24. Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28 (2020)

This is the first game from last year on this list. And to give you a little spoiler: all wins from last year will make an appearance on here. It was a very difficult season for the Badgers. Before the season, starting quarterback Jack Coan suffered a broken foot and was replaced by big time recruit Graham Mertz. The Badgers were also down their top two receivers after their hot stretch offensively in their first two games and the offensive line was banged up. To be honest, Wake Forest was in a similar situation with opt-outs and injuries. That made it for a sloppy game.

Wake Forest scored the game’s first 14 points, but Wisconsin fought back. Down 21-14 in the third quarter, the Badgers scored the game’s next 28 points with the help of four interceptions in as many possessions off Wake quarterback Sam Hartman. Wisconsin came away with the 42-28 Mayo Bowl victory despite being out-gained 518-266. The game will mostly be remembered for the trophy breaking while Mertz was celebrating with it in the locker room.

Like I said in the last paragraph, Wake Forest came out smoking. The Demon Deacons scored the first 14 points of the game. In the two drives, Hartman converted four third downs, with both touchdowns coming on third down as well as converting a 3^rd-and-10 and 3^rd-and-11. Jaquarii Roberson caught both touchdowns, from four and 18 yards out, respectively.

But the Badgers fought back. They embarked on a 75-yard drive with Mertz completing passes of 27 to fellow freshman Chimere Dike and 19 to Jack Dunn to help set up a 2-yard touchdown run by freshman John Chenel.

It remained that way until the final four minutes when Wisconsin tied it up. With Wake Forest punting from its own 21, the snap was poor and Ivan Mora had trouble with gathering it and when he did, his punt was blocked and recovered by Jaylan Franklin and returned to the Deacons 9. Aided by a holding penalty, it took Wisconsin five plays to travel the nine yards to score the tying touchdown. Mertz scored from a yard out on a quarterback sneak with some help from fullback Mason Stokke.

The game was tied at 14-14 at halftime despite Wake dominating the first half action.

The second half started much like the first. Following a 3-and-out by the Wisconsin offense, the Wake offense went to work, rolling 50 yards in five plays to re-capture the lead. Hartman’s third touchdown toss to Roberson was the scoring play. Christian Beal-Smith had a 28-yard run down the right sideline that helped set up the score. He was initially brought down on the play, laying on top of a Wisconsin defender for a second or two, but the whistle was not blown and Beal-Smith got up and ran down the sideline before safety Scott Nelson wrestled him down at the Badgers 12.

Wisconsin wasted little time answering, though, as Devin Chandler returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards to the Wake 33. The Badgers responded with a touchdown of their own in five plays, as Mertz took it in for his second touchdown of the game on a quarterback sneak. The biggest play of the drive was a screen to tight end Jake Ferguson, whose catch and run down to the 12 set Bucky up for the tying score.

Then came the string of interceptions. Wake had matriculated the ball down to the Wisconsin 28 and faced a 2^nd-and-10. On the play, Hartman saw the rush from Badgers safety Colin Wilder and threw it to his running back, who was not ready for the ball. But Wisconsin linebacker Noah Burks certainly was. The ball went right to the Carmel, Ind., native and he trucked his way to the Wake 32 where he was chopped down by Hartman. That set up a quick two play drive for Bucky. The first play was a reverse to Chandler, who ran around the right end for 18 yards. That set up the 14-yard touchdown from Mertz to Stokke on the fullback wheel route to give the Badgers their first lead of the afternoon.

Wake marched into Wisconsin territory again on its next possession, looking for the equalizer. But facing 4^th-and-4 from the Badgers 41, Hartman made a critical mistake. He was late on the throw and Nelson read it like a book, picking it off and slipping the tackle of Hartman and sprinting 60 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the 2. Two plays later, Groshek blasted in standing from a yard out to give the Badgers a two-score lead.

Hartman’s very next pass was intercepted too, but the Badgers could not tack on to the lead, as Jack Van Dyke missed a 48-yard field goal.

But like clockwork, Wake moved into Wisconsin territory with less than 10 minutes to play. Even with Hartman throwing three interceptions in the second half, the Demon Deacons still had a chance, only down 14. But that all changed in one play.

With Wake facing 3^rd-and-7 from the Wisconsin 27, Hartman had good protection initially, but late pressure forced Hartman to throw an ill-advised pass that Wilder stepped in front of to make the pick. He raced down the right side, but for some reason did not follow linebacker John Chenel, who would have blocked Hartman. Instead, he cut back and was brought down at the Wake 3. He should have taken it the distance, but still a nice play.

It was the first time since Nov. 26, 2016 (the day my nephew was born), that the Badgers picked off four passes in one half. In that game, they forced Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner into four mistakes, as Wisconsin came back from a 17-7 halftime deficit to defeat the Gophers 31-17. It was also the second time in three weeks doing just that, picking off four Jeff George, Jr., passes in a 48-3 win over Illinois on Nov. 12, 2016. I was also fortunate enough to get a shout out on air from Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas due to knowing this fact.

Freshman running back Jalen Berger reached the end zone on a 1-yard run in which he was hit at the line of scrimmage before fighting and reaching for the end zone. That touchdown capped the Badgers scoring as Wisconsin led 42-21 before winning it 42-28 at the Mayo Bowl.

With Wisconsin returning a number of players and getting Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor back from injury and a number of freshmen getting their first taste of action, it could be a tremendous year for the Badgers in 2021.