10. Wisconsin 47, Purdue 44 (3 OT) (2018)

All in all, it was a pretty disappointing season for Wisconsin. For a team that was supposed to contend for a College Football Playoff berth, Bucky came in at 6-4. The Badgers had alternated wins and losses since the calendar turned to October and Wisconsin was coming off a 22-10 loss at Penn State.

While stud running back Jonathan Taylor was still dominating, he would have his best game ever in this one. The sophomore ran for 321 yards, which is the third highest total in school history. In addition to all the yards he accumulated, he scored three touchdowns as well, including the game-winner in the third overtime in the longest game (by overtimes) in Wisconsin history.

In the overtime periods, neither defense could stop the opposing offenses. Rondale Moore, who caught nine passes for 114 yards and a pair of touchdowns, scored one in the first overtime. With the ball at the 15, David Blough threw him a wide receiver screen and he weaved and broke a number of tackles on his way to the score.

Taylor responded with a 12-yard score to tie the game. Then he ran 21 yards to set up Garrett Groshek for a 4-yard touchdown run. However, Purdue responded on its first play of the second overtime, as Blough found Isaac Zico in the end zone for a 25-yard score.

Then we went to the third overtime. Neither defense had showed any sort of ability to stop the other offense. That was until Wisconsin forced Purdue into a field goal attempt. Following a 2-yard reception by DJ Knox, Blough was forced into two incompletions. Spencer Evans’ 41-yard field goal was good, which set up Taylor’s heroics.

It took JT just two plays to end the game. Jonathan found a hole through the defense for eight yards on the first play. On the second one, quarterback Jack Coan was out of the shotgun and handed it to JT. The Badgers star probed the right side of the line before blasting through a hole and slipping a few tackle attempts and going into the end zone from 17 yards out and give Wisconsin a 7-4 record.

Despite the high-scoring affair, the game was just 10-3 Purdue at halftime and scoreless after the first quarter. The Purdue touchdown came on a perfectly called screen pass to Knox, who scored from 18 yards out.

However, in the second half, JT23 blasted through a gaping hole and ran untouched down the left sideline for an 80-yard touchdown to tie the score. It was beautifully blocked and JT did the rest to tie it at 10.

Wisconsin actually took a 13-10 lead on a short field goal by Rafael Gaglianone on the next possession. But it was all Purdue for the next 15 minutes, as the Boilers scored 17 straight to take a 27-13 lead.

Purdue scored touchdowns on its next two possessions to take control. Markell Jones ran in from 12 yards out to re-take the lead with four minutes to go in the third quarter. Moore showed how electric he was as a freshman with a 46-yard score with less than a minute to go in the third. On the play, Moore beat fellow freshman Rachad Wildgoose off the line of scrimmage and caught the pass before making a dirty spin move to get past the last line of defense for the score.

The game appeared over when a poor punt by Purdue hit Wisconsin’s Caesar Williams and the Boilermakers recovered. But the Badgers defense responded. Purdue actually made it to the 1 and had a second down, but the defense stood tall.

On second and third down from the 1, Purdue ran with Jones. He was stoned at the line of scrimmage on second down and hit in the backfield on third down by linebackers Ryan Connelly and T.J. Edwards to force the field goal attempt, which was made.

Coan came of age in the final minutes of regulation. He and Danny Davis brought the Badgers back. A pass interference penalty on an interception kept the drive alive, but then DD came up with the Sports Center No. 1 play of the day. Coan took the snap from the Boilers 5 and went for a fade. Davis went up with his right hand to haul down the touchdown on a remarkable touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-20.

Following a 3-and-out, the Badgers started at their own 32 and needed just five plays to tie the game. Taylor started the drive with a 35-yard drive down to the Purdue 33. A few plays later, Coan found Davis again—this one a little less degree of difficulty, but still a great throw and catch—for the score to tie the game.

It looked like the Boilers would maybe win it in regulation, as Blough found Terry Wright for 35 yards down to the Badgers 40. But then they were stonewalled from there. They had another opportunity with 59 seconds left, starting on their own 39, but went three plays and out.

That set the stage for the first three overtime game in school history and Taylor to add to his career day.

The momentum didn’t last long, as they lost to Minnesota 37-15 the following week for the first time since 2003. However, they rebounded with a resounding 35-3 Pinstripe Bowl victory over Miami. Coan started that game and he brought that confidence into the 2019 season where he led the Badgers to their fourth Rose Bowl appearance of the decade.