21. Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31 (2012)

Going into the season, everybody just penciled Wisconsin into the Big Ten Championship game since both Ohio State and Penn State were ineligible. The ride to Indianapolis was a bumpy one for Wisconsin, losing four Big Ten games, including three in overtime. The Badgers also fired their offensive line coach after a loss to Oregon State early in the season. A year after Bucky struck gold with a transfer quarterback in Russell Wilson, Wisconsin tried again and brought in Maryland transfer quarterback Danny O’Brien. Well, this one didn’t go as well and the Badgers changed quarterbacks midway through the third game of the year, turning to freshman Joel Stave to replace the ineffective O’Brien. Stave then was knocked out for the rest of the regular season in an overtime loss to Michigan State, so Bucky turned to his third string quarterback, Curt Phillips, to try to get the Badgers back to the Rose Bowl. The two teams met in the first game of the Big Ten season with Nebraska pulling out a 30-27 win in Lincoln. The Badgers led much of the game, including leading 27-10 in the third quarter, but then Nebraska took over. The Cornhuskers scored the final 20 points of the game, with the last three being a Brett Maher 41-yard field goal with less than 10 minutes remaining that gave Nebraska the lead it wouldn’t relinquish. The second game was a different story. A much different story.

Not many people gave Wisconsin a chance. The Badgers were 7-5 coming into the game, and were down to their third string quarterback. Wisconsin also had lost three of four to end the regular season, while No. 12 Nebraska had won six in a row and were 10-2 coming into the game.

Wisconsin would send a strong message right from the start. Montee Ball ran for 10 total yards on the game’s first two plays, followed by a 9-yard completion from Phillips to Jacob Pedersen. Three positive plays moved it up to the 44, but a freshman running back named Melvin Gordon would make his name known with his performance in the game and it started with a 56-yard touchdown run on the jet sweep. That play would be run a number of times with Gordon in the game to tremendous effectiveness. On the touchdown, Gordon eluded a man in the backfield and had all sorts of green in front of him. He was not touched again until he reached the 35 and he broke that tackle attempt too and galloped for the opening score less than two minutes into the game.

The great start continued for Bucky on Nebraska’s opening possession, as Taylor Martinez was picked off on his very first snap and it was returned for a touchdown by Marcus Cromartie and the Badgers had jumped out to a 14-0 lead just barely more than two minutes into the game. On the play, Martinez’s pass was off target and wide receiver Kenny Bell tried diving for it, but missed it and the ball went to Cromartie, who caught it and returned it for the score untouched.

The bad news for Nebraska was that it had had the ball for only one offensive play and was already behind 14-0. The good news was that the Cornhuskers had all the time in the world to catch up. On the next possession, Nebraska would get right back into the game. However, the first two plays would lose one yard, so the Huskers were faced with a 3rd-and-11. On the third down play, Wisconsin had a free rusher, but Martinez was able to escape. He went to his left and escaped another sack attempt and eluded another at the 20 and found nothing but open space in front of him. He ran down the middle of the field and only one Badgers defender had another shot at him, but he was blocked at the end of the play. The electrifying 76-yard touchdown cut the deficit to 14-7 and turned the momentum to the Nebraska sideline.

After a three-and-out was forced by the Nebraska defense, the Cornhuskers drove deep into Wisconsin territory and was able to tack on a field goal by Maher to cut the deficit to 14-10. Martinez’s 18-yard run and Rex Burkhead’s 19-yard run help set up the field goal. Wisconsin linebacker Mike Taylor helped the Badgers defense force a field goal when he sacked Martinez on first down after the Huskers had reached the red zone. Most fans thought that Nebraska had weathered the early flurry by Wisconsin and would then proceed to dominate the game. Well, those people were wrong. Really wrong.

Bucky used the running game to bring the lead back to two scores. The only pass was a 10-yard throw from Phillips to Derek Watt out of a real weird formation where all the offensive linemen were on the left side and Phillips received the snap from tight end Sam Arneson and rolled out and found Watt. The drive started with back-to-back runs of more than 20 yards by Ball and Gordon. The Gordon run of 24 yards was on the jet sweep once again. James White would run on out the ‘Barge’ formation for the score from nine yards out to give the Badgers a 21-10 lead. On the touchdown, White cut it to the outside and found space, racing to end zone virtually untouched. That would start out a run of 35 consecutive points for the Badgers. It would stay 21-10 after the first quarter.

Wisconsin used the entire playbook in the Big Ten Championship, as evidenced by a few plays in this game. The first one was the Watt play. And then, just like the previous season against Michigan State, the Badgers ran a play where the quarterback catches the ball. After having just thrown a pass to White for 22 yards down to the 28 for a first down, Bucky decided to utilize Jared Abbrederis’ arm. Abbrederis, a high school quarterback, ran in motion and received the handoff from Phillips. Abbrederis then set up to throw and found the quarterback wide open down field. Phillips caught it and was brought down at the 1. It set up White’s second touchdown of the game and the Badgers had a 28-10 lead early in the second quarter.

