MADISON, Wis. – Let Wisconsin’s 31-17 win over Minnesota serve as a warning to skeptical on-lookers as the Badgers move in to the post-season: don’t ever count them out.
The Badgers had already clinched a spot in next weekend’s Big Ten title game by the time they took the field on Saturday for the 126th time against the Golden Gophers, and for the first 30 minutes looked like a team that knew they had another game on the schedule - regardless of the outcome on Saturday. The Badgers stumbled out of the gate and allowed Minnesota to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, sucking the air out of Camp Randall Stadium as it dawned on the crowd that they might see the Gophers steal Paul Bunyan's Axe away from the Badgers for the first time since 2003.
It took some impassioned halftime pleas from the senior class, but the Badgers responded and rose to the occasion. Maybe it was the sight of soft-spoken senior safety Leo Musso calling the first two quarters of the game the worst half of football UW had played this season – all while holding the storied six-foot long trophy - but the Badgers looked like a different team in the second half, especially once their defense rounded in to form.
The momentum shifted quickly for the Badgers, who allowed 226 total yards of offense to the Gophers in the first half alone after they'd given up just 292 per game so far this season. Musso got things rolling with a key interception, picking off Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner in the end zone on the Gophers' first drive of the second half.
The Badgers weren't able to capitalize on Musso's big play with points of their own, but the stop did prevent the Gophers from responding to a UW field goal that cut Minnesota’s lead to 17-10 early in the third quarter. It might have been too early in the game for the Gophers to have scored a knockout punch with another touchdown, but staying within one score of Minnesota proved vital.
And while it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Badgers really swung the game in their favor, but in looking back on it the team said that Musso's interception proved critical for getting back in to the game – and it helped them start having fun again after a dour first half.
“Maybe a lot of people were doubters after the first half but we knew it was inside us to come out - and when our backs were against the wall we are going to show the world what we can do,” junior outside linebacker T.J. Watt said after the game. “I’m just so proud of how we came out and we showed everyone what we can do and we started having fun again. We started making plays, we started celebrating as a team and just having a blast.”
They had plenty of opportunities to celebrate – especially once the last Jump Around of the season at Camp Randall sent the Badgers in to the fourth quarter, trailing the Gophers by just a touchdown. Wisconsin's secondary picked off Leidner three more times in the fourth quarter alone, including two by senior cornerback Sojourn Shelton, setting up their offense twice inside Minnesota’s 20-yard line. And while the Badgers struggled to sustain drives for most of the first half, they took advantage of Leidner's errant throws and scored 14 points when given those chances in Minnesota’s red zone, taking their first lead of the game with less than seven minutes left in regulation.
It was a night to remember in particular for the UW senior class, who were all named captains for their final game at Camp Randall Stadium. Senior running backs Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale combined to score all three of Wisconsin’s fourth quarter touchdowns, with Clement rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries in the game overall. Senior quarterback Bart Houston also completed 9 of 14 passes in the game for 123 yards, and played the whole second half in relief of starter Alex Hornibrook, who left the game after suffering an undisclosed injury during the second quarter.
It could be that Musso’s halftime speech was the wake-up call the Badgers needed, or maybe it was his 3rd quarter interception that ended up turning the tide. Either way, something gave the Badgers a spark, as they flipped what had been a 17-7 deficit in to a 31-17 lead, and used that second-half surge to retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the 13th-straight season and keep alive their hopes of winning a Big Ten Championship and making the College Football Playoff.
They went from dead-on-arrival to outright Big Ten West champions – and with a game against No. 7 up next in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title, it’d be foolish to count the Badgers out of anything now.
“To be able to kind of prove the critics wrong and represent not just the university but the state of Wisconsin, our friends and families, it’s a special feeling,” senior outside linebacker Vince Biegel said after the game. “We’re going to enjoy this win tonight, but the next page starts tomorrow, and that’s against Penn State.”
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
