Wisconsin: 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl Champions

PHOENIX — Wisconsin held off a late rally by Oklahoma State in the closing minutes to win the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, 24-17, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday evening. The Badgers had several new players in key positions, including quarterback.

A long, sometimes-difficult season came to a conclusion with more adversity - and, eventually, a win.

''It ended exactly the way we wanted it to - we got the win,'' said Braelon Allen, who ran for 116 yards and scored on a 20-yard touchdown.

Luke Fickell, hired away from Cincinnati after a trip to the College Football Playoff last season, joined the team on the sideline for the bowl game. He wasn't there to run the show, though; all the decisions were left to interim coach Jim Leonhard.

The Badgers had everything working in the first half. The offense had balance, the defense stifling while they built a 17-point lead.

In the second half, Wisconsin (7-6) bogged down on the slippery Chase Field turf and the defense started giving up chunk plays as the Cowboys rode their way back.

Cedrick Dort finally ended Oklahoma State's momentum, intercepting Garret Rangel's pass with three minutes left, preserving the Badgers' eighth win in their past nine bowl games.

''This is what I envisioned what this was about from afar,'' Fickell said. ''And that's what they've shown me over the last three and a half weeks: they want to be here, they want to do it together and they want to do it the right way.''

The Cowboys lost four of five to close out the regular season and struggled offensively while falling into a 24-7 hole midway through the third quarter. Rangel had the lone offensive highlight in the first half with a big assist from Stephon Johnson Jr., who broke a couple of tackles to turn a swing pass into an 84-yard touchdown.

''We had the one big play, but other than that we weren't able to sustain anything,'' Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.

Rangel led Oklahoma State back, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns in place of Spencer Sanders, who entered the transfer portal.

The freshman improvised on a fourth-and-goal by shoveling a pass to Ollie Gordon while in the grasp of a defender to open the fourth quarter and set up Tanner Brown's 24-yard field goal to pull the Cowboys to 24-17.

With momentum back on Oklahoma State's side, Rangel tried make a big play downfield after another Oklahoma State second-half defensive stop. Dort pulled it back to the Badgers by cutting inside John Paul Richardson for what ended up being the game-clinching interception.

''We came out here with a little bit of a reduced roster and new guys were involved, and we had to kind of find our way,'' Gundy said. ''Guys competed practice hard for three weeks. Had a great week of practice out here, so I was proud of them.''

Among the many changes Wisconsin faced was at quarterback after Graham Mertz, a three-year starter, entered the transfer portal.

The Badgers turned to fifth-year starter Chris Wolf, who attempted six passes before arriving in the desert.

Wolf had some success on short passes early and found Hayden Rucci on a 15-yard TD pass in the second quarter. He also threw an interception in the end zone on Wisconsin's second drive and finished 16 of 26 for 116 yards.

''Chase played well. He controlled what he could control, he took shots and I never saw him bat an eye,'' Fickell said.

Wisconsin: 2021 Las Vegas Bowl Champions

LAS VEGAS – When Graham Mertz led Wisconsin’s offense back onto the field with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the Las Vegas Bowl, the members of UW’s defense were hoping for just about anything but another three and out.

“We were gassed,” senior linebacker Noah Burks said.

What the members of Jim Leonhard’s unit got Thursday night at Allegiant Stadium was the rest of the game off.

Eighteen plays.

Ninety yards.

Nine minutes and 57 seconds.

When fullback John Chenal got the final handoff from Mertz, wrapped both arms around the football and gained 3 yards to run out the clock, UW’s 20-13 victory over Arizona State was secure.

“It was a perfect Wisconsin drive to go end it,” Burks said. “Let’s run the football. Let’s eat the clock. And let’s go win this game.”

Mertz said the same in few words.

“That drive,” Mertz said, “that’s what this program is about.”

BOX SCORE: Wisconsin 20, Arizona State 13

The drive was needed because UW (9-4) began the game without four starters – right tackle Logan Bruss, center Joe Tippman, cornerback Faion Hicks and wide receiver Danny Davis – and kickoff returner Stephan Bracey.

They lost wide receiver Kendric Pryor, tailback Brady Schipper and tight end Joe Ferguson to injuries during the game. 

Freshman tailback Braelon Allen carried 10 times for 49 yards on the drive and finished with 159 yards on 29 carries and the MVP trophy.

