38. Wisconsin 31, Florida Atlantic 14 (2017)

Wisconsin entered the second game of the season coming off a 59-10 win over Utah State. They played against a what turned out to be really good Florida Atlantic team led by coach Lane Kiffin and running back Devin Singletary. The Badgers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but the Owls were never put away until the second half. This game was significant due to the fact that the starting running back going into the season, Bradrick Shaw, missed the game due to injury, so a freshman running back by the name of Jonathan Taylor was given his first career start.

Spoiler alert: He didn’t give the starting role back.

The stud running back wasted little time making an impact. On his second carry, he rushed for 18 yards and a first down. Wisconsin had to punt on its first drive, but on its second possession, Taylor went to the house. He received the handoff from quarterback Alex Hornibrook and blasted up the middle 64 yards for the touchdown.

He was only just beginning.

On the Badgers next possession, he recorded an even better run. On 1^st-and-10 from the FAU 29, Taylor received the handoff and broke an arm tackle right when he received the handoff and bounced to the left. All the found were Owl defenders. But he broke no fewer than four more tackles before seeing green in front of him, scampering in for the score to increase the advantage to 14-0. Overall, the freshman ran for 223 yards.

With Hurricane Irma ready to hit Florida, the Owls could have mailed it in, but they didn’t. FAU fought back into the game with a touchdown pass from Daniel Parr to a wide open DeAndre McNeal down the right sideline for the 63-yard score. If that didn’t help gain confidence, the Owls stopped the Badgers on a fourth down at the 1.

Unfortunately for FAU, though, it could not pick up a first and had to punt, which was booted out of bounds at the Owls 39-yard line. Four plays later, Hornibrook found tight end Troy Fumagalli on the left side of the end zone for the score to make it a 14-point lead again.

The Badgers tried to supply the knockout blow before the end of the half, but Hornibrook was picked off by Leighton McCarthy, who returned it to the Wisconsin 27. FAU fought right back. A Parr completion to Harrison Bryant helped the Owls reach the doorstep and Singletary scored on the next play. On the afternoon, Singletary ran for 68 yards on 17 carries and the touchdown against the vaunted Badgers defense.

A late drive set up a field goal to end the half with the Badgers in front 24-14.

The Badgers defense took over in the second half, forcing FAU to punt on all six of its second half possessions, surrendering just two first downs and allowing just 20 yards of total offense. Parr couldn’t get anything done against the Badgers suffocating defense, going 3-of-8 for 13 yards in the second half and was sacked as many times as he had pass completions.

Wisconsin grinded the Owls to death, rushing for 357 yards in the game. The Badgers finally put the game away late in the third quarter with an 11-play, 79-yard drive, which was finished off by Taylor’s third score of the game.

FAU didn’t threaten again and the Badgers began the season with a 2-0 record before heading on the road for a date with BYU. Wisconsin finished a historic regular season undefeated before falling in the Big Ten championship. But the Badgers were able to rebound with a win in the Orange Bowl against Miami and its ‘Turnover chain.’

Lane Kiffin’s bunch lost two weeks later at Buffalo by a field goal, but did not lose again for the remainder of the season following that one, ending the season with a 50-3 annihilation of Akron in the Boca Raton Bowl to finish the season 11-3.