36. Wisconsin 23, Georgia State 17 (2016)

Bucky was riding high after a big upset over LSU in week one at Lambeau Field and following that up with a 54-10 win over Akron, avoiding the letdown. However, their letdown came in week three against a Georgia State team that had been outscored in its first two games 79-35 to Ball State and Air Force. The Badgers were looking ahead to a top-10 matchup the following week in East Lansing against Michigan State. Wisconsin actually trailed 17-13 in the fourth quarter in this one before coming back to score the final 10 points to escape with the six-point win.

After Georgia State had scored two consecutive touchdowns to take a 17-13 lead with less than 12 minutes to play, the Badgers got serious. Wisconsin scored 10 points to finish the game. It all started with a 41-yard kick return by Ogunbowale to give the home team really nice starting field position. It took Bucky eight plays to grab the lead back. The big play was a 29-yard pass from quarterback Alex Hornibrook to tight end Kyle Penniston. The Badgers faced one third down on the drive, and it was the last play of the possession, a 3^rd-and-Goal from the 1, in which Hornibrook again found Penniston to give Bucky the lead back, one the home team would not relinquish.

A stop from the Wisconsin defense led to a field goal from Rafael Gaglianone to give Bucky the six-point lead with three and a half minutes left. The defense forced another 3-and-out and GSU took the chance by punting the ball back to the Badgers.

Bad decision. Ogunbowale gained nine yards on two carries, forcing the Panthers to burn their timeout. On third down with the game on the line, the Badgers turned to fullback Alec Ingold to seal the win. On the 3^rd-and-1, he plowed ahead for four to finish the game. The game should not have been that close since Wisconsin out-gained GSU by nearly 100 and the Panthers finished the season 3-9. But as Chris Berman would say, “that is why they play the game.”

Wisconsin dominated the first quarter, but the Badgers only led 6-0. They held GSU to minus-3 yards of offense in the first quarter and minus-14 in their first two drives. After a fumble gave the Badgers the ball early in the second quarter at the Panthers 23, Wisconsin had a chance to create distance. It helped even more that Bradrick Shaw gained 15 on the first carry following the turnover. But on 3^rd-and-Goal at the 1, Shaw was stuffed at the line of scrimmage and he fumbled, which was recovered by the Panthers.

The score remained 6-0 at the half. Wisconsin fans surely got a little nervous when Gaglianone missed a 30-yard field goal to end the half.

Wisconsin punted on its first second half drive and Georgia State’s Rogier Ten Lohuis booted a 45-yard field goal to cut it to 6-3.

Then Paul Chryst made a change.

Chryst brought in freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook to replace Bart Houston. On the freshman’s first drive, he led the Badgers down the field for a touchdown. With Wisconsin facing a 3^rd-and-10, he found Jazz Peavy for 29 yards. That was followed up with a 19-yard completion to George Rushing and patient 19-yard run by Ogunbowale. Dare blasted in from two yards out to expand the lead.

Most people thought the Badgers would begin to take control. Think again.

On the next drive, Georgia State converted a 3^rd-and-9 with a 40-yard completion to Glenn Smith. That set up the Panthers get right back in the game with Conner Manning throwing a beautiful back shoulder fade at the goal line to Robert Davis.

Things got even more interesting when Hornibrook’s pass on the next possession went through an open receiver’s hands at Panthers 36 and into the arms of current Green Bay Packer Chandon Sullivan at the 32.

Two plays later, Manning found Smith for 60 yards down to the Badgers 9. On the next play, Kyler Neal scampered in virtually untouched to give the Panthers the lead.

But that set up the Badgers late game heroics from Hornibrook and Penniston.

This was the second of eight games decided by one score. The Badgers also won as they prepared for four of the next five games against top 10 teams. They went on to have a very successful season, finishing 11-3 and defeating P.J. Fleck in the Cotton Bowl, which makes it even sweeter.