14. Wisconsin 27, Oregon 23 (2000)

In the second game of the non-conference portion of the schedule, many of the Badgers made their 2000 debut after sitting out against Western Michigan due to the Shoe Box scandal. Still sitting out was Chris Chambers, who was injured, so the Badgers were hoping Lee Evans would continue to step up at wide receiver. Jamar Fletcher would make his debut against Oregon and pick off future top five NFL Draft pick Joey Harrington three times. However, even with his three interceptions, the star of the game was Michael Bennett. The junior ran for 290 yards and two long touchdown runs to help the Badgers improve to 2-0 with a win over Oregon, a team that would finish the season in the top 10.

I mentioned that Fletcher made his debut against the Ducks. Well, he wasted little time making his presence known in the year 2000. On the third play of Oregon's opening drive, Harrington fired a pass to the right that was intercepted by the eventual Jim Thorpe Award winner. He returned it to the 22, but there was a holding penalty on the return and the Badgers started at the 32. Wisconsin would travel to the 26, but Vitaly Pisetsky’s 43-yard attempt sailed wide left and it remained scoreless.

It was a defensive game for the entire first half. Oregon’s Josh Frankel would hit two short field goals to put the Ducks in front 6-0 at the end of the first half. The second half would be just a tad more exciting.

Bennett had just 32 yards on 11 carries in the first half. He would explode in the second half. The explosion started on his third carry of the second half. With Wisconsin facing a 2nd-and-3 from its own 41, Brooks Bollinger handed the ball to Bennett, who found a hole and raced through it. The speedster would outrun everybody on the field to give the Badgers the 7-6 lead after the extra point was made.

Nearly five minutes later, Bucky would add to his lead. Oregon’s Kurtis Doerr was punting from his own end zone after the Badgers forced a three-and-out. But Wisconsin’s Ryan Marks would break through and not only block the punt, but recover it as well in the end zone. The blocked punt and recovery in the end zone put Bucky ahead 14-6 midway through the third quarter.

Oregon would drive down for a field goal on the next drive, but the Badgers had an answer. His name is Michael Bennett. Wisconsin started at its own 20 to begin the drive. Bennett gained five on first down. His next carry went to the house. Bollinger handed it off to Bennett, who eluded a defender in the backfield. He then raced up the field, bursting through a sliver of an opening. He broke a tackle at his own 40 and then there was nothing but turf in front of him. He outraced the Oregon defenders for a 75-yard score to put the Badgers in front 20-9. The two-point conversion attempt failed and the Badgers remained ahead by 11. It would stay that way the remainder of the quarter.

Despite starting the following drive inside its own 10, Oregon was able to respond quickly. It only took three plays for the Ducks to cut it to 20-16. Harrington found Marshaun Tucker for 71 yards down to the Wisconsin 17. On the following play, Harrington would throw a touchdown pass to LaCorey Collins. Oregon was whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play, which is the reason the Ducks did not attempt the two-point conversion.

Early in the final quarter, Oregon was on the move. The Ducks were facing a 2nd-and-5 at the Wisconsin 21, but Fletcher came through again. He picked off his second pass of the game, keeping his team in the lead.

Wisconsin had a chance to take command of the game, but Bollinger made a poor throw on third down with six minutes to go in the game. The Wisconsin quarterback did not see Oregon linebacker Matt Smith on the play and threw it and was picked off by Smith, who returned it 47 yards for the score and the Ducks had taken a 23-20 lead.

Bennett only needed a matter of seconds to change a game. If you gave him even a sliver of an opening, the speedy running back would make you pay. That is just what happened on the first play following the kickoff. Wisconsin started with the ball at the 16 after a short kickoff return by Bennett. However, he redeemed himself in a big way. On the first play of the drive, Bollinger handed the ball to Bennett, who eluded a defender at the 18 and found nothing but turf in front of him. Oregon stacked the line of scrimmage, and if Bennett was able to get past the initial wave of defenders, the play would go for huge yardage, considering his speed. Bennett raced down the field all the way to the 1, where an Oregon defender had an angle on him and brought him down. Bollinger ran it in on the quarterback sneak on the following play and the Badgers were back out in front.

Harrington would complete a 38-yard pass to Tucker to move into Badgers territory on the next possession, but Wisconsin would then force three consecutive incompletions and the punt. But the Ducks would get one more shot at the win. On a 4th-and-13, Harrington found Keenan Howry for 30 yards to the 47. However, that would be as far as the Ducks would get. Wendell Bryant would sack Harrington on second down, forcing a 3rd-and-17. After an incompletion, Harrington threw a pass over the middle that was overthrown. Guess who caught it? Yep, there was that man again. Fletcher had his third pick of the day in a triumphant beginning to his 2000 season.

