’s coach and he had not won against the Wolverines since 1994, a six-game losing streak. Even when the Badgers went to Rose Bowls following the 1998 and 1999 seasons, Wisconsin lost one Big Ten game in each season......and both were to Michigan. In the last time they met at Camp Randall Stadium in 2001, Michigan won on a last-second field goal after a Wolverines punt hit Wisconsin’s Brett Bell in the leg and Michigan recovered. In this game, Stocco would score on one of the most memorable plays in the history of Wisconsin football. His quarterback draw for the touchdown with 24 seconds left gave Wisconsin a thrilling 23-20 victory over the Wolverines and end the losing streak to Michigan.

Late in the year, Wisconsin would have a long, non-scoring drive of 98 yards in the win over Auburn in its bowl game. In this game, Michigan almost matched that. Starting at its own 5, the Wolverines had a 94-yard drive that ended on the Wisconsin 1 when Kevin Grady was stuffed on 4th-and-Goal. Of the 94 yards, Max Martin rushed for 37 yards and Chad Henne threw for 38, but the drive would end at the Wisconsin 1. The game would remain scoreless at the end of the first quarter.

Michigan would go onto score on three consecutive drives in the second quarter. After an incompletion on first down, Henne threw to Mario Manningham for 24 yards down to the Wisconsin 35 on the first full drive of the second quarter for the Wolverines. That would lead to a Garrett Rivas 44-yard field goal to give Michigan the 3-0 lead.

Wisconsin would go three-and-out on the following possession and the Wolverines would add to the lead. Henne would have a great drive, going 4-for-5 for 57 yards and a touchdown. It was a 9-play drive, going 71 yards, ending with a Henne pass to Jason Avant from four yards out and the Wolverines took a 10-0 lead with four and a half minutes to go in the half.

Bucky would be in desperate need of a score to put the Badgers on the scoreboard at the end of the half. The Badgers went on an 11-play drive in which Stocco completed passes to four different receivers. Stocco went 4-for-8 on for 53 yards on the drive, but he would throw three consecutive incompletions  to end the possession and Taylor Mehlhaff kicked a 35-yard field goal to put Wisconsin on the board.

However, the Wolverines would zoom down the field to give Michigan a 13-3 lead at halftime. Martin would rush twice for 22 yards and Henne went 2-for-4 for 33 yards on the drive. However, the Wisconsin defense stood tall and forced a field goal after the Wolverines moved inside the Badgers 10.

Wisconsin’s offense would come alive in the second half. After a Michigan punt to begin the second half, the Badgers would go 37 yards in 11 plays to cut the deficit back down to seven. Calhoun would have 25 total yards on the drive to help set up Mehlhaff’s 43-yard field goal to make it a 13-6 game. That would start a string of possessions where the Badgers would score on three of four drives.

Michigan would drive and knock on Wisconsin’s territorial door, but the Badgers would hold and force a Wolverines punt. Calhoun would dominate the next drive once again, as he would have 52 combined yards, but the Badgers would have to settle for a 27-yard field goal to cut it to 13-9. That would end the 15-play, 64-yard drive. However, Wisconsin would need to punch it in the end zone when it gets that close. Settling for field goals would not work out against the Wolverines.

The score would not remain 13-9 for long. After a poor kick return by Steve Breaston, who only made it out to the 8, the Wolverines would make their first major mistake of the night. Martin would have a first down on a run up to the 23, but Dontez Sanders would force a fumble and Mark Zalewski recovered for the Badgers. Michigan was also whistled for a personal foul after the play, which would put the ball on the 12 to start the drive. The possession would last just two plays with Calhoun getting the ball both times. After a rush of five on first down, he would get the handoff on second down and would find the edge and dive to the pylon for the score to give Wisconsin its first lead of the night. Calhoun would have a terrific game, rushing for 155 yards and the touchdown. He also was the leading receiver for the Badgers, catching seven passes for 59 yards.

The momentum would stay with the Badgers on the following drive. On the second play of the Michigan series, Henne threw a pass to the left side intended for Avant that was picked off by Johnny White. However, following a holding penalty, Stocco gave it right back. Stocco threw a short pass that was picked off by Grant Mason at the Michigan 39.

It did not take long for the Wolverines to take advantage of the turnover. After back-to-back 6-yard runs, the Wolverines had the ball at the Badgers 49. That would be when Michigan would take the lead back. On the first down play, Henne handed the ball to Grady, who then pitched it back to Henne for the flea flicker. Henne launched a pass to an open Manningham, who got behind the defense for a 49-yard scoring play and the Wolverines led 20-16 with 9:03 to play.

