MADISON, Wis. – A tumultuous 2022 regular season ended with another empty trophy case for the University of Wisconsin.

Coming off the emotional high of gaining bowl eligibility the week before, and likely securing the full-time coaching position for Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin suffered breakdowns on both offense and defense late to see Minnesota storm back for a 23-16 win at Camp Randall Stadium.

Playing without tailback Braelon Allen (right leg), Wisconsin’s offense had to settle for field goals of 40, 43, and 36 from Nate Van Zelst before finally punching the ball into the end zone on a Chimere Dike 9-yard double reverse, giving UW a 16-13 lead with 3:14 left in the third.

That was the end of their highlights, as the offense went three-and-out on the next three series. Those quick possessions allowed Minnesota (8-4, 5-4) to storm its comeback, tying the game with a 27-yard field goal with 7:58 remaining and getting a 45-yard touchdown pass to Le’Meke Brockington with 3:40 remaining.

Having two chances to force overtime, UW quarterback Graham Mertz was intercepted when his deep throw into double coverage was intercepted by cornerback Justin Walley.

The offense’s second chance, after Matthew Trickett donked a 48-yard kick off the right upright, was bolstered by senior Chase Wolf coming in on the third play of the series. Driving as far as the Minnesota 5, the Badgers were done in by Riley Mahlman holding penalty, a Tanor Bortolini false start, a Tyler Beach false start, and a Mahlman false start, the latter putting UW at second-and-goal from the 30.

Wisconsin managed 33 yards of offense on its 14 plays after its lone touchdown with Mertz under center and 42 yards with five plays under Wolf, finishing the day with 334 total yards, 5.1 yards per carry, and only three plays over 16 yards.

What it means: Wisconsin finishes the regular season with its first non-winning record since 2001 (excluding the 2020 COVID year), loses back-to-back games to Minnesota for the first time since 1993-94, and lost to Minnesota and Iowa in the same season for the first time since 2003.

Star of the game: Van Zelst was a perfect 3-for-3 on his field goal attempts, going 100 percent on more than one kick for the first time all season. His kick of 40 in the first quarter and 43 in the second quarter were his first made kicks over 40 yards in his college career.

Stat of the game: Wisconsin’s defense did its part in making Minnesota tailback Mohamed Ibrahim a non-factor. The sixth-year senior finished with 70 yards on 27 carries and was held out of the end zone for the first time in 11 games this season. Moreover, it’s the first time Ibrahim had been held under 100 rushing yards since rushing for 39 yards against Wisconsin in 2019, a streak of 19 straight games.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin’s offense continues to be in a three-year funk with its inability to score points with Mertz under center. In nine Big Ten games, the Badgers scored 200 points (22.2 ppg) and were held under to 16 points or less in each of the last three games.

Don’t overlook: Minnesota second-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 319 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, completing nine throws of at least 15 yards.

What’s next: Wisconsin will find out its bowl destination on December 4. The Badgers are almost assured of getting a bowl bid somewhere, continuing a streak of 21 straight seasons with a postseason game, but there were no representatives from any bowl games at Saturday’s finale.

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