11. Wisconsin 38, Iowa 14 (2017)

It was a pivotal game for the 9-0 Wisconsin Badgers, as they hosted the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Iowa was coming off a game in which it pounded Ohio State 55-24 in Iowa City. The Badgers were three wins away from a perfect regular season, and would have one of the best defensive showings in school history, They allowed just 66 yards of total offense, which was the fewest they have ever allowed to a Big Ten opponent, in the 38-14 Bucky win. The victory also clinched the Badgers second consecutive Big Ten West championship and trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship.

While the Badgers played a great game, it did not start well for the folks from Madison. After a 19-yard run by Jonathan Taylor to open the game, the Badgers were forced with a 3rd-and-13 from their own 36. Alex Hornibrook had solid protection, but threw an ill-advised pass to the right sideline intended for A.J. Taylor that was picked off by Iowa’s Josh Jackson. The second round pick of the Green Bay Packers would race 43 yards for the score to put Iowa in front 7-0. It was Jackson’s fourth interception in the last five quarters, and Iowa also started with a pick six the prior week against Ohio State.

Wisconsin would respond with a 14-play, 75-yard drive to cut the deficit to 7-3. However, the result was disappointing, as the Badgers had a 1st-and-Goal at the Iowa 2, but were unable to tie the game at 7. Gaglianone’s short field goal cut it to 7-3 with 5:43 left in the first.

After a three-and-out, Wisconsin started out the drive well on a pair of nice runs from Jonathan Taylor. However, Hornibrook would make his second costly mistake of the quarter, as he launched a pass intended for Danny Davis that was picked off by Iowa safety Jake Gervase at the Wisconsin 6. Turnovers would be a theme throughout the game, by both teams.

It would remain 7-3 Hawkeyes until close to the midway point of the second quarter. Wisconsin started off with great field position at the Badgers 49 after a short Colten Rastetter punt. It would take them five plays to take the lead. Freshman wide receiver Kendric Pryor would score untouched on the jet sweep to give the Badgers the 10-7 lead. On the run, Wisconsin center Tyler Biadasz pulled around and pancaked Iowa defensive back Manny Rugamba to give Pryor a clear path to the end zone. Hornibrook was 2-for-2 on the drive for 20 yards.

Four of the next five drives (three for Iowa, one for Wisconsin) would end in a three-and-out. The only drive that wasn’t lasted one play, when Jonathan Taylor fumbled following a nice run into Iowa territory, which the Hawkeyes recovered.

Wisconsin was not done, though. Following an Iowa punt from deep in its own territory, return man Nick Nelson caught a punt at the 46 and brought it back to the Hawkeyes 26. The 20-yard return set the Badgers up to take a 10-point lead late in the half. Following a false start, Wisconsin traveled 31 yards in three plays to take the 17-7 lead. Jonathan Taylor had a run for five yards and a reception for 14 to put the Badgers at the 12. That would be when Pryor would come through again. Hornibrook underthrew a pass into the left side of the end zone, but Pryor made a great catch for the score, over Rugamba, who had a rough half. The touchdown made it 17-7 with 1:19 left in the half. The score would remain that way the remainder of the half.

Iowa’s second half started much like the first half went for the Hawkeyes, as they lost six yards on their opening third quarter drive. Unfortunately, the Badgers first second half possession ended like their first.....with a Josh Jackson pick six. It started well, as Jonathan Taylor ran for 26 yards on three carries, and the Badgers looked poised to break the game open. But, after a Garrett Groshek run of three yards set up a 3rd-and-3 from the Iowa 33, guard Jon Dietzen was called for an unnecessary roughness personal foul.

That backed the Badgers up, and forced a 3rd-and-18. On the third down play, Hornibrook threw a short pass to running back Rachid Ibrahim, but the pass was high and it went off his hands and into the hands of Jackson. The defensive back raced 52 yards the other way for his second pick six of the day. Instead of Wisconsin going up 20-7 or even 24-7, the lead shrunk to 17-14. But fortunately for the Badgers, the Hawkeyes would be kept off the scoreboard the rest of the day.