The Badgers were rocking once again, as Ball would score on the next drive to give the Badgers a commanding 35-10 lead. On the drive, Phillips completed a pass to Abbrederis for 13 yards for a first down, and a personal foul was tacked on. That would help set up the touchdown by Ball. Out of the ‘Barge’ formation once again, Ball came in motion and White took the snap and handed it to Ball and he ran along the left sideline and dove into the end zone for the score from 16 yards out.

Amazingly, Wisconsin still was not done in the first half, even if it was trying to just run out the clock to get to halftime. After a Nebraska punt, the Badgers had the ball at the 21 with less than a minute left. After two runs by White gained 16 yards putting Bucky at the 37, Wisconsin called a timeout with 20 seconds left before the end of the half. Then, the Badgers ran that play again. The most dangerous play in the game was the jet sweep to Gordon, and it killed Nebraska once again on this play. Gordon ran it and found daylight in front of him, racing down the sideline to the 20, where he broke two Nebraska tackle attempts and was able to fight his way all the way to the Nebraska 3 with six seconds left. There was time for one final play, so offensive coordinator Matt Canada reached deep into his playbook once more. When running a play ouf of the ‘Barge,’ every play had been a run. Never once had they passed it out of this formation......until now. White received the snap from the shotgun and the Nebraska defenders came up to tackle White since the Badgers had never passed out of the ‘Barge’ before. Arneson snuck in behind the Nebraska defenders and was wide open in the end zone. White threw it to Arneson for the score and the Badgers were running an offensive clinic in the first half. Wisconsin took the 42-10 lead into halftime.

As if it could not get any worse for Nebraska, the first possession ended like its first possession of the game. On the third play of the drive, Martinez was being pressured and it forced a bad throw, which was picked off by Wisconsin’s Devin Smith and returned to the Nebraska 9. Ball ran the first play after the interception into the end zone for the Wisconsin score and a 49-10 lead.

Nebraska finally was able to score again. This one was on a run by Martinez from 11 yards and the Cornhuskers broke the long scoring run by the Badgers of 35 points. However, they could not get any closer because they could not stop Wisconsin’s running game. The Badgers ran for 539 yards on the game, and Ball would score his third of the day on this drive. Wisconsin did not waste any time responding to the Nebraska drive. After two runs for 18 yards to start the drive, Ball broke the next one for 57 yards and the score. Ball received the handoff a spun off a tackler at midfield and ran down the field and gave a wicked stiff arm to Nebraska’s Ciante Evans at the 20 to break him free for the score.

After a Nebraska punt, Wisconsin tacked on another long touchdown run. On the fourth play after the punt, Phillips gave the ball to White, who ran through a huge hole and ran virtually untouched down the middle of the field for a 68-yard touchdown. That was White’s third touchdown of his four on the night.

Wisconsin punted for its first time since the first quarter on its next possession, but after a Nebraska touchdown, the Badgers tacked on one more score in this laugher. On a 3rd-and-6, Gordon received another jet sweep and rushed it 46 yards down to the Cornhuskers 10. He nearly scored, but barely stepped out of bounds. Gordon had nine carries for 216 yards and a touchdown on the night. He would make his presence known in the coming years, especially against the Huskers. White would score his fourth and final touchdown on the next play and the Badgers opened up a 70-24 lead.

Nebraska would score once more, but this one was never a contest after the first quarter. The Badgers would go onto their third consecutive Rose Bowl, but would fall to Stanford 20-14 in a game that was closer than many expected.

22. Wisconsin 83, Indiana 20 (2010)

You knew this one would be mentioned, didn’t you? This was the most points the Badgers scored since an 85-0 victory over Marquette in October 1915. Bucky’s 83 points matched the most points scored in a Big Ten game since 1950. With Wisconsin at 4-1 in the Big Ten and Indiana coming into Camp Randall Stadium at 0-5, most people figured it would be a blowout, and that is exactly what happened. Wisconsin was even without two starters, reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year John Clay and center Dan Voltz. Even without them, the Badgers scored on all 12 of their offensive possessions and absolutely annihilated the hapless Hoosiers.

Indiana surprisingly stayed with the superior team well into the second quarter. Early in the second quarter, the Hoosiers connected on a field goal to tie it at 10, but then it was all Bucky the rest of the game.

Wisconsin received the opening kickoff and trucked its way down the field. It was all Montee Ball on the opening drive. He carried the ball all five plays for 50 yards, and with an Indiana facemask penalty included, he plowed in from a yard out to give the Badgers a 7-0 lead.