Mertz completed 2 of 2 passes on the drive, both for first downs, for 40 yards.

“We were mentally prepared to go out there again and put it back on our shoulders,” said safety John Torchio, who had a first-quarter interception to set UW’s first touchdown. “But that was awesome what they did. We were cheering them on.”

Play after play, yard after yard and second after precious second.

“They’re scary,” said Arizona State coach Herm Edwards, whose team finished 8-5.  "Because when you watch them on tape, that's what they can do, they can chew up some drives. They can chew up a lot of time.

“I kept looking up at that clock, trust me. Every time they made a first down I kept looking at the clock, I said: ‘We’re running out of time.’ ”

The Badgers’ final possession began at their 3 after a 44-yard punt.

UW’s first three series of the second half generated a total of zero yards on 11 plays.

"The second half we struggled offensively,” UW coach Paul Chryst said, “but it was a heck of a drive to finish it out.”

Allen gave UW some breathing room on the final series with runs of 5, 4 and 3.

Then five plays later, on third and 12 from his 24, Mertz made his best throw of the night, arguably of the season.

Mertz was given good protection until Stanley Lambert executed a stunt and came free through the middle of the line. Mertz saw the 6-foot-4, 234-pound defensive end bearing down on him but didn’t flinch.

He knew Chimere Dike, who missed several series earlier after suffering a blow to his back on a reverse, was covered by single defender and trusted the sophomore would work open. Mertz delivered a strike just before being drilled in the midsection for a 30-yard gain to the Sun Devils’ 46 with 5:38 left.

“That play to Chim,” Torchio said, “once they hit that I (said): ‘Oh, my gosh. They might drive this thing all the way down.’”

Chenal picked up another first down two plays later with a 3-yard run on second and 1. Allen, whose 9-yard run set up the second and 1, then powered his way for 14 yards to the Sun Devils’ 20.

Allen gained 7 yards but appeared to be stopped. He stayed on his feet, though, and several UW players, led by wide receiver Jack Dunn, kept the pile moving.

“That was a lot of fun,” right tackle Tanor Bortolini said. “That might be one of my favorite plays of the game.”

Arizona State was penalized for being offside three plays later, with UW facing third and 4 from the Sun Devils’ 14.

With Arizona State out of timeouts, UW ran out the final 2:15.

“We came out with the mentality that we were going to own this drive, make it ours,” Bortolini said. “There was nothing they could do to stop us if we all clicked.

"It was just Wisconsin football.”

The drive conjured memories of the 2006 Capital One Bowl.

UW closed out that game, a 24-10 victory over Auburn, with a non-scoring drive that covered 98 yards in 15 plays and 8:58.

The drive Thursday was equally sweet to the current players.

"That drive is what I think of Wisconsin football," Ferguson said. "It is gritty. It’s hard. It’s going to be tough. You’re going to be hurting. …

"It is the mentality of the offense: We’re going to get this done. We’re going to finish this. It’s in our hands. It is in our control."

Wisconsin: 2020 Duke's Mayo Bowl Champions

The first ever Duke’s Mayo Bowl, at least the first sponsored by the mayonnaise brand, was a wild ride. Wisconsin ultimately came out unscathed with a 42-28 victory over ACC opponent Wake Forest. A 28-14 second half margin in favor of UW, four second half interceptions by Demon Deacon QB Sam Hartman, and taking care of the football ultimately propelled Paul Chryst to a victory bath of “mayonnaise” that was definitely just water or clear Gatorade.

The pace of play was the story coming in, with Wake Forest wanting to speed things up against a methodical Wisconsin squad. Early on, the Deacs controlled the pace, and on their first two drives of the game used third down conversions to score in just 3:39 and 1:59 respectively. Hartman looked like the QB that had only thrown one interception all year long. He found junior Jaquarii Roberson for a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter.

Wisconsin’s defense was uncharacteristic early, allowing long third-down conversions and looking like a secondary that was ready to be torched all afternoon long. All of a sudden, Wisconsin was down 14-0 after the first quarter and reeling.

A long, Wisconsin-like drive got the Badgers back to feeling like themselves. A drive that lasted over six minutes ended shortly after the second quarter began with a John Chenal 2-yard TD run to make cut the Wake Forest lead in half. A fitting fullback-led end to a vintage Badger scoring drive.

