Grading No. 12 Wisconsin’s 38-17 win over No. 8 Minnesota.
Offense: A
Jonathan Taylor was responsible for three of Wisconsin’s five touchdowns but he was not the offensive MVP. That award goes to quarterback Jack Coan.
Coan was simply fantastic against Minnesota as he picked the Gophers secondary apart for a Big Ten season high 280 yards passing on 15-for-22 passing and two touchdowns.
Coan had a clean pocket to work with the entire game as he wasn’t sacked as his two biggest throws of the game came on Wisconsin’s opening possession in the third quarter.
Coan’s first throw resulted in a 31-yard completion to wide receiver Quintez Cephus on first and 10 from Wisconsin’s 9-yard line. Three plays later Coan once again connected with Cephus this time for 47 yards resulting in a touchdown to give Wisconsin a 17-7 lead.
Coan was certainly great for Wisconsin but Cephus certainly had a heck of a game too. Cephus was one of seven players to catch a pass but his five receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown were all team highs. It was Cephus’ second game this season where he went over 100 yards receiving.
Wisconsin certainly needed to have a strong passing attack against Minnesota considering Taylor was held to 76 yards on 18 carries and two rushing touchdowns. Taylor was also responsible for Wisconsin’s first passing touchdown of the game, which went for 28-yards. Wisconsin finished the game with 173 yards on 35 rushing attempts.
One of the unsung heroes from Wisconsin’s offensive performance was fullback Mason Stokke. Stokke finished the game with 44 yards of total offense as his three receptions were the second most on the team resulting in 30 yards. He also carried the football twice for 14 yards.