It was one of the top games of the week. The surprising Wisconsin Badgers were coming in at No. 11 and were going up against the defending Big Ten champions, the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans. Wisconsin was 3-0, but coming off a come-from-behind home victory over Georgia State, a team that would finish 3-9 in 2016. Michigan State, on the other hand, was 2-0 after holding on to win at Notre Dame 36-28. This game was also intriguing because it was the beginning of the Alex Hornibrook era at Wisconsin. At halftime of the win over Georgia State, Paul Chryst decided to make a change at quarterback from senior Bart Houston to the freshman Hornibrook. The freshman showed he was ready for the spotlight, completing 16-of-26 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown and the Badgers used a stifling defense to dominate the Spartans 30-6 in East Lansing.
Wisconsin came into the game having allowed just three offensive touchdowns all year, while Michigan State’s Tyler O’Connor had completed 73 percent of his passes and had thrown five touchdowns. In the Spartans’ first two games, a different running back gained 100 yards in each game. Wisconsin scored 54 in a win over Akron, but in the other two games, the Badgers scored an average of just 19.5 points per game. It was a matchup of offense against defense and the salty defensive unit for the Badgers didn’t let Michigan State do anything offensively.
The game actually started out well for the Spartans, gaining one first down on their first possession before having to punt and then forcing a Wisconsin turnover on its first drive. After a pair of first downs on Bucky’s first drive, Michigan State’s Raequan Williams sacked Hornibrook, forcing a fumble, which was recovered by the Spartans. Michigan State’s Michael Geiger would make a 48-yard field goal to put the Spartans up for the only time in the game, 3-0.
That lead would not last long, as the Badgers embarked on a long drive to put Wisconsin on top. Bucky converted two third down conversions and two fourth downs to put the Badgers ahead for good. It was a 16-play drive in which Hornibrook completed 6-of-9 passes for 45 yards and the touchdown pass to Eric Steffes.
It would stay that way until midway through the second quarter. On a 3rd-and-5 from his own 30, O’Connor would throw his first pick of the day, a pass right to Sojourn Shelton. The Badgers cornerback would return it to the 28, where they would punch it in for the 13-3 lead. The Badgers would convert two more third downs on the drive, including a 3rd-and-12 in which Hornibrook found Jazz Peavy on a crossing pattern for 23 yards. From there, three Corey Clement runs totaled seven yards and a touchdown. The extra point was missed by Andrew Endicott, who was filling in for Rafael Gaglianone, who was out for the year with a back injury. Michigan State would add a field goal just before the end of the half and the score was 13-6 at the half.
The second half started out just like Michigan State wanted. A holding penalty on the kickoff return put Wisconsin at its own 11 to start. The Badgers gained one yard in three plays and a short punt by Anthony Lotti set Michigan State up with great field position at midfield as the Spartans aimed to tie the game up. That was when a former high school running back made the biggest play of the game.
Leo Musso was a converted running back who rushed for 5,531 yards and 87 touchdowns in high school. As a senior at Waunakee, he was the recipient of the Elroy Hirsch Running Back of the Year Award after rushing for 2,398 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior. Musso transitioned to safety after arriving in Madison. After three seasons, Musso received his chance to start in 2016, and made the most of the chance. He would intercept five passes as a senior and was named Jimmy Demetral Team MVP. He would make multiple game-changing plays throughout the season. The first was in East Lansing.
On the first play of the drive, L.J. Scott gained seven yards. On the second play, Scott received the ball again. He blasted up the middle for a few yards, but the ball was knocked out of his hands and Musso was there to scoop it up. He ran to his left and found open grass in front of him. All that stood in his way was O’Connor. Musso flashed back to his high school days and turned into a running back, putting the Michigan State quarterback in the spin cycle near the Spartans 40 and followed a convoy into the end zone to give the Badgers the momentum and a two touchdown lead. From that point on, it was all Wisconsin.
Michigan State would line up to punt on its next two drives and the Badgers would score 10 points following those. The second one was a snap that slipped through the punter’s hands and Bucky would start the possession at the Spartans 5. On the next play, Clement found room on the left side and scampered into the end zone uncontested and Wisconsin delivered the final nail in the coffin of a 30-6 dominating win.
Going into the season, many pundits predicted Wisconsin to struggle through the season, and this win gave the Badgers a 4-0 record. Unfortunately, Bucky would lose two straight after this game by a combined 14 to fall to 4-2, but the Badgers won their final six regular season games to earn another West Division crown.
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