Graham Mertz once again looked comfortably under center on the late first/early second quarter drive, and had his best series since week one at home against Illinois.

From there, Wake Forest mistakes and lockdown Badger defense gave Wisconsin control. A blocked punt late in the first half by Jaylan Franklin set up a game-tying Badger QB sneak TD by Mertz. The score was knotted at 14 headed to the break.

A quick Wake Forest TD saw Hartman looking like himself to begin the third quarter. Then disaster struck for the sophomore. The next six Wake Forest drives? Two turnover’s on downs and four, yes four, Hartman interceptions. Not only did the Wake Forest signal caller make critical mistakes on the turnovers, he missed numerous big plays by underthrowing his receivers deep.

With the interceptions, the credit to Wisconsin and blame on Hartman is a mixed bag, but there is no questioning the activity of the Badger LB’s in the second half. Duke’s Mayo Bowl MVP Jack Sanborn was everywhere, and led a key 4th down stop near midfield in the third quarter. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles, and came up with an interception.

The Wisconsin offense cashed in on excellent field position in the final 30 minutes. The Badgers had 176 return yards off of their four interceptions compared to just 144 passing yards all afternoon long. Despite Chase Wolf throwing an interception after strangely coming in for the final drive of the half, Mertz valued the ball and finished with a zero in the turnover column.

Six second half Wake Forest turnovers, three of which set up Wisconsin in the red zone, allowed the Badgers to score 28 points in the final 30 minutes. The Badgers capitalized on Demon Deacon mistakes and took home a 42-28 win.

Wisconsin improved to 4-3 to close out this strange 2020 season, while Wake Forest dropped to 4-5. Momentum is on the Badgers’ side headed into a 2021 year where expectations will be rightfully high in Madison.

 

Wisconsin: 2018 Pinstripe Bowl Champions

NEW YORK -- Jonathan Taylor ran for 205 yards and a touchdown and topped the 2,000-yard season mark to help Wisconsin rout Miami 35-3 in a chilly Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday night.

Taylor, just a sophomore, ripped off runs of 39 and 41 yards and was sensational at Yankee Stadium and combined with a defense that forced five turnovers to help a Wisconsin (8-5) team ranked fourth in the first AP Top 25 poll salvage its fifth straight bowl victory.

The loss had to seem like a rerun for Miami: Taylor ran for 130 yards in Wisconsin's 34-24 win over the Hurricanes last season in the Orange Bowl.

"We've got the best back in the country," Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said after he accepted the trophy from Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner.

Both teams were ranked inside the top 15 last December. A year later, Wisconsin and Miami (7-6) both showed at times why two teams that opened the season inside the top 10 were stuck playing in a ho-hum bowl game with temperatures in the 30s and a sparse crowd in the Bronx. Miami's Malik Rosier threw three interceptions before he was replaced late in the third quarter; Wisconsin's Rafael Gaglianone whiffed on two field goals.

The Badgers, certainly used to the cold, came out swinging for the fences -- they scored two touchdowns just 3 1/2 minutes into the game and seemingly knocked the will out of Miami. Jack Coan made the most of his start for injured Alex Hornibrook (concussion) and hit Kendric Taylor for a 35-yard TD on the first drive. Rosier's first pass of the game was intercepted and Taylor capitalized with a 7-yard score to make it 14-0 before some fans even hit their seats with a hot drink.

Coan is a Long Island native and needed nearly 50 tickets for friends and family. He ran right for a 7-yard touchdown in the fourth for a 28-3 lead that made it worth the trip for the thousands of fans in red -- an unseemly sight in June at Yankee Stadium -- that stuck it out to the end. Coan made his fifth appearance this season and burned his eligibility to take a redshirt year.

It sure seemed worth it for Wisconsin.

Coan was the home state star but Taylor put a final exclamation point on a season that made one of college football's top stars.

Taylor had 117 yards rushing at halftime and finished with his fifth 200-yard game this season, not bad for a running back that averaged 165.8 yards per game. He joined Ron Dayne and Melvin Gordon as Wisconsin's 2,000-yard rushers.