Wisconsin would punt on the next possession. But on Iowa’s next drive, Bucky gave the Hawkeyes a taste of their own medicine. On 3rd-and-10 from Iowa’s 30, Hawkeyes quarterback Nathan Stanley was not ready for the snap and ball hit off his leg and fell to the ground. In the scramble for the ball, Wisconsin linebacker Leon Jacobs picked up the loose ball and returned it for the score to give the Badgers their two-score lead back. After Wisconsin coughed up the ball four times in the game’s first 34 minutes, this was Iowa’s first turnover of three it would have in the second half.

A pair of punts followed the fumble return for a touchdown by Jacobs. Iowa went on its best offensive drive on the day, gaining two first downs (they only had five on the day) and moving to the Badgers 47. That was only the second time they stepped foot in Wisconsin territory all game. The Hawkeyes were picking up nice gains every play on the drive, but All-American linebacker T.J, Edwards put an end to it. With the Hawkeyes facing a 2nd-and-6 from the Wisconsin 47, Stanley went back to pass and had good protection. He was trying to get the ball to tight end Noah Fant, who had a step on Andrew Van Ginkel. But Edwards picked off the ball with one hand and the Badgers took over at their own 41.

The Badgers then salted the game away on an 8-play, 59-yard drive that put Bucky up 31-14. Hornibrook went 2-for-2 on the drive for 40 yards, with both passes coming on third down. Bradrick Shaw sealed the game with an 8-yard touchdown with 11:05 to go in the game.

If the game was still in doubt to some, that doubt ended on the next drive. On 3rd-and-8 from the Iowa 26, Ryan Connelly came free on a blitz and knocked the ball away from Stanley as he was winding up to throw and Jacobs fell on the ball at the Hawkeyes 14.

Five plays later, Wisconsin put the final nail in Herky’s coffin, as Hornibrook found A.J. Taylor over the middle for the score. The Badgers took the lead 38-14 with that score, and it would remain that way the rest of the game.

With the win, Wisconsin improved to 10-0 on the season, and they stayed alive for a possible berth in the College Football Playoff. It also showed what the Wisconsin defense was capable of. It still amazes me that Iowa could score 55 points one week, and the following week gain only 66 total yards of offense.

12. 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.

13. Wisconsin 24, Michigan 10 (2017)

This is first game from the 2017 season to make the list, as Wisconsin was looking to remain perfect on the season. College Gameday was in the house to see No. 5 Wisconsin battle No. 24 Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium. In a game between two of the best defenses in the country, the Badgers earned a hard-fought 24-10 victory to stay in the College Football Playoff picture.

Gus Johnson was on the call on FOX, and it was a defensive struggle in the first half, which was to be expected. Each team punted its first two times with the ball, but on the third punt by Michigan, punter Brad Robbins was pinned deep in his own territory. Robbins booted a short kick that bounced at the Michigan 48 before coming to a stop at midfield. Many Wolverines players thought Wisconsin punt returner Nick Nelson would let them down it, so they let up a bit. But Nelson made the risky play of picking it up and eluded a defender immediately. The Badgers return man then made his way down the sideline before eluding another Wolverine at the 37. After that, Nelson cut to the middle of the field where he had nothing but green grass in front of him. The 50-yard touchdown put Bucky in front 7-0. It also was Wisconsin’s first punt return for a touchdown since Kenzel Doe did it against Utah State in 2012.

It would stay at 7-0 until late in the second quarter, but Michigan had a chance to tie it up midway through the second period. After a poor punt by Anthony Lotti set the Wolverines up with fantastic field position, Brandon Peters would drive his offense down the field on the strength of a 35-yard pass to tight end Zach Gentry. But the Wolverines would face a 3rd-and-Goal at the Badgers 5. Peters took the snap and was flushed to his left. He got away from Conor Sheehy and tried to run it in himself. But unfortunately for Peters, he was hit by Leon Jacobs at the 3, and he fumbled, which was recovered by Wisconsin cornerback Derrick Tindal.