However, Indiana would come right back. Nick Turner rushed for 67 yards on the opening play of the drive and that set up a Ben Chappell 2-yard touchdown pass to Tandon Doss and all of a sudden, it was 7-7. The teams would trade field goals and it was 10-10 early in the second quarter. The Bucky train then went into demolition mode, scoring four touchdowns in the final nine minutes to move in front at the half 38-10.

Wisconsin regained the lead a few minutes later on a Ball run. The biggest play came on a third down pass of 18 yards to David Gilreath to move down to the Hoosiers 12. Ball would crash in from a yard out to put the Badgers back in front.

Mitch Ewald missed a 52-yard field goal on Indiana’s next drive and the flood gates opened. The Badgers wasted very little time in making this a 24-10 game. First, Ball rushed for 36 and then eventual Big Ten Freshman of the Year James White strolled down the left sideline for a 30-yard touchdown.

The Hoosiers then came apart. Chappell was injured on the previous drive and was unable to return. New Indiana quarterback Edward Wright-Baker fumbled on his first snap under center and Wisconsin recovered. Bucky wasted little time cashing in, as Ball rushed all five times on the five play drive that ended with a Ball 8-yard touchdown and the Badgers were in control 31-10.

Right before the half, the Bucky train was rolling along again and put one more score on the board before the end of the half. The Badgers traveled 46 yards in five plays after a 22-yard Gilreath punt return set Wisconsin up with great starting field position.

After a loss of two on first down, Scott Tolzien went 4-4 passing the ball on the drive for 48 yards and ended it with a 4-yard pass to Nick Toon in the end zone for the 38-10 lead. Amazingly, that would be the low scoring half.

It did not get any better for the Hoosiers in the second half. Freshman walk-on Jared Abbrederis returned the opening kickoff of the second half to the Indiana 24. Three plays later, Tolzien found tight end Jake Byrne in the end zone for the score.

That score did not last long, either, as Louis Nzegwu sacked Wright-Baker, forcing a fumble and the Badgers recovered. Four plays later, White blasted into the end zone for another score for Bucky. White would score on the next drive too and the Badgers went ahead 59-13.

The storm kept coming against Indiana and it did not quit. Aaron Henry added a pick six after a Wisconsin field goal and it was 69-13. And if people thought it could not get any worse, it did. Backup quarterback Jon Budmayr launched a 74-yard pass to Abbrederis and third-string quarterback Nate Tice scored on a run with less than two minutes to play to close out the scoring in an 83-20 obliteration.

It was the second game of three that the Badgers would score at least 70 points. Bucky Badger ended up doing 573 push-ups during the game, so it is safe to say that he is arms were tired at game’s end.

Wisconsin would win out the remainder of the regular season and win a share of the Big Ten championship and head to Pasadena as the Big Ten’s representative at the Rose Bowl.

23. Wisconsin 20, Miami 14 (2009)

The 30 for 30 “The U” had just been released on ESPN and people seemingly thought that the 2009 Miami team was a force based solely on the documentary. I remember Hurricanes fans coming over onto the Wisconsin Scout message board and yapping about how Badgers defenders would get whiplash watching those speedy Miami players run past them. If the Hurricanes players were trying to be as intimidating as those teams in the 1980s, they did a really poor job of it. The temperature was in the upper 40s in Orlando and No. 15 Miami showed more speed running to the heaters on the sideline than it showed during the game. The No. 25 Badgers only won 20-14, but Bucky dominated the game statistically. Wisconsin outgained Miami 430-249, but turnovers and settling for field goals kept the Hurricanes in the game.

The only time Miami showed more speed on the field than the sidelines was the opening kickoff. Graig Cooper received the kickoff and Miami ran a reverse and future Green Bay Packers cornerback was given the ball. Shields received a block right away and found a lot of green in front of him and ran it back for a touchdown. However, maybe trying to intimidate Wisconsin a bit, Miami’s Cory Nelms drilled a Wisconsin player in the back when Shields was already inside the 10. The ball was placed at the Badgers 16 and Cooper ran a counter play around the left side virtually untouched on the first offensive play to now give the Hurricanes a 7-0 lead. That would be all the scoring for Miami until the final two minutes.

Wisconsin punted on its next possession, but Brad Nortman pinned Miami back inside its own 10 and the Badgers defense forced a three-and-out. Bucky received terrific field position after the Miami punt and it did not take the Badgers long to tie the game. On the opening play of the drive, Tolzien pump faked and found Lance Kendricks down the left sideline for a 37-yard gain down to the Miami 4. Kendricks would have a huge game, catching seven passes for 128 yards. Two plays later, John Clay would run it in from three yards out to tie the game up. It would stay 7-7 after the first quarter.