Rosier got the start over N'Kosi Perry, who had a rocky season and faced heat for two questionable Snapchat posts, in a move that was quickly second-guessed. His third interception of the game was turned into Alex Ingold's 2-yard touchdown and a 21-3 lead. Perry eventually checked into the game -- but Taylor and Coan had long turned this one into a rout.

Taylor, the game's MVP, has been a bright spot for a team that failed to come close to lofty expectations. He finished last season with an FBS freshman-record 1,977 yards and showed the performance was no fluke this season, highlighted by a 321-yard outing against Purdue.

BLOWN AWAY

The Hurricanes played without center Tyler Gauthier (academics) and punter Zach Feagles (leaving the program).

ROOTING QBs

Former Wisconsin star Russell Wilson sent a videotaped message of support and former Miami QB Jim Kelly, who is battling cancer, appeared at midfield for the coin toss. Kelly also presented Taylor with the MVP trophy.

TAKEAWAY

Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz's final game before he leaves for Temple was a dud. The Badgers had 406 total yards.

Wisconsin needs to put a better team around Taylor to become a threat in the Big 10.

UP NEXT

Miami: Is Perry the answer at QB? Jarren Williams, who flirted with transferring, should push Perry for the No. 1 spot and both will try and win the job in training camp.

Wisconsin: Taylor returns for his junior season as a strong contender for the Heisman Trophy and will try and keep the Badgers in the College Football Playoff race.

Wisconsin: 2017 Orange Bowl Champions

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Alex Hornibrook's first pass of the night was a wobbler, one that seemed to slip out of his hand.

Nearly everything else he threw was just about perfect.

Hornibrook threw four touchdown passes, three to Danny Davis, and No. 6 Wisconsin capped off the winningest season in school history by topping No. 11 Miami 34-24 in the Orange Bowl on Saturday night.

"We were pretty relaxed," Hornibrook said. "We knew we had what it takes to win this game."

Everyone does now.

And the Big Ten -- shut out of the College Football Playoff after Wisconsin lost to Ohio State in the conference title game -- moved to 7-0 in bowls this season.

"You play the whole season and you earn what you get and I'm proud of this team," Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. "They can call themselves Orange Bowl champions. That's pretty big."

Jonathan Taylor ran for 130 yards on 26 carries for the Badgers (13-1), who rallied from an early 14-3 deficit. Taylor finished the year with an FBS-freshman-record 1,977 yards. A.J. Taylor also had a scoring catch for Wisconsin.

"I take as much responsibility as anybody, actually more because I'm in charge of everything," Richt said. "I didn't coach good enough and we will get better. I can promise you that."

The Badgers dominated time of possession, holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes. Hornibrook completed 23 of 34 passes for 258 yards, going 20 for 25 in the final three quarters.

Travis Homer and Deejay Dallas had rushing scores for Miami (10-3), which lost on its home field for the first time in 2017. Lawrence Cager had a touchdown catch for the Hurricanes, while quarterback Malik Rosier was 11 for 26 passing for 203 yards -- with three interceptions.

The Hurricanes had a chance to get within a touchdown midway through the fourth, but Michael Badgley's chip-shot field goal went off the right upright. By the time Miami got the ball back, most of their fans were gone and only 1:37 remained. Rosier was picked off for the third time 18 seconds later, and the Badgers ran out the clock.

"They did a really good job making me throw balls into tight coverage," Rosier said.

Homer went in from 5 yards out to give Miami the early lead, and Dallas' 39-yard scamper for a score out of the wildcat formation pushed the Hurricanes' edge to 14-3 late in the first quarter.

Miami was rolling.

It was temporary.

Rosier's pass was intercepted by Wisconsin's Andrew Van Ginkel on the first play of the second quarter, and the game quickly changed. Hornibrook threw touchdown passes on three consecutive possessions -- two to Davis, one to A.J. Taylor -- and the Badgers held the ball for more than 11 minutes in that quarter alone on the way to taking a 24-14 lead into the half.

Richt was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct just before the third of those scores, after losing his cool while arguing with officials about what replays showed was a missed holding call that would have pushed Wisconsin back. He grabbed at head linesman Gus Morris -- part of the SEC crew on the game -- while pleading his case, as Miami security personnel unsuccessfully tried to keep him calm.

"Apologies to anyone who can read lips," Richt said.