But on Michigan’s following possession, the Badgers would not be able to take the ball away again. Starting on their own 16, it took the Wolverines seven plays to drive the 84 yards to tie the game up at 7. The big play of the drive was a 48-yard pass from Peters to Donovan Peoples-Jones to move to the Wisconsin 36. Five plays later, Ben Mason crashed in from a yard out to tie the game. On 3rd-and-8 from the 34, Peters found running back Chris Evans down to the 15, and the Wolverines would have no trouble moving down the field from there. It remained tied at 7 until halftime.

The first four possessions in the second half yielded a total of one first down and 13 total yards of offense. However, the Wolverines dominated the field position battle early on in the third quarter, and the Badgers would take over at their own 10 midway through the third. Michigan waited for Wisconsin, and specifically Alex Hornibrook, to make a costly mistake. That would happen on the first play of Wisconsin’s third drive of the second half. Hornibrook went back to pass and had a clean pocket, but tried to force it into tight end Troy Fumagalli. The ball was tipped and picked off by Michigan’s Devin Bush and he fell to the ground at the 29.

After a completion from Peters to Peoples-Jones for a first down on the first play of the drive, the Badgers defense stiffened to hold Jim Harbaugh’s club to a field goal, but Michigan had the 10-7 lead with 6:36 left in the third quarter. But, after this, it was all Wisconsin. Michigan would gain just 39 yards on 17 plays in their final four drives of the game. In those drives, the Wolverines would gain just two first downs as well.

With the perfect season in the balance, the Badgers needed to make a play. In their first three drives of the second half, they gained a total of zero yards and had gained just 95 yards in the game. Their fourth drive did not start well, as Jonathan Taylor was dropped for a loss of four. They got bailed out on a pass interference on the 2nd-and-14 play, which gave them a first down. But, once again, Michigan stuffed Wisconsin on its first two plays following the penalty. With the Badgers facing a 3rd-and-13 from their own 31, the tide turned. Hornibrook found A.J. Taylor down the left sideline for 51 yards down to the Wolverines 18.

But once again, Michigan pushed the Badgers back, forcing them into a 3rd-and-16 from the 24. Hornibrook threw perhaps his best pass of the season. The Badgers quarterback had great protection and stepped up to fire a dart over the middle to A.J. Taylor in the end zone in between two defenders and Wisconsin took the lead for the first time in the half.

Michigan would go three-and-out on its next drive, but the bigger story was Peters being knocked out of the game. On 3rd-and-5 from the Michigan 30, Peters overthrew a deep pass to Evans. On the play, he was rushed by Wisconsin’s Andrew Van Ginkel, which caused the errant pass. Just after he released it, Van Ginkel hit Peters and all of his weight landed right on the left shoulder of the Michigan quarterback. After several minutes, Peters was carted off the field and would not return.

Bucky would waste little time getting back into the end zone. The drive would last five plays, including another big third-down conversion. On 3rd-and-8 from his own 41, Hornibrook threw another dime, this one to freshman wide receiver Danny Davis for 27 yards down to the Wolverines 32. From there, fellow freshman wide receiver Kendric Pryor did the rest. Pryor would receive the handoff on a jet sweep, and he received blocks from center Tyler Biadasz at the line of scrimmage and downfield from Beau Benzschawel. Pryor used those blocks to scamper in untouched from 32 yards out to give the Badgers a two-score lead.

Michigan would get two first downs on the next drive, but would end up punting and Wisconsin would salt the game away. Starting on their own 6, the Badgers would drive into Wolverines territory on the strength of a 52-yard run by Jonathan Taylor. Bucky would be forced to punt, but Badgers were able to flip the field position. After a Michigan punt, Wisconsin would take more than five minutes off the clock on a 40-yard drive that resulted in a field goal to put Bucky in front 24-10.

A turnover on downs would give Wisconsin the win. It was Wisconsin’s 10th consecutive home victory. It also gave the Badgers a record of 11-0 and kept them alive for a College Football Playoff berth. Wisconsin would win its regular season finale against Minnesota to complete its first perfect regular season since 1912.

14. Wisconsin 49, Michigan 11 (2020)

The 2020 season was an interesting one. After a dominating win against Illinois to begin the year, the Wisconsin Badgers had a COVID outbreak in their program and forced them to cancel their next two games against Nebraska and Purdue. They were able to play the next week in the ‘Big House’ at Michigan after the two weeks off. Even though there were limited fans present, Ann Arbor is still a tough place to play and the Badgers had only won once there since 1995, a 48-28 win in 2010. Michigan came in at 1-2 after back-to-back losses at home against rival Michigan State and at Indiana, which pushed them outside the top 25.

The previous season, the Badgers blitzed the Wolverines and this game was no different. Just like the 2019 meeting, Wisconsin jumped out to a 28-0 lead at halftime and coasted the rest of the way. The Badgers dominated the Wolverines to the tune of 700-87 rushing yards the past two meetings. The 49-11 slaughter put forth by the Badgers was Michigan’s worst loss at home since a 40-0 loss to Minnesota in 1935. The 1-3 start to the season was also the worst start to the season since it went 1-5 in the year 1967.

The drive could not start much better, as Wisconsin scored four touchdowns in its six first half possessions to take the big lead into recess. The Badgers had to punt on their first drive, but the defense stepped up, intercepting Michigan quarterback Joe Milton on the first play offensive play for the Wolverines and twice in the first four plays.

On the first interception, Milton rolled out and was deflected by a Michigan wide receiver and was picked off by a diving Scott Nelson. Four players later, Wisconsin dented the scoreboard first. The biggest play was a reverse by wide receiver Chimere Dike around the right side for 30 yards, which set up a Nakia Watson 2-yard run.

On 3^rd-and-17 on the following possession for the Wolverines, Milton threw a pass directly to linebacker Leo Chenel, who returned it into the red zone. That led to a Mason Stokke 1-yard touchdown reception.

Stokke recorded another touchdown on the next drive, as they drove 60 yards in nine plays. Watson made it 28-0 at the end of the half with a 10-yard rush untouched.

Michigan had a chance to cut into the deficit and give the home team some momentum going into the locker room. The Wolverines had a 74-yard drive, helped by a Giles Jackson 36-yard reception. Michigan thought it had a touchdown on a 3^rd-and-Goal from the 6 when Chris Evans evaded a pair of Wisconsin defenders and lunged toward the end zone. Originally, it was called a touchdown, but then upon review, he was ruled inside the 1. On the fourth down, Milton took the snap out of the shotgun and attempted to run, but was submarined by Badgers defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk and he was brought down shy of the goal line by a host of Badgers.

The Wolverines had a bit of momentum to begin the second half, as Quinn Nordin booted home a 46-yard field goal to put the home team on the board. That was followed by forcing the Badgers to punt. However, Michigan went 3-and-out and had to boot it right back to Wisconsin.

Following the punt, Wisconsin drove 44 yards to put the nail in the Michigan coffin. The biggest play was a 2^nd-and-14 from the Wolverines 48. Wide receiver Danny Davis ran on the jet sweep for seven, but instead of it being a third down, the Wolverines were ruled for a personal foul, which game Bucky a first down. Three plays later, Mertz threw a perfect pass into the end zone over the defenders for Ferguson in the end zone for the 13-yard score.

It was the first of three consecutive touchdowns for the Badgers, as Davis and freshman running back Jalen Berger each ran in for scores that cemented the massive Wisconsin win.

Unfortunately, the Badgers couldn’t keep it going, as they dropped their next three. Without both wide receivers, the offense could not muster anything, scoring a total of 20 points in the three games. However, they did rebound to win their final two games, including the Mayo Bowl, to finish 4-3.

15. Wisconsin 30, Michigan State 6 (2016)

 

It was one of the top games of the week. The surprising Wisconsin Badgers were coming in at No. 11 and were going up against the defending Big Ten champions, the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans. Wisconsin was 3-0, but coming off a come-from-behind home victory over Georgia State, a team that would finish 3-9 in 2016. Michigan State, on the other hand, was 2-0 after holding on to win at Notre Dame 36-28. This game was also intriguing because it was the beginning of the Alex Hornibrook era at Wisconsin. At halftime of the win over Georgia State, Paul Chryst decided to make a change at quarterback from senior Bart Houston to the freshman Hornibrook. The freshman showed he was ready for the spotlight, completing 16-of-26 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown and the Badgers used a stifling defense to dominate the Spartans 30-6 in East Lansing.

Wisconsin came into the game having allowed just three offensive touchdowns all year, while Michigan State’s Tyler O’Connor had completed 73 percent of his passes and had thrown five touchdowns. In the Spartans’ first two games, a different running back gained 100 yards in each game. Wisconsin scored 54 in a win over Akron, but in the other two games, the Badgers scored an average of just 19.5 points per game. It was a matchup of offense against defense and the salty defensive unit for the Badgers didn’t let Michigan State do anything offensively.

The game actually started out well for the Spartans, gaining one first down on their first possession before having to punt and then forcing a Wisconsin turnover on its first drive. After a pair of first downs on Bucky’s first drive, Michigan State’s Raequan Williams sacked Hornibrook, forcing a fumble, which was recovered by the Spartans. Michigan State’s Michael Geiger would make a 48-yard field goal to put the Spartans up for the only time in the game, 3-0.

That lead would not last long, as the Badgers embarked on a long drive to put Wisconsin on top. Bucky converted two third down conversions and two fourth downs to put the Badgers ahead for good. It was a 16-play drive in which Hornibrook completed 6-of-9 passes for 45 yards and the touchdown pass to Eric Steffes.

It would stay that way until midway through the second quarter. On a 3rd-and-5 from his own 30, O’Connor would throw his first pick of the day, a pass right to Sojourn Shelton. The Badgers cornerback would return it to the 28, where they would punch it in for the 13-3 lead. The Badgers would convert two more third downs on the drive, including a 3rd-and-12 in which Hornibrook found Jazz Peavy on a crossing pattern for 23 yards. From there, three Corey Clement runs totaled seven yards and a touchdown. The extra point was missed by Andrew Endicott, who was filling in for Rafael Gaglianone, who was out for the year with a back injury. Michigan State would add a field goal just before the end of the half and the score was 13-6 at the half.

The second half started out just like Michigan State wanted. A holding penalty on the kickoff return put Wisconsin at its own 11 to start. The Badgers gained one yard in three plays and a short punt by Anthony Lotti set Michigan State up with great field position at midfield as the Spartans aimed to tie the game up. That was when a former high school running back made the biggest play of the game.

Leo Musso was a converted running back who rushed for 5,531 yards and 87 touchdowns in high school. As a senior at Waunakee, he was the recipient of the Elroy Hirsch Running Back of the Year Award after rushing for 2,398 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior. Musso transitioned to safety after arriving in Madison. After three seasons, Musso received his chance to start in 2016, and made the most of the chance. He would intercept five passes as a senior and was named Jimmy Demetral Team MVP. He would make multiple game-changing plays throughout the season. The first was in East Lansing.

On the first play of the drive, L.J. Scott gained seven yards. On the second play, Scott received the ball again. He blasted up the middle for a few yards, but the ball was knocked out of his hands and Musso was there to scoop it up. He ran to his left and found open grass in front of him. All that stood in his way was O’Connor. Musso flashed back to his high school days and turned into a running back, putting the Michigan State quarterback in the spin cycle near the Spartans 40 and followed a convoy into the end zone to give the Badgers the momentum and a two touchdown lead. From that point on, it was all Wisconsin.

Michigan State would line up to punt on its next two drives and the Badgers would score 10 points following those. The second one was a snap that slipped through the punter’s hands and Bucky would start the possession at the Spartans 5. On the next play, Clement found room on the left side and scampered into the end zone uncontested and Wisconsin delivered the final nail in the coffin of a 30-6 dominating win.

Going into the season, many pundits predicted Wisconsin to struggle through the season, and this win gave the Badgers a 4-0 record. Unfortunately, Bucky would lose two straight after this game by a combined 14 to fall to 4-2, but the Badgers won their final six regular season games to earn another West Division crown.