The good times would not last, though, as Fletcher had to sit out the next two games, including a double overtime loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten opener. That started a slide for Wisconsin, which lost four of its first five Big Ten games before rebounding to win its last three Big Ten games and five overall to finish with a solid 9-4 record.

15. Wisconsin 34, Minnesota 24 (2014)

Much like three years before, the Wisconsin Badgers were once again in a battle for the division in the last game of the regular season at Camp Randall Stadium. But that game was against Penn State. This game was against Minnesota, Wisconsin’s biggest rival. It was also the annual battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe and Wisconsin brought a 10-game win streak into the contest. The Badgers were coming off a 26-24 victory in Iowa City against the Hawkeyes, while the Gophers won in Lincoln 28-24 to set up the showdown in Madison to decide which team would take on Ohio State in Indianapolis. For awhile, it looked like the Gophers would snap the 10-game losing streak against the Badgers and earn a berth in the Big Ten Championship game. But Wisconsin scored 24 consecutive points after spotting its rivals a 14-point lead, to beat Minnesota 34-24 to punch its ticket to the conference title game for the third time in four years.

The game could not have started much better for the Gophers. Despite going three-and-out, Minnesota punter Peter Mortell punted it 55 yards to Kenzel Doe, who fumbled it and the Gophers recovered at the Badgers 13. Two plays later, quarterback Mitch Leidner ran it in from 10 yards out to give the Gophers the early 7-0 lead.

Like every game, the Badgers game plan was to give the ball to star running back Melvin Gordon. The Heisman finalist ran for 51 yards in the 69-yard drive to respond for the Badgers. However, on a 23-yard run to get down to the Gophers 6, Gordon was barely tripped up or he would have scored. His next two runs gained a total of one yard and Joel Stave threw an incompletion on third down, so Rafael Gaglianone came on and kicked a short field goal to cut it to 7-3.

The teams exchanged punts, but after a short punt by Wisconsin’s Drew Meyer, the Gophers started with terrific field position at the Badgers 40. Minnesota wasted little time in making this a 14-3 game. On the first play after the punt, David Cobb broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run to put Goldy ahead by two scores.

Wisconsin went three-and-out on its next possession and the Gophers benefited from a face mask penalty at the end of the return to give Minnesota great starting field position at its own 49. Cobb ran for 17 yards on the first three plays to move the Gophers on the verge of field goal range. A pass from Leidner to KJ Maye on third down moved Goldy into the red zone. However, Minnesota had a controversial personal foul penalty, which moved the ball back outside the 20. Ryan Santoso would drill a 37-yard field goal on the drive to put the visitors in front 17-3 with less than 11 minutes left in the half.

Despite being 14 points down, Wisconsin was going to stick to the game plan. Gordon was going to need the ball if the Badgers were going to come back and win. Just two weeks before, Bucky was also down 17-3 and Gordon went onto have 408 yards rushing and the Badgers would come back to blast Nebraska 59-24. However, it was a pass play that would get the offense going and help Wisconsin start to claw back into the game. Facing a 3rd-and-8 from their own 22, Stave went back to pass and found an open Alex Erickson down the left sideline for a 70-yard gain down to the Minnesota 8. Stave would then throw a 4-yard touchdown to Gordon on another third down play to cut it back down to a one score game.

The momentum stayed with Wisconsin through the rest of the first half. On a third down and short at the Wisconsin 30, the Gophers handed the ball to Cobb, who fumbled and Michael Caputo pounced on the loose football for the Badgers at the 31. With less than 20 seconds to play in the first half, Wisconsin decided to go for more points instead of taking a knee to end the half and not risking a turnover. It would be a wise decision by the Badgers. Stave threw two passes to Erickson for a total of 49 yards to move to the Gophers 20. Gaglianone’s 38-yard field goal split the uprights to end the first half. After falling behind 17-3 early, Bucky had all the momentum heading into the half.

After a pair of punts to open the second half, Wisconsin was able to take the lead for good. The Badgers went on an 80-yard drive in seven plays. After a loss of six yards on a run by Doe on first down pushing them back to the Wisconsin 35, Stave hit Sam Arneson for 14 and Gordon ran for eight to pick up the first down. A pass interference penalty on Minnesota’s Briean Boddy-Calhoun put the ball at the Gophers 28. From there, Corey Clement did the rest. Clement, who had not been given the ball up to that point, ran threw a hole and juked twice to elude Minnesota defenders to run in for the 28-yard score. He would make a huge impact on the game, rushing seven times for 89 yards and this touchdown.