Wisconsin would score all 10 points in the second quarter. On a 2nd-and-10, Tolzien handed the ball off to Clay and the big running back lumbered through a huge hole 52 yards all the way down to the Hurricanes 12. Three plays later, Clay went into the end zone again, hurdling over Kendricks in the process. The Badgers had a 14-7 lead and would tack on a field goal toward the end of the first half and Bucky had a 17-7 halftime lead over favored Miami.

The Badgers had their chances to extend the lead and virtually KO the Hurricanes. The biggest chance was early in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin was on the move and facing a 2nd-and-14 from the Miami 25. Tolzien was under a blitz and threw it to an open Garrett Graham, but Graham caught it and fumbled into the end zone and it was recovered by Miami’s Randy Phillips in the end zone for the touchback. So instead of Wisconsin having a 24-7 lead, it remained 17-7.

Miami had its only turnover in the final quarter on a fumble recovery by J.J. Watt off a sack to give the Badgers great field position at the Miami 34 with less than eight minutes to play in the game. Wisconsin would drive it to the Miami 11, but would settle for a field goal and a 13-point lead with four minutes to play.

Jacory Harris and the Miami offense finally got going on the following drive. He connected with Leonard Hankerson for 28 yards on a 3rd-and-15 to move to the Wisconsin 45. Miami was able to move down the field and score on a touchdown pass from Harris to Thearon Collier from 14 yards out to cut it to 20-14.

The Hurricanes would also recover the onside kick and have one more chance to come out on top. But a Watt sack and three consecutive incompletions sealed the game up and Wisconsin came away with a 20-14 win. This win would help as a spring board into the 2010 season, where Wisconsin would win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl.

24. Wisconsin 70, Northwestern 23 (2010)

The Badgers were one win away from their first Big Ten championship since 1999. All that was standing in their way was Northwestern, a 7-4 team that had not won in Madison since 2000. Wisconsin was 10-1 on the season and 6-1 in the Big Ten and a win would almost certainly send the Badgers to Pasadena. The third tiebreaker would be the highest ranked team in the BCS rankings, and that would determine what team would represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Michigan State and Ohio State would be the other two teams tied with Wisconsin in the Big Ten. The Badgers had lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten opener, but then beat No. 1 Ohio State a few weeks later. The Buckeyes and Spartans would not play each other during the season.

So, in order for the first tiebreaker (head-to-head) to come into play, Wisconsin would need to win and have Ohio State also win at home against rival Michigan. Obviously, the Badgers would prefer to win the title outright, but having Ohio State win would not be the worst thing in the world since Bucky owned the tiebreaker. Michigan State winning and Ohio State losing would be the worst thing for the Badgers (other than Wisconsin losing) since that would keep Wisconsin from going to Pasadena since the Spartans own the tiebreaker over the Badgers. Okay, you got it?

It would be another week with at least 70 points for the Badgers, the third on the year. Wisconsin was faced with a second down and long on its opening drive, but then drove 62 yards in two plays for the score. Lance Kendricks scored on a 30-yard reception and then Montee Ball ended the drive with a 32-yard touchdown run to give the Badgers the first lead.

Northwestern would not start out so well. The Wildcats would turn the ball over on their first three possessions. Fortunately for them, the Badgers only would score seven points off those three turnovers. That seven points came on another Ball touchdown run. It took him two runs to travel 13 yards and give Wisconsin a 14-0 lead with eight minutes to play in the first quarter.

Northwestern was able to get three to cut it to 14-3 late in the first quarter, but field goals would not cut it against the high-powered Badgers offense. James White rushed for 40 yards on the next drive, but Ball got the glory again, scoring his third touchdown of the game and the Badgers led 21-3.

The Wildcats offense would once again drive into Wisconsin territory, but Northwestern quarterback Evan Watkins was intercepted by Mike Taylor, who returned it to the 21. Three plays later, Tolzien found David Gilreath for the touchdown.

Fast forwarding to the Badgers next possession, now up 28-10, Kendricks had two catches on the drive, including the touchdown. The touchdown was on one of the most gorgeous throws I have ever seen Tolzien make. He threw it down the left sideline into the end zone and it landed right in the hands of Kendricks for the score. It was great coverage by Northwestern, but Tolzien just made a better throw.

J.J. Watt was a terror in the first half. He had a tackle and forced fumble earlier in the game, and on this drive, he hit Watkins after a nice run and Watkins fumbled. The Badgers would cash in once again. This time on a Tolzien pass to Nick Toon for an 11-yard score to put Bucky ahead 42-10.

After a kickoff return for a touchdown by Northwestern, the Wisconsin offense went back to work, Jared Abbrederis picked up 52 yards on the kick return to get the ball across midfield to start the drive. Five plays later, Tolzien found Toon again in the end zone for another 11-yard score with less than 20 seconds left in the first half and the Badgers went to the break with a 49-17 advantage.

