Several stars help Badgers keep axe
MADISON – Wisconsin’s latest victory over rival Minnesota was far more grit than glitz.
Yet UW coach Paul Chryst clearly was proud of his team’s ability to rally for a 20-17 overtime victory and retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe.
Chryst also had to be proud because of the cast of heroes who made it work Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
With tailbacks Jalen Berger and Nakia Watson out and UW having averaged a paltry 110.7 rushing yards per game in losses to Northwestern, Indiana and Iowa, senior Garrett Groshek ran like a Heisman candidate.
Groshek came in with 105 yards on 30 carries, an average of 3.5 yards per carry. He rushed nine times for 80 yards, 8.9 yards per carry, and a touchdown in the opening half. Groshek finished with a college-best 154 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
Kicker Collin Larsh missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt but made kicks of 31 and 30, with the final kick giving UW the victory in overtime.
Quarterback Chase Wolf replaced injured starter Graham Mertz (head) and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jack Dunn to help UW take a 14-10 lead in the third quarter.
Wolf had a costly interception, but he finished 4 for 5 for 15 yards and the critical touchdown after Mertz was injured on a scramble.
Remember, too, that Wolf hadn’t played since the opener and hadn’t attempted a pass this season.
Dunn was fabulous and finished with seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Senior safety Eric Burrell had critical end-zone interception to squash a Minnesota scoring chance.
In the end, Larsh decided the game in overtime, just moments after Anders Gelecinskyj missed a 36-yard field-goal attempt on the Gophers’ series.
The Badgers (3-3) entered the day having scored just two touchdowns and two field goals in the last three games.
The offense on Saturday was without seven potential contributors, including senior wide receivers Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis; tailbacks Watson and Berger; and starting left tackle Cole Van Lanen (leg).
Still, UW snapped a three-game losing streak but more important continued its run of dominance over the Gophers (3-4).
UW has won 16 of the last 17 meetings and 23 of the last 26 meetings.
The only losses during that run: 2001 and ’03 in Minneapolis and in 2018 in Madison.
Mohamed Ibrahim, named the top running back in the league after finishing the regular season No. 1 in rushing yards (154.2 per game) and rushing touchdowns (15), ripped off several big runs. Ibrahim surpassed the 100-yard mark for the eighth consecutive game, finishing with 151 yards on 26 carries.
Quarterback Tanner Morgan, sacked five times in the loss to UW last season, was up and down Saturday. He completed just 13 of 25 attempts for 160 yards and two scores.
The Gophers took advantage of a short field to drive 53 yards for their first score.
Ibrahim ripped off a 27-yard run to the UW 16 to get the Gophers in scoring position and two plays later Morgan found Cam Wiley down the right side for a 16-yard touchdown with 2:04 left in the opening quarter.
UW answered immediately with a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
Pass plays from Mertz to fullback Mason Stokke (14 yards) and wide receiver Jack Dunn (10 yards) helped move the ball from the UW 25 to the Minnesota 39.
Groshek got the handoff on the next play and popped through a seam in the middle of the line and scored untouched to help UW forge a 7-7 tie just 43 seconds into the second quarter.
The Gophers had a chance to take back the lead but a holding call wiped out a 2-yard touchdown run by Ibrahim and Burrell came up with an end-zone interception on the next play, with 8:31 left in the half.
Neither team was able to score the remainder of the half.
In the third quarter, the Gophers took over at their 46 with 9:08 left. They moved to the UW 20 before stalling, but redshirt senior Anders Gelecinskyj, who started out at Minnesota State, drilled a 38-yard field-goal attempt for a 10-7 lead with 7:07 left in the quarter. Could UW answer? Yes.
Mertz had pass plays of 24, 8 and 3 yards and a 7-yard scramble to the Minnesota 4 before being knocked out with a hard hit.
Chase Wolf came in on third and goal from the 4, rolled to his left and fired a bullet to Dunn to help UW take a 14-10 lead with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
The UW defense then forced a three and out and the Badgers got the ball at the Gophers 47.
Groshek rushed five consecutive times, for 30 yards, to move the ball to the 17. The drive stalled at the 13 but Larsh, who missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt in the first half, hit from 31 yards for a 17-10 lead with 11:30 left.
UW’s defense failed to protect the lead.
The Gophers drove 75 yards for a touchdown, a 9-yard pass play from Morgan to Mike Brown-Stephens wit 4:40 left. That came three plays after Morgan scrambled for 4 yards to the 9 on fourth and 4.
Led by Groshek with 21 yards on three carries and a pass-interference call, UW moved to the Gophers’ 40. But on first down Wolf threw deep to freshman Devin Chandler and Coney Durr made an easy interception in the end zone for a touchback with 1:19 left.
Both teams settled for overtime and Larsh ended the drama with his first game-winning kick.