As expected, the battle between Wisconsin and Minnesota was intense and a tough fight for the first 30 minutes. Here’s how it happened:
Fast start for Gophers
After a scoreless drive from the Badgers to kick off the game, the Gophers got the ball and scored very quickly.
On first and 10, quarterback Tanner Morgan threw an incompletion to star wideout Rashod Bateman. Seconds later, Morgan went back to Bateman on a wide-open deep ball, scoring an easy 51-yard score to put Minnesota up 7-0.
It's gross out there in Minneapolis.
Someone forgot to tell @GopherFootball's lethal pass-catch duo. pic.twitter.com/v5QSMvzkV6
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 30, 2019
15 seconds without the ball, and the Badgers already trailed against their biggest rivals.
Badgers have answers
Initially, Wisconsin had a solid drive that turned into a disappointing three points, but the Badgers finally got some points on the board, cutting the deficit to 7-3.
After forcing a punt on the defensive side, Wisconsin answered with a seven play, 82-yard long drive, keyed by a major catch and run from Jake Ferguson on third down.
All-American Jonathan Taylor capped off the drive with a 28-yard touchdown catch, impressively catching the ball and falling backwards into the end zone.
Jonathan Taylor is good at football.
That's it. That's the tweet.#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/1Q0e90z0k7
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 30, 2019
Neither team was especially impressive, and each squad a lost a turnover, but nevertheless, Wisconsin played well enough to hold the halftime lead, and be just one half away from a Big Ten championship appearance against the Buckeyes.