The second half started much like the first. Wisconsin ran the ball every play of the opening drive of the second half and it was ended on another Ball touchdown run. He ran to the left sideline and found daylight, cutting it to the right and scoring from 44 yards to give the Badgers a 56-17 lead.

The teams traded touchdowns midway through the third. Wisconsin’s was on a touchdown run by White and Northwestern’s was on a pass to Drake Dunsmore. It looked like the Badgers would end the quarter ahead 63-23, but Badgers safety Aaron Henry had other ideas. Henry intercepted a Watkins pass at midfield and ran it back to the house untouched with two seconds left in the third to give Wisconsin a 70-23 lead.

There was no scoring in the fourth, but long before then the party was beginning for Wisconsin fans. The Badgers had rolled once again and due to Ohio State’s win, the Badgers had all but clinched a spot in Pasadena. It was Wisconsin’s first Big Ten title of the new millennium. Everybody played a role in the blowout win over Northwestern and they earned that Rose Bowl trip.

25. Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 17 (2016)

The Badgers had won a dozen consecutive games in the rivalry, but in the last meeting at Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin needed a second half rally to win and earn a berth in the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State. This meeting followed a similar script. Wisconsin didn’t need to win against Minnesota to earn a berth in Indianapolis the following week, as Iowa annihilated Nebraska 40-10 the previous day to secure the trip to Indy for the Badgers. However, Bucky wanted more. Wisconsin needed a victory to win the Big Ten West division outright, and let’s face it, they wanted to make it 13 straight over their rivals directly to the West. The Badgers also had an outside chance with a win against Minnesota and a win in Indianapolis to reach the College Football Playoff. After a sluggish first half, Wisconsin rallied to beat Minnesota 31-17 to win the axe once again.

Although Minnesota was mathematically eliminated from playing in the Big Ten Championship, nothing would make its season sweeter than to destroy any hopes Wisconsin had of playing in the College Football Playoff. The Gophers weren’t a bad team at 8-3, but only beat two teams that would play in a bowl game, and one of those was Colorado State, which played in the Idaho Potato Bowl. Goldy had a two-headed monster at tailback with Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks. In the 2015 meeting (a Wisconsin 31-21 win in Minnapolis), the Gophers only rushed for 53 yards on 18 carries. Prior to the year, ESPN’s Todd McShay predicted Mitch Leidner as a first round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. In the 2015 meeting, he would complete just 16 of 37 passes for 223 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. The Minnesota offense was out to prove that was a fluke.

On the first drive, the Gophers were proving just that, motoring down the field 72 yards in 12 plays. However, the Badgers defense rose up in the red zone and forced a field goal. Leidner, who is a run-first quarterback, only had 10 rushing yards in the previous meeting. He rushed for 50 yards on four carries on the opening drive, including a 32-yard scamper to move inside Bucky’s 30-yard line. It would remain 3-0 Gophers after one quarter.

Following a Minnesota punt early in the second quarter, Wisconsin traveled 80 yards in 10 plays to take the lead. Bart Houston would lead the team down the field, completing all three passes to three different receivers on the drive for 48 yards. Even though Houston did most of the work driving the Badgers down the field, fullback Alec Ingold got the glory, as he punched it in from a yard out to put Bucky in front 7-3.

That lead was short-lived, however. Minnesota’s KiAnte Hardin returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yards down to the Wisconsin 13. One play later, Goldy was back on top, as Leidner found senior wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky over the middle for the score. Minnesota would add another score with less than a minute left in the first half. Wolitarsky once again had a big hand in giving the Gophers a 10-point halftime lead, as he caught a 35-yard pass to move to the Wisconsin 22. Five plays later, Leidner ran in from three yards out to give the Gophers the 17-7 halftime lead.

Two years prior, as I mentioned, Wisconsin was in a similar position. The Badgers were down 17-13, but rallied to outscore the Gophers 21-7 in the second half and 31-7 dating back to the first half to win 34-24. In 2016, Bucky was down by 10 points and seemingly nothing was working. Wisconsin was being dominated on both offense and defense and starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook was knocked out of the game in the second quarter due to a concussion. As good as Wisconsin’s defense was, the Badgers surrendered 226 yards en route to being outgained by 82 yards in the first half. But the defense would take over in the second half.

On the opening possession of the second half, Wisconsin dinked and dunked its way down field on its way to a field goal to cut the deficit to seven. Houston was 3-of-4 for 35 yards, but none longer than a 13-yard completion. Minnesota had an answer, driving down the field on the strength of an iffy third down pass interference penalty and an incredible 25-yard catch by Smith to move the Gophers down to the Badgers 15. Wisconsin was still struggling a bit on offense, so going down by 10 once again would have been problematic. The defense needed to make a stand.