The Hurricanes got within three points twice in the second half, the first coming when Rosier bought some time and lobbed the ball to a wide-open Cager for a 38-yard score. Rosier tried to connect with Cager again later in the third, but got intercepted again on a play where the Hurricanes thought Cager got held as he neared the end zone.

Hornibrook and Davis connected on a scoring play for the third time with 7:44 left, the Badgers weren't threatened again, and started talking about a title run in 2018 right afterward.

"We're all coming back," Hornibrook said. "But nothing is going to happen if we don't put in the work."

BIG PICTURE

Wisconsin: Hornibrook became just the third Badgers quarterback in the last 15 years to have multiple games with at least four touchdown passes in the same season. Scott Tolzien had a pair of four-TD games in 2009, and Jim Sorgi had games of four and five TDs in consecutive weeks back in 2003. From 2012 through 2016, the Badgers never had a quarterback throw for four scores in a game.

Miami: The Hurricanes were on a four-game losing streak last season, then started what became a 15-game winning streak that ended in the regular-season finale against Pitt, and now will take a three-game slide into 2018. The four touchdown passes allowed matched the most allowed by Miami in any game since Oklahoma threw for six TDs in a 2007 romp over the Hurricanes.

ROSIER RECORD


Rosier's third-quarter touchdown pass to Cager was the 31st touchdown he's accounted for this season, a Miami single-season record. The previous mark was 30, set by Vinny Testaverde in 1986.

FAMILY TIES

Hornibrook is the great-nephew of former Miami quarterback John Hornibrook, who was under center for a memorable play in Hurricanes history. John Hornibook ran in for a touchdown against Florida in 1971, on a play dubbed the Gator Flop -- one where every Florida defender fell to the ground in order to let Miami score and get the ball back so Gators quarterback John Reaves could break the NCAA career passing record. The ploy worked.

UP NEXT

Wisconsin: Hosts Western Kentucky on Aug. 31.

Miami: Plays LSU in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 1.

Wisconsin: 2017 Cotton Bowl Champions

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Wisconsin tight end Troy Fumagalli made a leaping 8-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter and the Badgers won 24-16 in the Cotton Bowl on Monday to deny Western Michigan an undefeated season.

The TD catch by Fumagalli with 14 minutes left, in the back of the end zone between two defenders, came three plays after a rare interception thrown by Zach Terrell and made it 24-10.

With their "Row The Boat" mentality inspired by young head coach P.J. Fleck, the 12th-ranked Broncos (13-1) made it from one win during his first season in Kalamazoo three years ago to the last FBS team other than No. 1 Alabama this season with a chance to be undefeated.

"Told them I was very proud of them, how much I love them, and the effort they gave," Fleck said about what he told his team on the sideline just before the end of the game. "We will continue to learn from this. We will embrace our past to create our future, and it just wasn't enough tonight."

Eighth-ranked Wisconsin (11-3), which finished with 11 wins for the fourth time in seven seasons, was clearly bigger and stronger -- especially up front. The Big Ten runner-up Badgers set the tone early, with rushing touchdowns on their first two drives to take a 14-0 lead against the Group of Five team.

Fumagalli had several other highlight catches, including a one-handed 20-yard grab on the Badgers' opening drive, and a 26-yard catch to convert third-and-8 as they ran out the final 3:27 after Western Michigan scored.

Terrell combined with All-America receiver Corey Davis for 51 career touchdowns, tying the FBS record on an 11-yarder on fourth down with 3:27 left. Even with cornerback Sojourn Shelton's arms wrapped around him in the back of the end zone, Davis broke free to make the catch.

"It doesn't matter if the defender is grabbing you or whatever it is. Go make a play on the ball if it's in the air, and go attack it," said Davis, the FBS career leader in receiving yards and likely first-round NFL draft pick in April. "My four years at Western have been phenomenal. We've been through so much and I've learned so many lessons on the field, and off the field."

Terrell had 33 touchdowns and only four interceptions this season, the last pick by Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards.

"It kind of left a bad taste in our mouth after the Big Ten championship game," Edwards said. "We just wanted to get back out there and prove ourselves again."

TAKEAWAY

Western Michigan: The Broncos never backed down and Fleck has set a solid foundation for them to keep rowing forward, even with the loss of guys like Davis and Terrell, who were part of that one-win season in 2013. Western Michigan had only 280 total yards, 217 below its season average.


