Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28: Duke’s Mayo Bowl 2-minute drill

December 30, 2020
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

Wisconsin erased a 14-0 first quarter deficit and went on to beat Wake Forest 42-28 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday in Charlotte.

Game Balls

Offense: Graham Mertz

Mertz’s numbers weren’t big — 11 for 17 for 130 yards and one touchdown — but he didn’t make any mistakes with the football either. For a second straight game he didn’t throw an interception or have a fumble. In addition to his one passing touchdown, he also ran for a pair of scores on quarterback sneaks.

Perhaps his biggest play came when the Badgers were trailing 14-0 in the first quarter and had a fourth-and-1 on their own side of the field. Instead of punting, the Badgers counted on Mertz and the offensive line to pick it up on a sneak and they did. It led to the Badgers first touchdown of the day.

Defense: Jack Sanborn

Wisconsin’s defense gave up a ton of yards, 518 to be exact, but they made huge plays all day, including Sanborn. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles, had two tackles for loss and he tallied one of the four interceptions the Badgers had. He was part of a front seven that limited the Demon Deacons to 111 yards on the ground and just 3.2 yards per carry. For his efforts the linebacker was named the Duke’s Mayo Bowl MVP.

Special Teams: Jaylan Franklin, Devin Chandler

The Badgers trailed 14-7 when Franklin took advantage of a dropped snap by Wake Forest and blocked a punt inside the 10-yard line. He jumped on top of it and Wisconsin soon scored a touchdown to tie the game.

In the second half, after Wake Forest had taken a 21-14 lead, Chandler broke free for a 59-yard kickoff return, giving the Badgers excellent field position. Five players later they were in the end zone to tie the game once again.

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Wisconsin got a really nice trophy for its win over Wake Forest but it did not make it very long in the locker room. As Mertz was dancing among his teammates, the crystal ball on the top of the trophy fell off.

The Duke’s Mayo Bowl said it will replace it, though the Badgers did get creative in fixing it themselves.

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In Case You Missed It

— Wisconsin played without a host of starters on both sides of the ball. It included wide receivers Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor, left tackle Cole Van Lanen, right guard Logan Bruss and defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk.

— Redshirt sophomore Michael Furtney made the first start of his career at right guard.

— Former 5-star recruit Logan Brown replaced senior Jon Dietzen at left tackle in the second quarter.

— Nose tackle Keeanu Benton suffered a leg injury in the third quarter and was eventually taken by a cart to the locker room. He later returned to the sideline on crutches.

Inside the Numbers

4 — That’s how many interceptions the Badgers had. It tied a UW bowl record set three other times. All four interceptions came in the second half. Coming into the game Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman had thrown just one interception in the first eight games of the year.

13 — That’s how many turnovers the Badgers forced this year. They turned 10 of those into points, including three of them on Wednesday.

34 — That’s how many straight games tight end Jake Ferguson has caught a pass after catching one on Wednesday. The belief is that Ferguson will declare for the NFL Draft, meaning he’ll leave Wisconsin having caught a pass in every game he’s played in during his career.

19 — That’s how many seasons in a row Wisconsin has finished with a winning record, including this year’s 4-3 mark.

42 — That’s how many points Wisconsin scored. It’s the most the Badgers have ever scored in a bowl game.

What’s Next

Wisconsin players will get three weeks off before winter conditioning begins in Madison.