Wisconsin would have an important drive on the next possession, despite having to punt. DeBauche’s punt was downed at the 3. The Badgers defense would force a three-and-out and Michigan would punt from deep in its own territory, After the punt, Wisconsin would take over on its own 48 with 4:20 remaining.

Calhoun would play a big role in Wisconsin’s final drive. The Badgers would go on an 11-play drive to gain those 52 yards. Wisconsin would convert three third downs on its final drive, thanks to Calhoun and Stocco. The star running back would combine for 38 yards rushing and receiving on the 52-yard scoring march, but he would play the role of decoy on the game-winning play. After a pair of Stocco incompletions, Bucky was faced with a 3rd-and-Goal from the 5. Everybody from the fans to the Michigan defense expected the ball to be in No. 2‘s hands. But offensive coordinator Paul Chryst had other ideas. On the third down play, Stocco went back to pass and much to the surprise of the Michigan defenders, Calhoun played the role of lead blocker. Stocco tucked it and ran, following his blocking and he would crash his way into the end zone on the quarterback draw to give the Badgers a 23-20 lead with 24 seconds remaining.

Michigan would have one more chance to tie it up. After starting at its own 20, the Wolverines would move to their own 44 on a 24-yard completion from Henne to Avant. But that was as far as they would get. After an incompletion on first down, Michigan was whistled for a holding penalty, which pushed Michigan back to the 34. On the final play of the game, Henne dropped back to pass preparing to throw the Hail Mary. However, the Michigan quarterback slipped and fell and Wisconsin would have its first signature win of 2005.

7. Wisconsin 38, Minnesota 34 (2005)

It’s the axe game, ‘nuff said! Because of this game, I doubt poor Justin Kucek will ever have to buy a beer in Madison again. Wisconsin was licking its wounds after giving up an incredible 674 yards of total offense and 51 points in a 51-48 loss the previous week in Evanston, while the Gophers were riding high and coming off their first win over Michigan since 1986 to bring the Little Brown Jug back to Minneapolis. Minnesota was trying to win the axe back after losing it in 2004, but would have to do it without starting quarterback Bryan Cupito. Backup Tony Mortensen made his first start, but the Gophers still had the deadly running back duo of Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell. After a slow start to the game, the Badgers and Gophers had a track meet in the second half. With Wisconsin down 10 late in the game, Bucky came back with two late touchdowns in the final minutes to stun Minnesota. Kucek, Minnesota’s punter, would become a well-known figure in the Wisconsin/Minnesota rivalry. In one of the wildest endings you’ll ever see, the Badgers blocked Kucek’s punt and recovered it with 30 seconds left to defeat their archrival and retain the axe.

Like I said earlier, the game started slowly. The score would be 10-10 at the half. Every time the Badgers would score, Minnesota would come right back to tie the game up. Wisconsin scored first on a 1-yard run by Brian Calhoun with less than a minute to play in the first quarter. The 68-yard touchdown drive was highlighted by a 38-yard pass from John Stocco to Jonathan Orr and a 21-yard pass from Stocco to Brandon Williams on a 3rd-and-14 to move into the red zone to set up the touchdown run by Calhoun.

Minnesota would tie it up on the next possession. The Gophers would score on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mortensen to Matt Spaeth. Mortensen was 3-for-3 for 32 yards on that drive, including throwing his first ever touchdown pass to tie the game up early in the second quarter.

The teams traded field goals the remainder of the half and the game was tied at 10 heading into halftime. After a snoozefest in the first half, the fireworks would come early and often in the second half.

After Minnesota stuffed Calhoun on a 3rd-and-1 on the opening drive of the second half, the Gophers took over on their own 6 after a Ken DeBauche punt. The first play of the drive was a Maroney run for a yard. The second play was a Maroney run to the house. On the long touchdown run, Mortensen pitched it to the right, but Maroney cut it back to the left and found all kinds of running room. He was able to elude a tackle attempt near the 25 and went untouched the rest of the way down the left sideline for the 93-yard touchdown run to give Minnesota its first lead of the game.

The Gophers would add to the lead minutes later on a 49-yard field goal by Jason Giannini. Minnesota would start with good field position on the drive after a 22-yard punt return by Logan Payne to the Gophers 48. Gary Russell rushed for 21 yards on four carries to move Goldy into field goal range.