16. Wisconsin 24, Iowa 22 (2019)

I come at you with the second straight game against the Hawkeyes. This was a monster game for both teams. Both teams came at 3-2 in the Big Ten and still had a puncher’s chance at a Big Ten West championship and trip to Indianapolis. Whichever team won the game needed the other team to knock off Minnesota in order to earn the spot in Indianapolis.

Both teams were coming off a bye, but the Badgers were limping in to the off week. Wisconsin was humming along at 6-0 and had shut out four of its first six opponents. But the Badgers fell on their face the next two weeks, including an embarrassing 24-23 loss to Illinois, a team Wisconsin had not lost to since 2008.

But Wisconsin came out strong and led 21-6 over Iowa, but the Hawkeyes came storming back and Wisconsin needed a two-point conversion stop to turn away the visitors before Jonathan Taylor took over and slammed the door shut on the Hawkeyes as Wisconsin won it by two.

Wisconsin just responded to an Iowa field goal with a field goal of its own to take a 24-16 lead in the important Big Ten West battle. However, it took the Hawkeyes all of one play to respond. Wisconsin native, Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley had great protection and threw a pass over the middle to Tyrone Tracy Jr., who slipped a Wisconsin tackle attempt and raced for a 75-yard score.

Iowa still needed a two-point conversion to knot up the score. On the try, Stanley tried a quarterback draw and looked like he would plow in. But at the goal line, he was stopped cold by a host of Badgers, led by safety Eric Burrell.

JT23 essentially ended the game with 42-yard run with a little over two minutes to play. With Iowa only having one timeout left, it pretty much sealed the Bucky win.

Wisconsin had the upper hand in the first half, but Iowa dented the scoreboard first. Midway through the first quarter with Wisconsin facing a 3rd-and-12 from its own 15, quarterback Jack Coan had the ball knocked out of his hand by defensive end A.J. Epenesa as he was getting ready to throw and the Hawkeyes recovered at the 16. But the Wisconsin defense held and Keith Duncan nailed a short field goal to give Herky the first lead.

The Badgers got those points back after a Stanley fumble, as Wisconsin traveled 59 yards to take the lead. On second down at the Iowa 17, wide receiver Danny Davis came on the jet sweep and raced around the left side for the score. Once he found the edge on the run, he out-raced Iowa cornerback Michael Ojemudia to the end zone.

Davis scored again late in the second to grow the advantage. With Wisconsin clinging to a 7-6 lead with 20 seconds left in the first half, Coan threw to an open Davis, but Iowa diagnosed it and Coan almost waited too long to throw it. But Davis came back for the ball and grabbed it in the end zone for the score.

Bucky led 14-6 at the break.

After a series of punts, Wisconsin created some distance. A bomb from Coan to Quintez Cephus for 52 yards moved the ball from the Bucky 14 to the Iowa 34. Three plays later, Coan called Cephus’ number again on a back shoulder throw from 27 yards out to make it 21-6.

Iowa responded with a touchdown of its own on a Stanley 3-yard pass to Nico Ragaini and followed that up with an interception on an ill-advised pass by Coan. The Hawkeyes had to settle for a field goal to cut it to 21-16.

Taylor began the next series with a 36-yard run, which set up the field goal to make it 24-16 and set the stage for the final series of events.

JT 23 ran for 250 yards on 31 carries and had some of the biggest runs of the game.

After this win, Wisconsin received help from Iowa the following week when the Hawkeyes beat the Gophers at Kinnick Stadium. That was the external help Wisconsin needed to win the West, as the Badgers rolled the Gophers in Minneapolis the final week of the regular season.

17. Wisconsin 28, Iowa 17 (2018)

In 2017, Wisconsin had its best season in its history, finishing with a 13-1 season. In 2018, expectations were high, but they were not living up to the expectations. Wisconsin blew out two over-matched opponents, Western Kentucky and New Mexico, to begin the season. But the Badgers then fell at home against BYU as a heavy favorite as Rafael Gaglianone’s last-second field goal sailed wide. Things did not get any easier the following week, as the Badgers traveled to Iowa City to battle an undefeated Hawkeyes team that had allowed just 24 points in their first three games.