Wisconsin: The only losses this season for the Badgers were to Big Ten foes Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State, the last in the Big Ten title game. They all also played in New Year's Six games. Freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook, who started nine games before a concussion forced him to miss the Big Ten championship game, was 2-of-2 passing. He threw the TD pass to Fumagalli, who finished with six catches for 83 yards.

UP NEXT

Western Michigan knows it has to continue play Power Five teams to have chances for more New Year's Six games, and maybe eventually a playoff appearance. The Broncos open next season Sept. 2 at USC, a week before they play Michigan State, another Big Ten opponent.

Wisconsin always gets a chance to prove itself in the Big Ten. So the Badgers can ease into its season, and will Sept. 1 at home against Utah State.

Wisconsin Badgers: 2015 Holiday Bowl Champions

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rafael Gaglianone kicked a 29-yard field goal with 2:27 left to lift No. 23 Wisconsin to a 23-21 victory against Southern California in the Holiday Bowl on Wednesday night.

Gaglianone's third field goal gave Wisconsin (10-3) its first win in seven tries against USC (8-6). The teams hadn't met since 1966, and two of USC's wins in the series were in the Rose Bowl, in 1953 and 1963.

Wisconsin's Sojourn Shelton intercepted Cody Kessler with 1:44 left. Kessler was hit from behind by Jack Cichy.

In the third quarter, Cichy sacked Kessler on three straight plays.

The Trojans got to the 50 in the final seconds before Kessler threw four straight incompletions.
USC, which beat Nebraska in last year's Holiday Bowl, had taken a 21-20 lead on Kessler's 7-yard touchdown pass to Darreus Rogers with 10:19 left.

Wisconsin: 2014-15 Big Ten Men's Basketball Champions

CHICAGO -- Nigel Hayes scored 25 points, Frank Kaminsky added 19, and No. 6 Wisconsin outscored Michigan State 11-0 in overtime Sunday for an 80-69 victory in the Big Ten tournament championship game.

Bronson Koenig scored 18 points, and the Badgers (31-3) rallied from 11 points down in the second half in an attempt to strengthen their bid for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine scored 16 points each for Michigan State (23-11). But the Spartans were outscored 31-10 over the final 11½ minutes and came up short after winning the tournament last year.

In the first overtime in a Big Ten title game, Hayes and Koenig hit 3-pointers in the first three minutes to give the Badgers a 75-69 lead. Michigan State missed all six shots and committed two turnovers in the extra period.

Wisconsin: 2015 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, Fla. -- They knelt on the sideline in small groups, heads bowed with thoughts that a higher power could perhaps influence a football game. OtherWisconsin players already were mentally preparing for another overtime session, while still more simply closed their eyes and listened for crowd reaction. But in the moment Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson's 45-yard field goal attempt sailed into the air, there was nothing but silence. Maddening, unbroken silence of 44,023 fans and players collectively holding their breath.

So much disappointment had permeated Wisconsin's football program on this day in recent years. Four New Year's Day bowl games the past four seasons each resulted in crushing losses, and the defeats only seemed to magnify in intensity. Those outcomes left this lingering thought inside players' heads: couldn't something good happen for a change?

Then, the moment arrived all at once in a triumphant, spontaneous burst of emotion.

Carlson's kick to tie from the left hash sailed toward the middle of the uprights and pushed on further until it smacked yellow paint and bounded off the right upright, caroming away unsuccessfully to set off a Badgers celebration years in the making.

The miss sent No. 18 Wisconsin to a stirring come-from-behind 34-31 Outback Bowl victory against No. 19 Auburn in overtime Thursday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. And with it, the senior class could leave the field having washed away, at least partially, memories of all those missed opportunities.

"I just couldn't believe it happened," Badgers linebacker Marcus Trotter said. "I was waiting five years for this. Finally when it happened, I was just like, 'Thank God.' Finally to get a chance to win against a great opponent meant everything to us."

Added right tackle Rob Havenstein: "I don't think I can describe it. I'm just flying right now. It's unbelievable the way this team battled, the way they came back from everything, over the years, in this game and in the season."

