MADISON - Wisconsin went blow for blow with Minnesota, but couldn't hold on to a slim fourth quarter lead as their offense once again sputtered into incompetence. Wisconsin has now lost to the Gophers in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1993-1994.

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

Once again, Wisconsin's offense doomed them. The defense had some issues of their own, but the Badgers' maddening offense was once again the main culprit in their defeat.

The first half set the scene for the Badgers' later offensive implosion. Wisconsin only had four drives, trading punts and field goals. They marched in between the 20s, but had to settle for field goals just outside the red zone multiple times. That set a bad precedent for the group's performance.

The second half was much worse. Wisconsin came out by putting up back-to-back scoring drives, and things were looking up. How did the next five drives end? Punt, punt, punt, interception, turnover on downs. Once again, a late offensive lull severely cost the Badgers.

It was just an off-kilter day for the offense in general. Their lone touchdown came on a double reverse in the red zone. With Braelon Allen a surprise late scratch, Wisconsin leaded on Chez Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo in the backfield. They combined for 115 yards, and were each limited to long runs of just 14. The running game was an option all afternoon, but it wasn't a game-changer; Wisconsin wasn't controlling the game on the ground like they'd prefer to.

Graham Mertz had a rough outing. He had some nice completions, like a third down conversion to Keontez Lewis that went for 25 yards in the 2nd quarter. Then there were some critical mistakes. He overthrewJack Eschenbach as the tight end got open up the seam in the red zone. It was a wide open touchdown, and Wisconsin would settle for three points. Mertz also threw what looked like the back-breaking pick, overthrowing Chimere Dike in double coverage. It wasn't a winning performance from Wisconsin's quarterback.

But against all odds, Wisconsin had a chance to tie it up late in the game. Such a good chance, in fact, that backup quarterback Chase Wolf had marched them to a first and goal at the Gopher five yard-line. In the next five plays, Wisconsin would commit four penalties (three false starts and a holding) that would back them up to the 30-yard line. With essentially an undeserved chance to tie the game at the wire, Wisconsin's offense absolutely imploded. For this unit, it was a rather fitting end to the 2022 regular season.