Bucky would add to the lead early in the fourth quarter. It would be a 69-yard drive in six plays, with every play being a run. Facing a 3rd-and-2 from his own 39, Gordon was given the ball. He bounced to the outside and stiff armed Boddy-Calhoun to break free for 24 yards down to the Gophers 37. Gordon would come out for a breather and in came Clement once again. After a run of five on first down, he blasted through a huge hole for 31 yards before being tripped up at the Minnesota 1. Gordon would score on the following play and the Badgers had scored 24 unanswered points to take a 27-17 lead.

Minnesota would not go away quietly, though. The Gophers needed two scores in the final 10 minutes from an offense that had not scored since early in the second quarter. Goldy’s big play tight end Maxx Williams had been silent all day. But on a third down play from the Minnesota 44, Leidner found Williams wide open and he ran all the way to the Wisconsin 3. Two plays later, Leidner ran in for his second touchdown of the day and it was back to a one score game.

The dagger would be inserted on the following possession, though, as Wisconsin went on a drive that punched its ticket to Indianapolis. After three Gordon runs went for a total of 18 yards, the Badgers went to the air on 2nd-and-4. With the Minnesota cornerbacks playing off the Wisconsin wide receivers, Stave threw a wide receiver screen to Erickson, who received a block from Jordan Frederick to spring him for 31 yards down to the 26. On the day, Erickson caught five passes for 160 yards. After a run of nine by Clement set up the Badgers with a second down and short, Wisconsin delivered the knockout punch. Rob Wheelwright, who would only catch one pass the entire season, made the biggest play of his career. Stave threw it over the middle into the end zone and Wheelwright reached up and caught it for the touchdown. Wheelwright’s brother, Ernie, is a former wide receiver for Minnesota, so it is fitting that Rob would make his only catch of the year against the Gophers. Rob’s big-time catch gave the Badgers the 34-24 advantage with 4:41 remaining.

Minnesota would not do anything on its last two possessions, gaining just five yards in seven total plays and the Badgers would take over on downs after the Gophers final drive. Stave would take a knee twice to end the game and Wisconsin earned a berth in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis against Ohio State. Even though the game against the Buckeyes......well, did not go so well, this win ranks right up there in great moments since 2000. Not only did Wisconsin win the axe for the 11th consecutive year, it won against its biggest rivals to head to Indianapolis.

16. Wisconsin 31, Iowa 30 (2010)

Fresh off its 31-18 win over No. 1 Ohio State, Wisconsin would have to travel to Iowa City to take on No. 15 Iowa. It was a back-and-forth game, with two unlikely players making big plays down the stretch for the Badgers to help secure the win. The two wins over Ohio State and Iowa heading into the bye week made it clear that if the Badgers win out, they would head to Pasadena.

The Badgers would take the ball first and drive it 70 yards for the game’s first points, a 33-yard field goal by Philip Welch, and Wisconsin took the early 3-0 lead. John Clay would rush for 34 yards on the drive and Lance Kendricks would have two receptions for 26 yards on the drive to help Wisconsin move it in position to draw first blood.

But Iowa wasted little time responding, driving 78 yards to take the lead. Adam Robinson had the biggest play of the drive, rushing 30 yards down to the Wisconsin 1. Two plays later, Robinson scored to give Iowa the lead. However, the extra point was blocked by J.J. Watt, and the score remained 6-3. That blocked extra point would come back to haunt the Hawkeyes.

David Gilreath returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards to the 41 to give Wisconsin nice starting field position. Scott Tolzien would throw for 57 yards on the drive to help move Bucky back out on top. He would throw a 14-yard pass to Montee Ball on 3rd-and-12, which would set up the Tolzien touchdown toss to Bradie Ewing from seven yards to move Wisconsin out in front once again, 10-6.

Iowa would score right before the half to regain the lead in this back-and-forth affair. On its next possession, the Hawkeyes had a bad snap on a short field goal attempt, so they could not even attempt the kick, which kept three points off the board. Once again, that would come back to cost Iowa dearly. The Hawkeyes were able to take the lead just before halftime, though, on a pass from Ricky Stanzi to Allen Reisner. Wisconsin helped them out with a face mask penalty, which put the ball at the Badgers 35. Passes to Colin Sanderman and Marvin McNutt moved the ball down to the 4, which set up the Reisner touchdown with less than 20 seconds to play in the first half.

After an Iowa punt, Wisconsin was able to come down and reclaim the lead. Tolzien was 6-for-6 on the drive for 54 yards, but Clay would plow in from two yards out on 4th-and-1 to give the Badgers the 17-13 lead.

But back-and-forth we go, as Iowa would claim the lead right back. Iowa’s punt to begin the half would be the only punt in the second half. Iowa would convert two third downs on the drive, which was followed by a Stanzi pass to an open Derrell Johnson-Koulianos for a 45-yard touchdown to give Iowa a 20-17 lead.