When interim coach Barry Alvarez conducted a television interview on the field, Havenstein and fellow offensive lineman Dallas Lewallen crept behind and dumped a jug of blue Gatorade on him, a smile creasing Alvarez's face as the remains clung to his skin. Dozens of players then hoisted Alvarez in the air, Alvarez lifting his right arm and pumping his fist while the team chanted "U-DUB. U-DUB. U-DUB."Havenstein, Ray Ball, Derrick Tindal and Corey Clement watched the field goal miss and sprinted behind the uprights toward the family section to leap into the first row to revel in the team's first bowl victory since 2009. Badgers players convened at midfield for hugs and soon began high-fiving members of the student band.

"I've had a couple of those, and I like them," Alvarez said. "It's a little uncomfortable afterwards, but I like them. And it's special for those seniors. It meant a lot to them. They've won a lot of games here. They haven't won a lot of bowl games. They've put a lot into it. They bought into it. They gave us strong leadership when it was needed, and now they can enjoy it."

Four weeks earlier, this result seemed improbable. Ohio State had embarrassed Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten championship game, raising questions about the Badgers' talent level against upper-tier programs. And what followed only added to the turmoil.

Head coach Gary Andersen left the team four days later to become coach at Oregon State in a move few saw coming. Alvarez, the current athletic director and the most legendary figure perhaps in Wisconsin football history, returned to the sideline only at the behest of the team's seniors. He had brought the team out from the depths of despair as head coach in the early 1990s and retired in 2005. He had returned for one game only two years ago after former coach Bret Bielema left, but Wisconsin lost to Stanford 20-14 in the Rose Bowl, and the outcome ate at Alvarez.

This time, Alvarez insisted things would be different. He would insert himself more into the gameplan as the interim coach. He would take charge during critical moments of the game. He would lead in the way he had when he won eight bowl games during his Hall of Fame career.

"I'll tell you the difference that I noticed in preparation was that we were so much more confident because coach Alvarez is a winner, he doesn't take any nonsense and he makes the right calls," Badgers linebacker Derek Landisch said. "He makes the gutsy calls, too. You saw on all the fourth downs where we went for it, he's a great coach and we're just so lucky to have him."

Alvarez did indeed have a hand in all of the team's fourth-down decisions. He bypassed a potential game-tying 50-yard field goal on fourth-and-5 in the final minutes, and quarterback Joel Stave connected with tight end Sam Arneson for a first down. Kicker Rafael Gaglianone ultimately buried a 29-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime.

Stave did not play particularly well, finishing his day completing 14 of 27 passes for 121 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. But he also made the plays necessary to keep the Badgers in the game during the fourth quarter and overtime.

"The first three quarters weren't my day," Stave said. "But it's a team game. That's why we've got a good running game like that. The way they were able to keep us in it, give us an opportunity to win, I needed to tell myself to get it out of your mind and make the plays you need to make in the end."

Wisconsin's defense then held strong against Auburn (8-5). The Badgers snuffed Tigers tailback Cameron Artis-Payne for a 2-yard loss and allowed two passes for a total of minus-one yard. All of it set up Carlson's field goal, whose miss came after he drilled a 51-yarder earlier in the game.In the extra session, Wisconsin (11-3) took possession first and quickly created a first-and-goal at the 9-yard line. But the Badgers gained only two more yards and had to settle for Gaglianone's 25-yard field goal.

Badgers tailback Melvin Gordon, a redshirt junior playing his last game before entering the NFL Draft, was named the game's most valuable player after capping his career with an Outback Bowl-record 251 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Gordon climbed to second on the single-season rushing list with 2,587 yards and finished behind only Barry Sanders' 2,628 yards set at Oklahoma State in 1988.

Earlier in the week, Artis-Payne suggested Gordon would not have been a 2,000-yard rusher had he played in the Southeastern Conference while alleging Wisconsin played easier opponents such as "Illinois, Northwesternand Purdue." Those comments made their way back to Gordon, who took notice.

"It had me a little fired up, I'm not going to lie," Gordon said. "I had to bite my tongue a little bit when I heard it. You've just got to step up to the plate, and I think I did that."

So did the rest of Wisconsin's team when it mattered most, which paved the way for a celebration players likely will never forget.

"None of these seniors will play another college football game, and we won our last one," Havenstein said. "It is a special thing to end it on a high note."