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The Wisconsin football team finally returned the favor it received several times this season by storming back in the second half of the annual battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Wisconsin fought through a 14-point halftime deficit to record three touchdowns, force two fumbles, grab an interception and cause not one, but two safeties en route to a 35-32 victory over visiting Minnesota.

“I think a great thing to experience was Saturday’s second half,” UW head coach Bret Bielema said Monday at his weekly press conference. “We’re down 21-7, and to be able to come out and respond the way we did and get the crowd into it, it was probably (one of) the most enthusiastic fourth quarter ‘Jump Around’ scenes I’ve seen or been a part of since I’ve been here. It definitely had an effect on our team.”

Bielema praised fullback Bill Rentmeester for his work on special teams.

“Billy plays fast; he’s very compact and well-built,” he said. “The [NFL scouts] who watch special teams films, a lot of times, unsolicited, will come to me and mention the play of Bill Rentmeester.”

Freshman Antonio Fenelus earned co-special teams MVP honors along with Rentmeester who, together, created the momentum the Badgers needed to gain a second-half lead Saturday.

“Billy was phenomenal on all of his phases again and made a big, big play to tie up the returner that gave Fenelus a chance to put a hat on the ball that caused that safety,” Bielema said.

The defensive MVPs went to Mike Newkirk, who forced the second Wisconsin safety, and strong safety Aubrey Pleasant, who stepped in for an injured Jay Valai.

Newkirk also won honors as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week with his seven tackles, two sacks and safety.

Leading by example

This year’s senior leadership has been a bright spot for Bielema during an otherwise disappointing season.

“It would be a great learning curve for our younger players to be able to witness, and I’ve already seen some positive things,” Bielema said. “I’ve really liked the way our team has responded, especially last week’s game.”

The results, however, were things Bielema had been expecting all season long.

“We don’t ever do anything but train hard and try to play as hard as we can for four quarters,” he said. “It’s not we’re hoping we get; it’s what we expect to get.”

Looking ahead

Saturday’s win was the sixth of the season for the Badgers, making them bowl eligible for the eighth straight season.

“We definitely had expectations coming into this year to have more victories than we do at this point in the season, but bottom line is we’ve scraped and put ourselves in a position to be bowl-eligible,” Bielema said. “What we do this Saturday has a lot to do with what we can do in the future.”

The Badgers are looking to the Cal Poly game Saturday to improve their bowl status, crediting Cal Poly’s impressive position in the Football Championship Subdivision.

“We’re bringing in the No. 3 team in the FCS,” Bielema said. “They’ve got two senior wide receivers, a senior quarterback; their defense is very active.”

Bielema is taking Cal Poly very seriously because he knows how seriously the Mustangs are taking UW. He read a quote from Cal Poly wide receiver Ramses Barden, who said, “This is our Appalachian St.-Michigan. We’ve got a lot of guys going to make a name for themselves, and the only way it’s going to happen is if we execute, play our game and win. And that’s what I’m planning on doing.”

As for the seniors and their last game, Bielema knows it’s a special time.

“You miss all seniors … just as human beings,” he explained. “All of these guys have stories within stories, personally with me, and also obviously the things you’ve seen out there on game day. So yeah, they’ll be missed.”

Injury update

The status of Kyle Jefferson is very optimistic after he suffered a severe concussion in Saturday’s game. Bielema received news during the game that Jefferson was talking and moving his hands and legs, but precautionary measures were being taken even in the face of recovery.

“Kyle had some pretty significant test results so he’ll probably be doubtful to unlikely [for Saturday], but there is a chance.”

The Badgers also have good news in terms of the running game.

“Eric Vandenheuvel was very excited about how he felt on Sunday so we do expect him to play this week. Zach Brown should return to full participation this week as well,” Bielema said.