It was a back-and-forth game all evening long, as neither team was ahead by more than one score until the final seconds. With a minute to play and the ball at the Iowa 17 and the Badgers down by three, Alex Hornibrook threw a dart over the middle to A.J. Taylor in the end zone for the score. That score capped an 88-yard drive, led by the much-maligned quarterback. Linebacker T.J. Edwards picked off Iowa quarterback and Wisconsin native Nate Stanley on the next drive, which helped set up the final score, a 33-yard run by fullback Alec Ingold with 22 seconds left to make the score a little deceiving and send Bucky to 4-1.

With Wisconsin trailing 17-14, the Badgers were pinned back to their own 12 with 5:40 remaining, Hornibrook needed to make a play….or several plays. Taiwan Deal and Garrett Groshek began the drive with eight and five yards, respectively, to get them out of jail. Then Horni got to work. The Badgers faced a 2^nd-and-5 from their own 30, and the heat was coming on Alex. He launched a pass to an open Kendric Pryor near the left sideline for 28 yards down to the Hawkeyes 42.

Alex converted a 3^rd-and-5 with a pass to Groshek to the Iowa 32. He followed that up a 12-yard connection to Jake Ferguson on an out pattern. Following a timeout, Horni found AJ over the middle for the leading score. Alex got criticized quite a bit, but the West Chester, Pennsylvania, native, went 5-for-5 for 67 yards on the game-deciding drive.

The Badgers essentially ended the game three plays into Iowa’s next drive when Stanley rifled it over the middle to a wide open Ihmir Smith-Marsette from about five yards away and it went off his hands and bounced in the air and into the arms of Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards.

Wisconsin ran the ball three times, exhausting Iowa of two of its timeouts. On the third run, Ingold came from right to left and found a huge hole and ran to the end zone down the left sideline.

There were a few keys to the game. First, Iowa turned the ball over three times to Wisconsin’s none. Those turnovers led to 14 Badgers points. Secondly, Iowa scored 17 points on four trips to the red zone, while Wisconsin scored 21 points in three trips to the red zone.

Despite the big win for Wisconsin, Iowa started off well. After forcing a Badgers punt, the Hawkeyes rumbled 80 yards in 11 plays, helped by a 24-yard reception by T.J. Hockenson and a 20-yard run by Smith-Marsette. They drove down to the 5 where they faced a 4^th-and-1. Despite Iowa needing a full yard, Stanley kept it on a quarterback sneak and was stuffed. Badgers ball.

Wisconsin proceeded to drive 95 yards the other way for the game’s first score. Jake Ferguson caught a touchdown pass from Hornibrook from six yards out to give Bucky the first lead. The score was set up by a long reception by fullback Alec Ingold. With Wisconsin facing a 3^rd-and-2 at the Iowa 39, Hornibrook went back to pass and found Ingold down the left sideline on a wheel route. Ferguson’s touchdown came on the very next play.

Iowa had two outstanding tight ends in Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson. Both came through in a big way to tie the game.

With Iowa faced with a 3^rd-and-9 from its own 34, Stanley was flushed and rolled to his left. He heaved it for Hockenson, who caught it while be tackled at the 20-yard line for 46 yards. One play later, Stanley found a wide open Fant in the back of the end zone for the score to tie it up.

The game remained that way until halftime.

Iowa began the second half with a field goal, but then the teams traded touchdowns in the remainder of the third quarter.

The Wisconsin touchdown came following the second Iowa turnover, both coming on Wisconsin punts. On the punt, the ball was bouncing and hit an Iowa kick return team member. Three plays later, Hornibrook threw a back shoulder throw to Danny Davis for the 12-yard touchdown.

But, of course, Iowa responded with a 75-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown reception by Fant. That set the stage for the final quarter and the dramatic Bucky victory.

The win for Wisconsin was the third straight in the series. Even though Kinnick Stadium is a tough place to play, this was the fifth consecutive win in Iowa City for Wisconsin, dating back to 2010.

Unfortunately, Wisconsin could not use this as a springboard to turn around their season, as two weeks later, the Badgers were blasted in Ann Arbor and finished just 8-5, their worst season since 2012.