Iowa’s special teams were not special once again, as Gilreath had another terrific return on the kickoff. This one was returned by Gilreath for 37 yards out to the Badgers 49. After two Clay runs moved Wisconsin to the Iowa 32, Tolzien found Isaac Anderson open underneath, but then veered to the left for 30 yards down to the Iowa 2, which would set up a Clay touchdown from two yards and the Badgers went back in front 24-20.

In this heavyweight fight, if you could not take a punch and deliver one back, you would not be able to survive. The Hawkeyes took another punch, but would come back with a response immediately. This time, Iowa went on an 80-yard drive to put Iowa back into the lead. Stanzi would complete five passes on the drive for 58 yards and would throw the touchdown on a third down to McNutt and Iowa had the lead right back at 27-24.

On the first play following the kickoff, Wisconsin made a mistake. Tolzien rolled out to the right and threw a pick to a rolling Brent Greenwood. There was blanket coverage on Anderson and it was just a bad pass by the Wisconsin quarterback. With the way Iowa’s offense had driven the ball the last two drives, people thought this was danger time for the Badgers. However, Wisconsin’s defense held Iowa to a 40-yard field goal by Michael Meyer, and Iowa took a 30-24 lead with 8:35 remaining.

Wisconsin would only gain six yards in its first three plays after the kickoff, forcing a 4th-and-4. Enter unlikely hero No. 1. With Brad Nortman back to punt, Iowa was not expecting a fake from deep in their own territory. But when the snap was made, all of the Iowa coverage players ran down the field to set up a return. That left a huge hole for Nortman to run, and the Wisconsin punter would run for the first down and more before sliding down at the 43 for the 17-yard gain and a fresh set of downs. Three plays later, Wisconsin faced another third down, but Tolzien completed a 13-yard pass to Jacob Pedersen for the first down. Then, Tolzien completed a 7-yard pass to Ball, another unlikely hero on a 4th-and-5 to keep the drive moving. After two Clay runs picked up 11, the Badgers had a first down at the 16. The first play was Ball for eight. Then, he ran it for eight more and the touchdown. At first, the refs ruled him down, but after review, it was clear Ball reached the ball across the goal line before he hit the ground. With the extra point, Wisconsin completed a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock and the Badgers had the 31-30 lead with 1:06 to play.

The Hawkeyes would pick up two first downs, up to the 49 with 35 seconds left. However, Watt would make an impact again. After blocking the extra point early in the game, he sacked Stanzi for an 11-yard loss. It was Wisconsin’s only sack of the game. After an incompletion, Stanzi breathed life back into the Hawkeyes with a 20-yard connection to McNutt to set up a very manageable 4th-and-1. Stanzi ran a quarterback sneak for the first down. Even though the clock was stopped, Iowa used its last timeout instead of hurrying up to the line and spiking it. That would be enormous because on the next play, Stanzi dumped it off to Robinson, who tried to race out of bounds and stop the clock, but was tackled by Mike Taylor to keep the clock running. Iowa was unable to run another play and Wisconsin escaped with the victory by the slimmest of margins.

Wisconsin would roll through the rest of their schedule and end up in Pasadena. Iowa would destroy Michigan State in Iowa City the following week before fading down the stretch and finishing 8

17. Wisconsin 17, Arkansas 14 (2007)

The Badgers were coming into the 2007 Capital One Bowl with their most regular season wins in school history with 11. However, many criticized their lack of big-time wins, which is why Arkansas was favored. The Razorbacks were battle tested, having played five teams in the top 15 already that season. Arkansas was led by its two-headed monster at running back, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Those two combined for 239 yards rushing on 33 carries and Wisconsin rushed for a grand total of -5 yards. If you were to just see those stats, you would expect Arkansas to have won by a huge margin. However, John Stocco, playing in his last collegiate game, threw for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help the Badgers win the Capital One Bowl.

It was supposed to a showcase of the SEC speed vs. the Big Ten power. Well, on the first drive, the Big Ten representative showed they have some speed as well on a huge play early on. With the Razorbacks having a 1st-and-10 at their own 46, quarterback Casey Dick handed it off to McFadden, who would eventually be a top five in the NFL Draft. McFadden would find a hole and blast through it and race down the center of the field, but was caught from behind by Badgers All-Big Ten cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu at the Wisconsin 9. Bucky’s defense stood tall and forced an Arkansas field goal attempt by Jeremy Davis, which was missed, and it remained scoreless.

On the first play following the missed field goal, Stocco found Travis Beckum down the right sideline for a diving catch of 29 yards. That would help set up a 52-yard field goal by Taylor Mehlhaff. But the lead did not last long, as Jones scored on a 76-yard touchdown down the left sideline on the first play after the kickoff to give Arkansas the 7-3 lead.

The score would stay that way until late in the first quarter. Bucky would travel 91 yards in nine plays to take the lead back on a Stocco pass to Paul Hubbard from 22 yards out. Hubbard also had a 23-yard catch on the drive. Andy Crooks also chipped in with a 24-yard catch to move the ball close to the red zone. It would remain 10-7 at the end of the first.

The only points of the second quarter would be a touchdown scored by Wisconsin’s Beckum to cap a 62-yard drive. However, there were plenty of chances for both teams. Stocco threw two interceptions in Razorbacks territory, while Arkansas turned it over on downs in Wisconsin territory. On Wisconsin’s touchdown drive, Stocco completed a 24-yard pass to Hubbard on third down to move the ball into the red zone. That would set up the touchdown to Beckum, who caught it on the left side of the end zone for the 14-yard score. It would be 17-7 at the half.

There would be no scoring in the third, but Arkansas moved the ball once again, only to be turned back by the Badgers defense. On a 4th-and-5 from the Wisconsin 30, Arkansas coach Houston Nutt chose to pass on the long field goal attempt. The Dick pass was intercepted by DeAndre Levy at the 28 and the Badgers took over on downs.

However, as it shifted to the fourth quarter, the Razorbacks were on the move. With about a minute gone in the fourth quarter, Arkansas put the ball in the end zone to cut it to 17-14. The drive was basically all Jones and McFadden. The duo combined for 40 of the 63 yards on the drive, with Jones getting the glory, scoring on a 12-yard run and it was back to a one score game.

Arkansas would have two more chances to tie or win the game. On its next possession, a Dick pass to Cedric Washington of 18 yards and a holding on Ikegwuonu moved the ball into Wisconsin territory, but the Badgers defense held again, forcing a punt.

Wisconsin drove to the Arkansas 40 on its next drive, but freshman All-American P.J. Hill fumbled and the Razorbacks recovered. Hill had a rough day, rushing for just 36 yards on 19 carries and that lost fumble. But Arkansas could not take advantage. Jason Chapman sacked Dick on second down and after a facemask penalty on the Razorbacks, they were forced to punt.

On the second play of the drive, Stocco completed one of his biggest passes of the game. He threw a crossing route to Beckum, who was able to escape tackle attempts and move down to the 31 of Arkansas for 24 yards. Wisconsin would move down to the 12, and on fourth down, Stocco just ran back 11 yards to drain the clock as far as he could before going down to the ground. The last gasp Hail Mary attempt by Arkansas was incomplete and the Badgers had a hard-fought 17-14 win. To this date, the 12 wins in a season is still a program record.

18. Wisconsin 34, Auburn 31 (OT) (2015)

Most people were picking against the Badgers in the Outback Bowl, especially since the last time people saw Wisconsin play, Bucky lost 59-0 to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. Despite having a worse record, the Tigers were favored by seven. Wisconsin would also be playing under Athletics Director Barry Alvarez, who was the coach for the bowl game after Gary Andersen left for Oregon State soon after the loss to Ohio State. Alvarez’s last game as the permanent coach for Wisconsin was also against Auburn in the 2006 Capital One Bowl, and his Badgers upset the heavily favored Tigers 24-10. Auburn fired its defensive coordinator after the regular season, so the Tigers would have to face Melvin Gordon without a defensive coordinator. Gordon would end up slicing up the Auburn defense to the tune of an Outback Bowl-record 251 yards and three touchdowns and Wisconsin would beat Auburn 34-31 in the second overtime bowl game in school history.

The game could not have started out any better for the Badgers. Wisconsin forced a three-and-out by the Auburn offense and Bucky drove down the field for the touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. The Badgers started the drive on their own 11, but Joel Stave completed a pass to tight end Sam Arneson for 26 yards on the first play of the drive. Later in the drive, Corey Clement ran a jet sweep and gained 43 yards down the left sideline down to the Tigers 7. That set up a Stave touchdown pass to Clement and Wisconsin struck first.

Late in the first quarter, Auburn answered back. After a terrible punt by Drew Meyer, Auburn started with the ball near midfield. Cameron Artis-Payne, who made headlines for saying he wishes he could face defenses in the Big Ten and that he would be able to rush for 2,000 yards in that conference, rushed for 22 yards on the scoring drive, as well as getting in the end zone from two yards out to tie the game.

Stave would throw two terrible interceptions in Auburn territory on back-to-back possessions. In the middle of those two picks, the Tigers took the lead. On the second play after Stave’s first interception, Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall found an open Ricardo Louis for a 66-yard score to put the Tigers on top for the first time in the game. The score would stay that way the remainder of the half.

It did not take Bucky long to tie the game up in the second half. On Wisconsin’s first possession, it blew down the field. Gordon was the biggest star, rushing for 56 yards of the 75 yards on the drive. The Heisman finalist would also score the touchdown, on a 25-yard run, to tie the game at 14.

After Auburn regained the lead with a field goal, Stave threw another horrible pass for an interception deep in Auburn territory. The Tigers would drive down the field after the Stave pick, but Daniel Carlson would miss a field goal, and the score remained 17-14.

Bucky would not let Stave turn the ball over on the following drive, as the Badgers scored on a 73-yard drive in six plays. On a 3rd-and-5 from the Wisconsin 43, Stave threw his only pass of the drive. It was a short pass to Clement, who was grabbed behind the line of scrimmage, but managed to escape and gain four yards. On a 4th-and-1 from his own 47, Alvarez decided to go for it. He handed the ball to his star, and Gordon did the rest. He blasted up the middle before veering off to his left and stiff arming his way into the end zone from 53 yards out the give Wisconsin its first lead since the first quarter.

That would set the stage for a wild fourth quarter, which would have no punts. Auburn drove right back down the field and would take the lead right back. Auburn would run for 56 yards on the drive, but the touchdown came on a third down pass from Marshall to C.J. Uzomah from 20 yards out and the Tigers took the lead right back 24-21.

But back-and-forth we go, and the Badgers would drive 70 yards in seven plays to re-capture the lead. Every single one of those plays was a run, with Gordon gaining 22 yards, including the 6-yard touchdown. Clement would rush for 23 and wide receiver Kenzel Doe would also add a 25-yard run. With the Gordon touchdown, Bucky took a 28-24 lead with just under eight minutes to play.

Artis-Payne tried to match Gordon on the following drive. He would rush for 38 yards of Auburn’s 71 yards on the drive. On a 4th-and-11 from the Wisconsin 15 with three minutes remaining, the Tigers went for it and Marshall’s pass was incomplete intended for Sammie Coates. However, Wisconsin’s Sojourn Shelton was whistled for pass interference in the end zone, placing the ball at the 2. Artis-Payne would score on the next play and the Tigers took the lead right back.

With less than three minutes to play, the Badgers needed to move fast. Unfortunately, there was not much faith in Stave since he had already thrown three really bad interceptions earlier in the game. On a 2nd-and-8 from the Badgers 27, Stave handed the ball to Gordon, who went around the left end for 20 yards and a first down. Auburn was also whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct, which tacked on 15 additional yards, so the Badgers were at the 38 of Auburn. Wisconsin traveled five yards in three plays and decided to go for it instead of attempting the long field goal. Stave found Arneson for the first down. The Badgers would get another first down on a pass to Doe down to the 11. But Wisconsin would get no closer and Rafael Gaglianone would knock through the short field goal to tie the game up at 31 at the end of regulation.

Wisconsin would get one first down on its overtime drive before Gaglianone drilled the short field goal to give Bucky a 34-31 lead. On its drive, Auburn was shut down by Badgers linebacker Joe Schobert. He was in the middle of all three Tigers plays in overtime, as Auburn lost a total of three yards on the drive. That would set up a 45-yard attempt by Carlson. The kick hit the right upright and the Badgers held on for the win. It was Wisconsin’s first bowl win since 2009.

19. Wisconsin 24, Western Michigan 16 (2017)

For the first time in the College Football Playoff format, the Wisconsin Badgers made an appearance in a New Year’s Six Bowl game. It was not the bowl Wisconsin was looking for, as it lost a trip to the Rose Bowl by blowing a 21-point lead in the Big Ten Championship. Nevertheless, the Cotton Bowl is a big time bowl game, and was a great accomplishment for a team that many thought would struggle to even make a bowl game due to a tough schedule. In the Cotton Bowl, the Badgers played the upstart Western Michigan Broncos from the MAC, which came in unbeaten. After two easy touchdown drives by the Wisconsin offense, many thought (including myself) this game would be over quickly. But the Badgers had to hold on to escape the Broncos 24-16.

The state of Wisconsin football would own AT&T stadium. After the Packers upset of the Cowboys in the NFC playoffs, the state football teams would be 4-1 at Jerry’s World. Western Michigan would feature an outstanding offense, led by quarterback Zach Terrell and Corey Davis, arguably the best wide receiver in the nation. The Broncos were dominant in their run to the Cotton Bowl, winning every game except for two by at least 15 points. The Badgers, on the other hand, were rarely pretty, but got the job done. They also were battle tested, playing seven games decided by one score. This would end up being number eight.

Wisconsin would receive the opening kick and motor down the field with ease. The first three carries for the Badgers gained 46 yards, moving them down to the Broncos 34. Bucky faced one third and long on the drive, and Bart Houston found tight end Troy Fumagalli down the seam, who made a tremendous one-handed catch down to the Western Michigan 12. That was the second of two third down conversions on the drive for the Badgers. Three plays later, Clement crashed in from two yards out to put Bucky on the board first.

After one first down, T.J. Watt crashed in on a Western Michigan third down to force a poor throw and the Broncos had to punt. Then, the Badgers offense went back to work at their own 12. Following a short run from Clement, Wisconsin had three consecutive plays of at least 20 yards to move the ball down to the 18. A nice run from Ogunbowale would put the ball on the doorstep and would blast his way in from a yard out to give the Badgers a 14-0 lead. Bucky was making it look easy against the MAC champs. Too easy, in fact.

Everybody knew the undefeated Broncos would not go away quietly. Wisconsin out-gained Western Michigan 166-46 in the first quarter. Starting at its own 35 early in the second quarter, Western Michigan would drive 20 yards and face a 3rd-and-12 at the Wisconsin 45. The Broncos received a massive break when the officials failed to call a holding when Vince Biegel was closing in on Terrell. That break gave Terrell time and he found Jarvion Franklin for seven yards to set up a manageable 4th-and-5. The Broncos went to the reliable Corey Davis on fourth down to keep the drive alive. Seven plays later, Terrell ran in from two yards out to cut it to 14-7. Game on!

The final score of the first half would belong to the Badgers, though. On a 2nd-and-11 from their own 24, the Badgers ran the Jazz sweep and Peavy ran down the right sideline for 51 yards down to the Broncos 25. Wisconsin nearly ran the remainder of the clock out in the second quarter, and would settle for an Andrew Endicott 30-yard field goal, which made it 17-7 going into halftime. It was a 9-play drive that traveled 63 yards, lasting 5:09.

Wisconsin would be unable to get its offense going the entire second half. Western Michigan, on the other hand, would travel 65 yards in 11 plays to move into field goal range. The Badgers defense would hold and Butch Hampton made the short field goal to cut it to 17-10. Franklin had two carries for 29 yards on the drive and Davis added a 17-yard reception.

Wisconsin and Western Michigan would trade punts throughout the rest of the third quarter. One one of the punts, Broncos return man Darius Phillips muffed it, but would recover it. That would be a theme in the game. In the game, Western Michigan would fumble the ball four times and would recover each one of them. The score would remain 17-10 until the fourth quarter.

Each team would have just two possessions in the final quarter. The first drive for the Broncos just lasted one play. T.J. Edwards is a former Western Michigan commit, but flipped his commitment after being recruited by then-Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. He is the best coverage inside linebacker in the Big Ten, and proved it in 2016, limiting opponents to a 57 passer rating when passing against him. With the Broncos backed up to their own 3, Edwards took it upon himself to give the Badgers a two score lead back.

On the first down play, Terrell went back to pass from his own end zone. He threw an ill-advised pass into tight coverage and Edwards picked it off. There were three Badgers around the pass and Edwards and Leon Jacobs both had a chance to intercept it. If the two linebackers had not collided, Edwards walks into the end zone, but Bucky had to settle for a first down at the 12. After two plays, Wisconsin had gained just four yards on two Clement carries to set up a 3rd-and-6 at the 8. Alex Hornibrook, playing in his first game since the second quarter of the regular season finale against Minnesota, went to his big tight end in the end zone to give the Badgers a 24-10 lead. On the touchdown, Hornibrook went back to pass and was hit right as he threw and Fumagalli made a great catch in the back of the end zone. That made it a two touchdown lead for Bucky with 12:26 remaining.

Even though a little more than 80 percent of the quarter was still remaining, there would only be two drives the remainder of the game. The Broncos would use up nine minutes on a 16-play, 75-yard drive to cut the deficit back to one score again. Davis would cap off the drive on an incredible 11-yard catch on fourth down in the end zone, over the back of Sojourn Shelton. If he failed to catch it, Shelton likely would have been called for pass interference. Twice on the drive, P.J. Fleck’s crew fumbled, including one that I still have no idea how Wisconsin failed to recover it. Alas, Broncos players were able to recover both fumbles, and they went onto score on the drive with less than three and a half minutes to go. The extra point was missed, so it remained a 24-16 lead for Bucky.

With only two timeouts remaining, the Broncos chose to go with an onside kick, which was recovered by the Badgers. Two plays gained two yards and Fleck called a timeout with 2:35 left. With the game on the line, Houston found his big target Fumagalli again, all alone. He slid down at the Western Michigan 20 for a big first down. Fullback Austin Ramesh would seal the deal with another third down conversion with just over a minute left and Wisconsin had the win.

Most had the Badgers finishing around .500 on the season and struggling to make a bowl, so an 11-3 record was very impressive. It also was a springboard for Bucky's record-breaking 2017 season. It was the first Cotton Bowl win in the first Cotton Bowl appearance for the Badgers. It also will not be long before Wisconsin gets to face off against Fleck once again, as he is now the head coach at the University of Minnesota.

20. Wisconsin 45, Penn State 7 (2011)

It was the game to decide which team would play Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten Championship game. Penn State had the Big Ten’s best defense and was No. 3 in the country in scoring defense, but it was in the heart of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. It would be hard enough to beat Wisconsin, especially at Camp Randall Stadium, with no distractions surrounding the program. But if you have a distraction like that, you have no chance. Wisconsin was coming in at 5-2 in the conference, with the only losses on a Hail Mary in East Lansing and a touchdown in the final half minute in Columbus. Penn State was 6-1 with its only loss coming coming two weeks before at home against Nebraska. The Badgers would surrender the first points in this game, but would score 45 consecutive points to blow out the Nittany Lions and earn a berth in the first ever Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.

Wisconsin would drive to the Penn State 35 on its opening drive, but had to punt. Penn State, on the other hand, would pick up one first down before the punting unit came on. However, the Badgers would be whistled for running into the kicker, giving the Nittany Lions a fresh set of downs. Penn State would take full advantage of the Wisconsin mistake and would score the first points of the day. On a first down from the 44, Matt McGloin went back to pass and launched a deep pass to a wide open Cameron Drake for the touchdown and the Lions took a 7-0 lead.

That lead would be short-lived. On the following Wisconsin possession, Russell Wilson found Jared Abbrederis over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown to tie the game up. That capped a 10-play, 76-yard drive for the Badgers. Montee Ball rushed for 31 yards on the drive and Wilson had 44 yards passing and the touchdown.

Philip Welch made the mistake of booting the kickoff out-of-bounds, so Penn State started its next drive at the 40 in the hopes of re-capturing the lead. Shelton Johnson had other ideas. On the first play of the drive, Johnson picked off McGloin at midfield to put the prolific Badgers offense back on the field. Wisconsin did not let the great field position go to waste. Wilson threw twice more to Abbrederis for a pair of 12-yard receptions and Ball had four carries for 11 yards, including the touchdown from a yard out to give the Badgers the 14-7 lead. That would be the first of four touchdowns for the Heisman candidate.

Bucky would put the game away late in the first half. Wilson would do it all on the first drive, rushing for a 20-yard run on third down to get into Penn State territory and a 19-yard run on 1st-and-15 to move the ball to the Nittany Lions 5. He also would throw for 26 yards on the drive. However, Ball would get the glory again, carrying it in from two yards out and Wisconsin would have a 21-7 lead with two minutes to go in the first half.

The dagger would be inserted following the next drive. On the ensuing kickoff, Penn State’s Michael Zordich returned the kickoff for six yards, but fumbled and Conor O’Neill recovered at the Nittany Lions 31. Wilson would account for all 31 yards on the drive, throwing for 24 and running for an additional seven. He would convert a third down and short with a pass to Nick Toon and would also throw the touchdown to Toon from four yards out and the Badgers took the 28-7 lead with less than a minute to go in the first half.

The second half did not start well for the team in white. On the third play of the second half, McGloin handed it off to Silas Redd, who ran for four yards before hitting his own offensive lineman and fumbling the ball straight up into the air. Mike Taylor pounced on the ball for Wisconsin to give the Badgers a first down at the Penn State 46.

Wilson went right back to work, throwing passes to Jeff Duckworth for 11 yards and Abbrederis for 21 more yards before Ball scored from nine yards out and the Badgers took a 35-7 lead. That was Ball’s third of the night. Abbrederis also had a great game, catching seven passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Penn State would turn it over on downs the next drive, followed by both teams punting. After Penn State’s punt, the Badgers would have outstanding field position at the Penn State 45. Ball would do all the work on this drive. He would rush three times, for double digit yardage each time. The score would come on an 18-yard rush where he would run into traffic, but was able to squirt free and jog into the end zone for the score. It was his fourth touchdown and it put the Badgers in front 42-7.

Wisconsin would tack on another field goal for the 45-7 final. Wisconsin would nearly outgain Penn State 2-to-1, 450-233, and force the Nittany Lions into four turnovers. Those stats are the indicators of how this game went. The Badgers would go to Indianapolis and play Michigan State in an epic Big Ten Championship game.