Just when people thought the Gophers were on the verge of opening up the game, Bucky Badger would fight back. Calhoun would gain 58 total yards of the 68 yards on the drive, and would end the drive on an 18-yard scamper into the end zone to cut the Minnesota lead back down to just three.

But Minnesota would counter Wisconsin’s jab with a jab of its own in this back-and-forth second half. Russell would do the honors this time, rushing for a 37-yard touchdown to cap off the 80-yard march. He would receive the pitch to the right side and find a lane, where he exploded for the touchdown, nearly untouched. That put the Gophers ahead 27-17. People thought Minnesota had the game won on the following drive, as Stocco was sacked and he fumbled. The Gophers would pounce on the loose football at the Wisconsin 18. With Minnesota having scored on its last four possessions, most thought the Gophers would score on this drive as well to put the game away. But the Gophers lost four yards on the drive and Giannini would miss a 40-yard attempt wide left to keep it a 10-point game.

Wisconsin got a huge break on the missed field goal and would take advantage. After a Williams punt return to the Minnesota 44, Wisconsin blew down the field. The Badgers needed just four plays to travel the 44 yards to cut it to 27-24. After a 14-yard completion from Stocco to Orr, Calhoun did the rest. The star running back rushed three times to cover the final 30 yards of the drive and scored from two yards out.

This is when Minnesota fans thought the game was over. The Gophers were going to win back the axe after they scored on a 19-play drive that covered 80 yards and ended with a Russell 1-yard touchdown with just 3:27 to play. Of the 19 plays on the drive, 18 of them were runs. It took nearly eight minutes off the clock and when the dust settled the Gophers had a 34-24 advantage. Despite the fact that Maroney rushed for 258 yards, this was mostly Russell’s drive. Russell, who also had a great day on the ground, rushed for 43 yards and the score (which many thought would be the clincher) on the possession. Russell would rush for 139 yards on 19 carries and the two scores. The Gophers, as a team, rushed for an incredible 411 yards. That meant that in the past two games, Wisconsin had given up a total of 724 yards rushing and 1,184 yards of total offense. Ouch!

On Wisconsin’s next drive, ESPN’s Lou Holtz made the quote of the game. Holtz, during a preview for the post-game show, made a comment that Minnesota had the Little Brown Jug and now they have the axe. After knowing how the game ended, his comments have made me laugh every time I hear them. The Badgers would zoom down the field, traveling 71 yards in a little more than a minute to cut it to 34-31. Williams would do most of the damage on this drive, catching three passes for 60 yards on the drive and the touchdown. On the scoring play, Stocco threw a pass over the middle into the end zone and Williams hauled it in despite being on the receiving end of a vicious face mask penalty.

The penalty moved the kickoff ahead 15 yards and Wisconsin would attempt the onside kick. The attempt pinballed around and bounced all the way down to the Minnesota 8, where it was covered by Maroney. One first down would be all it would take for the Gophers to seal the win. Unfortunately for them, the Badgers knew Minnesota would be running the ball. There was no way the Gophers were going to put the game in the hands of the backup quarterback. Two Maroney runs gained seven yards, so the Gophers faced a 3rd-and-3 as Bucky used his last timeout. It was do-or-die time for the Badgers, and the give to Maroney would gain only two yards. Minnesota would not go for it from its own 17, even if it only needed a yard for the first down. So on came the punting team...

Kucek made a mistake that will live in infamy. On the punt, he muffed it, and tried to roll out to the right and kick it instead of kicking it out of the back of the end zone for the safety. If he would have kicked it out of the back of the end zone, Minnesota would have maintained the lead. But he tried to kick it downfield and freshman Jonathan Casillas blocked it and the ball bounced into the end zone. There was a scrum in the back of the end zone. For a few seconds, people thought the ball may roll out of the end zone for a safety, but Ben Strickland recovered for the Badgers in the end zone for the score and Wisconsin took a 38-34 lead with 30 seconds left. The crowd was stunned.

Not only was Minnesota now trailing, but the Gophers were needing a touchdown and had to do it with a backup quarterback. Unless Minnesota had a great kickoff return, things were looking bleak for the home team. Mehlhaff’s kickoff went to Jakari Wallace at the goal line and he ran along the right sideline, but was hit and fumbled. DeAndre Levy recovered for Wisconsin at the Gophers 17 and all Wisconsin had to do was take a knee and the game was over.

This game was just another game in a memorable season. Not many thought Wisconsin would do much in 2005, but the Badgers would go on to have a special season, which would end with an upset victory over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl.