MADISON, Wis. – An offense stripped down due to injuries, stuck in a three-game losing skid and relegated to the undercard on Big Ten Championship Saturday, the University of Wisconsin finally had reason to celebrate again in 2020.
Senior tailback Garrett Groshek recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game with 154 yards and junior kicker Collin Larsh booted a 30-yard field goal in overtime to lift Wisconsin to a 20-17 victory over Minnesota to close the regular season Saturday.
It was the 23rd win in the last 26 meetings in the series for Wisconsin (3-3), which broke a three-game losing streak and made itself more attractive for potential bowl destinations.
The first overtime game in the border battle since 1999, the Badgers’ defense forced a three-and-out and celebrated as Anders Gelecinskyj’s 36-yard field goal missed wide left.
Groshek – who outgained Big Ten’s running back of the year Mohamed Ibrahim by three yards – put Wisconsin in position for Larsh’s boot.
Despite being severely undermanned, Wisconsin rolled up a balanced offense with 175 yards on the ground and another 147 threw the air. UW got more banged up as the game wore on, as starting quarterback Graham Mertz left the game late in the third quarter after getting hit in the helmet as he dove for extra yards.
Coming off cold off the bench, Chase Wolf threw his first collegiate touchdown pass to Jack Dunn with a defender barreling down on him, giving the Badgers their first lead in a game since Nov.14.
The lead was short lived. After Larsh increased the lead to 17-10 on a 31-yard field goal, Wisconsin’s defense gave up a 20-yard gain on a third-and-1 play fake and a four-yard scramble on fourth-and-4 to set up Mike Brown-Stephens’ 9-yard touchdown on third-and-goal.
Wisconsin was in position to win the game in regulation, sitting at Minnesota’s 40 with all three timeouts and under two minutes, but Wolf’s deep throw to the end zone was intercepted.
Wisconsin played without receiver Danny Davis for the fourth straight game, receiver Kendric Pryor for the third time in the last four games and tailback Jalen Berger for the second straight week, but the injury problems on offense worsened without senior left tackle Cole Van Lanen and No.2 tailback Nakia Watson both unavailable.
The Badgers jumbled their line by moving Jon Dietzen to left tackle (where he platooned with Van Lanen in 2018) and Josh Seltzner made his first start since the season opener, and gave Julius Davis his first collegiate reps.
That left Groshek the only senior the Badgers could rely on. Fortunately, the Gophers’ run defense wasn’t the same caliber as Northwestern’s, Indiana’s or Iowa’s. The senior set a new career high after just seven carries, while his 39-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was the longest rush by a Badgers tailback this season.
That play combined with safety Eric Burrell’s interception in the end zone made it a 7-7 game at halftime.
