Wisconsin football insider: What the Badgers' final two wins of Big Ten season say about team heading into bowl game

MINNEAPOLIS – A recap of Wisconsin’s 28-14 victory over Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday.

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Wisconsin finishes tied for second in Big Ten West standings

The Badgers finished the final Big Ten West season tied for second with Northwestern with a 5-4 record. After a disappointing loss to Northwestern on Nov. 11, wins over Nebraska and Minnesota during the final two weeks showed the character of the team. The victory also appeared to deny Minnesota a chance to become bowl-eligible, but Hawaii's win over Colorado State early Sunday morning helped the Gophers become bowl eligible despite their 5-7 record.

Turning point

Tanner Mordecai is perfect in late first-half drive

Minnesota had just responded to Wisconsin's first touchdown drive with an 11-play, 71-yard possession that ended with the Gophers' second score. The Badgers, and Tanner Mordecai in particular, wouldn’t be denied, though. The senior completed 4 of 4 passes and Wisconsin chewed up 75 yards in just 1 minute 52 seconds en route to an 11-yard touchdown pass to Will Pauling with 2 minutes 38 seconds left in the first half. The score loomed large in the moment because the Badgers were set to receive the second half kickoff. Wisconsin didn’t scored on that possession, but it did score twice in the third quarter to take control of the game.

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Hunter Wohler returns; Tanner Mordecai shows his pocket presence; Jordan Turner hustles for turnover

Safety Hunter Wohler was cleared to play Friday after appearing to suffer a concussion last week. He led the Badgers with 12 tackles.

Mordecai ran nine times for 69 yards, his highest total of the season and second-best effort of his career. Equally impressive was his pocket presence as he not only scrambled with success but also avoided the rush before getting off passes.

On the final drive of the first half receiver Chimere Dike appeared to tweak the right leg that caused him to miss the Indiana game, but he continued to play and drew a pass interference penalty that helped the Badgers score their fourth touchdown of the day. Dike, who caught two passes for 46 yards, ran an out-and-up pattern on the play and beat Za’Quan Bryan, who in trying to catch up, ran into Dike just as Mordecai's deep ball arrived.

Tight end Hayden Rucci is known more for his blocking than his receiving skills, but he made a twisting grab for a 25-yard gain on a third-and-4 play in the third quarter. That drive resulted in a Badgers touchdown.

Tight end Riley Nowakowski scored his first collegiate touchdown with a 5-yard reception at the end of the third quarter, but the junior actually had a hand in two of UW’s touchdowns. His block helped spring Braelon Allen for a 5-yard score, the Badgers' first of the afternoon.

The day was so good for the Badgers’ defense that it made a good play despite allowing a 30-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Jordan Turner came back into the play to force Daniel Jackson to fumble with 8 minutes 2 seconds left in the game. Njonmeta recovered the ball for the Badgers’ first turnover since the Ohio State game Oct. 28.

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Badgers get win but start slow again

Cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean was hit with two pass interference penalties in the first half. Both calls helped the Gophers score touchdowns.

Minnesota took the opening kickoff 72 yards in six plays for the game’s first touchdown. It marked the sixth time in the last seven games that the opponent scored first against the Badgers.

Wisconsin bowl projections: Is the Music City Bowl in the Badgers’ future?

The Badgers won’t know where they are headed for the postseason until after the conference championship games next weekend, but the early favorite among media-types is the Music City Bowl in Nashville.

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BADGERS TRENDING: James White, Wisconsin football fans react to Braelon Allen and the Badgers sinking PJ Fleck's 'boat' in 28-14 win over Minnesota

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin vs Minnesota: Turning point in Big 10 game, bowl projections