Enter Leo Musso. I mentioned in the countdown earlier in the Michigan State game that Musso had more than one game-changing play during the season. The first was that fumble return touchdown in East Lansing. This would be the second. Leidner had a great first half, but the Wisconsin defense knew he would give them chances to make plays in the second half. The first chance in the second half came in the red zone, and Musso would take full advantage. On 3rd-and-9 from the Badgers 14, Leidner went back to pass. Wisconsin put the heat on and the Minnesota quarterback was unable to step up into the pocket to throw. Gophers wide receiver Rashad Still was open for a split second, but Musso jumped in front of Still in the end zone to pick it off and the game remained 17-10. That would be the score at the end of the third, but the Gophers had the ball in great field position.

Following a sack on third down, the Badgers were forced to punt from their own 10. If that wasn’t bad enough, Anthony Lotti had a short punt and Minnesota started in Wisconsin territory at the 47. This was when the Badgers defense took over the game. T.J. Watt sacked Leidner on second down, forcing a 3rd-and-15. And then Sojourn Shelton made one of the plays of the game. Leidner went back to pass and threw a route short of the first down intended for wide receiver Eric Carter, but they were not on the same page. Leidner expected him to run a shorter route and Carter ran deep. What resulted was a Shelton interception, and he slanted across the field, eluding tacklers before finally being thrown out of bounds by Leidner at the Gophers 19.

The Shelton interception set the tone for the rest of the game. It took Bucky three plays to tie the score. Robert Wheelwright, the brother of former Minnesota wide receiver Ernie Wheelwright, hauled in a 16-yard pass over the middle to set up a Clement 2-yard score to even the score.

Corey Clement fumbled in Minnesota territory on the next Badgers drive, but they did not come up empty on their next one. While the defense was putting clamps on the Gophers offensive attack, the Badgers offense finally felt like it had life. After being bottled up all day, wide receiver Jazz Peavy finally gave the offense the spark it needed. An enchroachment penalty moved the ball to the Badgers 18 before Peavy made his mark. Prior to the play, color commentator Mark Tauscher on the radio broadcast said to look for the jet sweep with Peavy. What a call by the former Badger, as Peavy raced down the right sideline for 76 yards all the way down to the Gophers 11. A Minnesota penalty moved the ball closer, and the running backs did the rest. Two plays later, Clement carried the ball across for his second 2-yard score of the day, and Wisconsin had the lead for the first time since the second quarter.

This time, the lead lasted longer than 14 seconds. I mentioned earlier that Leidner would give the Badgers defense chances for plays in the second half. In that regard, he is to the Badgers what Jay Cutler was to the Packers. In his three games against Wisconsin, Leidner completed 37 percent of his passes (30-for-81), throwing two touchdowns and seven interceptions. That includes the four he threw in this game. The last two came on the following two possessions. With Minnesota still firmly in the game, only down seven, Leidner threw the back breaker. On 3rd-and-10 from his own 25, Leidner threw an ill-advised pass into traffic that was picked off by Wisconsin linebacker Leon Jacobs, who rumbled down to the Minnesota 8.

Dare Ogunbowale would insert the dagger, as Wayne Larrivee would say, on the following play. The Wisconsin running back blasted threw the hole in the middle of the line and was not touched until he was close to the end zone. The touchdown gave Bucky a 31-17 lead and effectively ended the game.

Shelton made his second interception of the game on the following drive for the Gophers, which ended any chances of a Gophers comeback, and the Badgers came away with a 31-17 comeback win to earn their 13th consecutive win over their arch rivals.

In addition to the four second half interceptions, the Wisconsin defense held Minnesota to a remarkable minus-7 yards of offense in the fourth quarter and just 60 yards for the entire second half. That is one way to erase a second half deficit.

Unfortunately, the chances of a berth in the College Football Playoff would end the following week in Indianapolis, as Wisconsin blew a 28-7 second quarter lead and would lose the Big Ten Championship 38-31 to Penn State. The Badgers did rebound, though, as Bucky took down previously undefeated Western Michigan 24-16 to win the Cotton Bowl to finish a successful 2016 season at 11-3.

26. Wisconsin 23, Nebraska 17 (OT) (2016)

It was basically the championship game for the West Division in the Big Ten. No. 7 Nebraska came in undefeated at 7-0, but had not played anyone close to the quality of Wisconsin. No. 11 Wisconsin came in at 5-2, having bounced back with a road win in Iowa City after suffering two consecutive heartbreaking losses. Even though Nebraska would still lead the division with a loss, the Cornhuskers had a date with Ohio State in Columbus looming. This game would be tight throughout, with the biggest lead of the game being 10 points in the third quarter. Dare Ogunbowale would be the unlikely hero in this game, rushing for a career-high 120 yards on just 11 carries and would score the game-winning touchdown in overtime to give the Badgers the 23-17 win.

