The Badgers rallied from down 11 in the second half and came back to beat Nebraska by one point. Six-win Wisconsin is now bowl eligible, keeping their postseason streak alive. The Minnesota Gophers await to battle it out for the Axe in rivalry week.

Below, BadgerBlitz.com grades Wisconsin's performance and hands out game balls.

The Badgers' offense did just enough, but most importantly they did it when it needed it done. Given the ball with 3:11 left and trailing by five, Wisconsin needed to score a touchdown to escape Lincoln with a win and crawl to six wins. Miraculously, Graham Mertz and company were able to do exactly that.

On second and seven from the Nebraska 34-yard line, Mertz rolled out and hit Isaac Guerendo, who had gotten behind the defense, downfield for 27 yards. The receiver-turned-running back laid out and hauled it in, setting the Badgers up with prime position in the red zone, from which they were able to score the game-winning touchdown. It wasn't. a pretty performance from the offense, but it was certainly clutch.

Mertz had another suspect day passing, severely under-throwing Skyler Bell for an easy pick in the second quarter. He would finish with just a 44% completion percentage. But again, he showed up when it mattered most. His lone passing touchdown to Bell on the run on third down was savvy, and he came through with the biggest play of the day to Guerendo. It's also worth noting that there were a couple of early drops, one from Bell and one from Chimere Dike. Keontez Lewis also had a spectacular sideline catch called complete on the field, but then overturned after replay review.

The ground game was effective if not dazzling. The Badgers amassed 235 yards rushing, with Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi both topping 90 yards. It was a much-needed bounce-back performance for the offensive line, which was much more effective at creating rushing lanes and keeping Mertz clean than they were a week ago.

The offense looked more fluid this week, mostly thanks to a vastly improved rushing attack. The passing game still has a long way to go, and Mertz is still in the throws of a puzzling late-season regression. The offense punted four times with three three-and-outs, but it was better than the Cornhuskers' offense, and just enough to squeak out a victory.