In a season marred by inconsistency, the Badgers were able to find their rhythm on both sides of the ball this past Saturday, beating their rival University of Minnesota 28–14.
The Badgers’ win over Minnesota finalizes their regular season record at 7-5, tying them for second in the final Big Ten West standings. More importantly, however, Wisconsin’s win over their bitter rival means Paul Bunyan’s Axe is making the trip back to Madison for the first time in four years.
“That was a special night,” Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell said in his post-game press conference. “That was a special game.”
Perhaps a game against Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck and the Gophers was exactly what the Badgers needed to finish the season strong. Fickell’s squad played their most complete game of the season on both sides of the football.
But the Badgers had their work cut out for them early on.
Minnesota opened the game with an impressive six-play, 72-yard scoring drive that put them up 7–0 early in the first. The Badger defense regained control for the rest of the quarter and held Minnesota to just one initial score.
The Badgers opened the second with a score of their own to tie the game at seven apiece. The two offenses then continued to trade blows throughout the second quarter. Minnesota once again found the end zone to lead by a touchdown with 4:30 left in the first half.
The Badgers quickly responded, marching down the field in just four plays on a drive that culminated with a Tanner Mordecai touchdown to Will Pauling, their first touchdown connection of the year.
The rival squads concluded the first half tied at 14 with what appeared to be a shootout looming in the second half.
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The result, however, was anything but. The Badgers found their groove offensively in the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points thanks to Braelon Allen’s carries.
Allen finished the contest with a season-high 165 yards on 26 carries. Allen also finished with two touchdowns, marking his 5th multi-score game of the season.
Allen wasn’t alone in his second-half domination. UW’s defense came to life in the second half and held Minnesota to just 166 total yards and zero points. The Badgers also forced two turnovers, both of which came on Minnesota’s final two drives of the game.
Star sophomore Ricardo Hallman recorded his sixth interception of the season to send the Badgers into victory formation with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The interception not only sealed the win, but it gave Hallman a co-lead in the category of all Big Ten defensive backs, according to the Big Ten.
Likely the biggest factor in the Badgers’ win was their ability to stay out of their own way. UW committed just three penalties, including zero in the second half. This tied for their lowest mark of the season, and the Badgers looked like a new team in all three phases of the game.
With the University of Iowa headed to Indianapolis as the Big Ten West representative in the Big Ten Football Championship Game, the Badgers won’t take the field again until bowl season. The cardinal and white will look to build off the success of their past two victories.
“We just wanted to finish the season strong, leave everything out there,” Pauling said after the game, according to The Athletic.