Wisconsin needed to win out to win the division. There was no way the Badgers were going to win the division if they lost to the Huskers since they would be three games back with four to play and lose the tiebreaker. This was the second consecutive night game at Camp Randall Stadium, and the second consecutive overtime game in Madison. The previous game at Camp Randall was an overtime loss to Ohio State. The Badgers needed a last-second field goal to beat Nebraska in Lincoln in 2015.

It looked like Bucky was going to have an easy time of it, as the Badgers scored on their second possession in easy fashion. Wisconsin started with great field position at its own 49 after a 24-yard punt return by Corey Clement. The scoring drive was just two plays. After a 30-yard pass from Alex Hornibrook to Troy Fumagalli, Bradrick Shaw blasted through a gaping hole and raced 21 yards for the score to put the Badgers on the board first.

The 7-0 score would last until early in the second quarter. Nebraska would have a chance to tie the score late in the first, but Sojourn Shelton picked off a Tommy Armstrong pass deep in Badgers territory. But Bucky would not be so lucky on the next Cornhuskers possession. Nebraska forced a three-and-out and Anthony Lotti had a relatively short punt, which De’Mornay Pierson-El returned 15 yards to the Wisconsin 42. The biggest play on the drive would be an Armstrong 36-yard pass to Jordan Westerkamp to the Badgers 4 on the final play of the opening quarter. Three plays later, Devine Ozigbo blasted in from a yard out to tie the game at 7.

Following the Wisconsin touchdown, Nebraska dominated much of the remainder of the half. After the Badgers score, the Huskers started their next four first half possessions at the 25, 44, Wisconsin 42 and the Nebraska 40. Amazingly, the Badgers defense allowed only seven points on those four drives. The final of those four drives was ended when D’Cota Dixon picked off a deflected pass and set the Badgers up with great field position at midfield. That intereception would help set up an Andrew Endicott field goal to give the Badgers a 10-7 lead, which would remain until halftime.

Despite the fact that Nebraska had dominated the field position battle, Wisconsin held the slim edge at halftime. It was time for the Badgers offense to show up. It did just that on the opening possession in the second half. Wisconsin drove 73 yards in 13 plays to give Bucky a 17-7 lead, capped off by a Hornibrook touchdown pass to Rob Wheelwright. The Badgers converted three third downs on the drive, including the touchdown. Ogunbowale, who dominated the second half, gained 40 yards on four carries, including a 15-yard gain on 3rd-and-7 deep in Nebraska territory. That all led up to a lofted touchdown from Hornibrook to Wheelwright to give the Badgers the 10-point lead. It would remain that way until an eventful fourth quarter.

However, when the fourth quarter started, Nebraska was on the doorstep of cutting its deficit to three once again. The 14-play, 75-yard drive lasted nearly six minutes and was capped off by an Armstrong two-yard run to cut it to 17-14. Westerkamp only had three catches in the game, but they were all timely. All three were for first downs and this Westerkamp catch on 3rd-and-7 set up the Huskers at the Badgers 13. Armstrong was 3-for-6 on the drive for 38 yards and all three completions were for third down conversions. He would also gain another 15 yards on the ground on three carries, including the touchdown.

Wisconsin would try to push the lead back to two scores, but its next two drives ended in interceptions. Both interceptions were by Nathan Gerry and he picked off both Hornibrook and Bart Houston. On the second possession, the Badgers used an Ogunbowale 39-yard run to move them into Nebraska territory. But two plays later, Gerry picked off Houston.

Following the pick, the Huskers traveled 52 yards in 11 plays to set up a Drew Brown 35-yard field goal to tie the game up at 17. The biggest play of the drive came on an Armstrong 25-yard pass to Stanley Morgan, Jr., to put Nebraska on the Wisconsin 21. Wisconsin got a long run by Clement on the next drive to Nebraska 34. The Badgers would play conservative and three runs gained them eight yards, but Andrew Endicott missed a field goal and the game stayed tied. This was the first game Endicott really struggled in replacing injured Rafael Gaglianone, who missed the final 10 games of the season with a back injury. Nebraska would drive close to midfield on the next possession, but would end up punting and the game went into overtime.

Nebraska won the toss and played defense first. Wisconsin wasted little time punching it into the end zone. Three Clement runs moved the ball down to the 11, and from there, Ogunbowale did the rest. On a 2nd-and-8 from the 11, Ogunbowale received the carry from the shotgun and broke a tackle in the backfield and followed his blocking until he found nothing but green in front of him and he scampered into the end zone for the 23-17 lead. But like I said, Endicott had a rough day. He would miss the extra point, and the lead remained at six, giving Nebraska a chance to win it in the first overtime. The Badgers defense stood tall. The first three plays for Nebraska gained two yards and the Cornhuskers faced a 4th-and-8 from the 23. Armstrong went back to pass and lofted a pass into the end zone intended for Morgan, who had beaten Shelton at the line of scrimmage. But Dixon came over from his safety spot and knocked the ball away to seal the six-point win.

The win was the second of six consecutive victories for the Badgers, and Wisconsin would represent the West Division in the Big Ten Championship game. Nebraska would not recover, as the Huskers would be annihilated in Columbus the following week 62-3 to fall into a tie with Wisconsin. Overall, Nebraska would lose four of its final six games after the hot start and Bucky would win the division title outright.

27. Wisconsin 23, USC 21 (2015)

The Badgers were entering the Holiday Bowl with a record of 9-3, but people were skeptical due to Wisconsin not having any wins over teams that had a winning record. Wisconsin was facing a USC team, led by Cody Kessler and one of the best receivers in the country, Juju Smith-Schuster. The Trojans were coming in at 8-5 after losing the Pac-12 Championship game to Stanford. They were having a tumultuous season, having fired Steve Sarkisian in October. It would be a matchup of one of the top offenses in the country (USC) against one of the top defenses (Wisconsin). The defense would prevail, as the Badgers used two stops in the final minutes to close the door on their second consecutive bowl win.

After a scoreless first quarter, Bucky finally was able to break the ice and score the first points. Facing a 3rd-and-5 from the USC 33, Joel Stave threw a pass to Rob Wheelwright, who made one of the best catches of the bowl season. It was not bad coverage, but Stave threw a nice ball and Wheelwright reached up with one hand to make the one-handed catch along the sideline to give the Badgers a first down. The spectacular grab set up a field goal and Bucky took a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Following a USC punt, Wisconsin blew down the field to score the game’s first touchdown. The Badgers went 74 yards on a six-play drive that ended with a touchdown by Corey Clement from six yards out. It was a good ending for Clement, who had missed most of the season after being hurt in the season-opening loss to Alabama.

USC was able to get on the board on the next drive. The Trojans started with very good field position at their own 45 after a 32-yard kickoff return by Justin Davis. USC converted two fourth downs on the drive, including the touchdown on a 1-yard run by Davis. Adoree’ Jackson had the longest play on the drive, a 33-yard catch to put USC inside the Badgers 5.

Wisconsin was able to close out the scoring in the first half, going 71 yards in 12 plays to tack on a field goal with a half minute to go in the first half. Clement rushed for 28 yards on the drive and fullback Derek Watt even had a 19-yard run. But once Wisconsin hit the USC 15, it was stopped on three straight Stave passes and Rafael Gaglianone booted a 33-yard field goal and the Badgers had a 13-7 lead at the break.

On Wisconsin’s first possession of the second half, it drove 64 yards in 12 plays and took six minutes off the clock and the Badgers were able to punch it in the end zone on a Stave pass to tight end Austin Traylor. Despite the touchdown being through the air, this was a run-oriented drive. Only three of the 12 plays on the drive were passes, and USC was probably expecting the run on the touchdown. Stave faked a handoff to Alec Ingold and found Traylor all alone in the end zone and Wisconsin led 20-7.

USC was able to come right back, though, and Kessler found Smith-Schuster for 39 yards on the first play of the drive to move the Trojans into the red zone. Four plays later, Davis scored once again and it was back to a one possession game.

A Wisconsin three and out, followed by a short punt from Drew Meyer set USC in great position to take the lead for the first time in the game. Enter Jack Cichy. In one of the most memorable moments from bowl season, Cichy sacked Kessler on three consecutive plays and single-handedly forced a 4th-and-38 for the Trojans.

However, USC would score to take the lead on the following drive. On a 3rd-and-4 from the Wisconsin 7, Kessler found Darreus Rogers for the score and the extra point gave USC its first lead of night, 21-20.

After back-to-back punts, Wisconsin received the ball with a chance to take the lead. Starting with great field position at their own 47, the Badgers had back-to-back 17-yard passes to put the ball in the red zone. Gaglianone would kick a 29-yard field goal on the drive to put Bucky back in front 23-21.

On the following possession, USC was trying to put together a game-winning drive and completed a pass to get a first down to its own 37. However, on the following play, Cichy pressured Kessler, forcing a bad throw, which was intercepted by junior cornerback Sojourn Shelton.

Following the interception, Wisconsin gained nine yards in three plays and punted. USC started at its own 10 with just over a half minute to play. However, in four plays, the Trojans gained 40 yards up to midfield. But that is where the drive ended, as Kessler threw four consecutive incompletions and the Badgers took home the 23-21 victory, its second bowl win in as many seasons.

The offensive MVP in the game was Stave and the defensive MVP was Cichy, both former walk-ons. Those were just two of the former walk-ons who helped the Badgers win 10 games in 2015 and another bowl game.