2013 Wisconsin Badgers football team


The 2013 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers, led by first year head coach Gary Andersen, were members of the Leaders Division of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium.

Recruiting

Watchlists and preseason awards

Rankings

Regular season

Massachusetts

Overall recordLast meetingResult
0–0––

The Badgers' first game of the 2013 season was a first for many. It was new Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen's first game and it was the first time the Badgers had ever squared off against the UMass Minutemen.
Wisconsin received the opening kickoff and marched right down the field and scored on a 4-yard touchdown run by quarterback Joel Stave. On the Minutemen's first offensive play, Wisconsin's linebacker Brendan Kelly forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow linebacker Ethan Armstrong. On the very next play, Joel Stave threw an interception. The Badgers managed a 21-yard field goal by Kyle French before the end of the first quarter for a 10–0 lead. After a UMass punt, Wisconsin missed a 40-yard field goal and then UMass missed a 47-yard field goal. On the second play of the next Badgers drive, running back Melvin Gordon sprinted down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown run. The Badgers led 17–0 at the half.
UMass started with the ball in the second half but after a three-and-out, the Badgers scored on their first offensive play of the second half with Joel Stave connecting with wide receiver Jared Abbrederis on a 65-yard touchdown pass. Another UMass punt and then three plays later running back James White scores on a 51-yard touchdown run. UMass then put together a nice drive that got down to the Badgers 38-yard line but Wisconsin CB Sojour Shelton intercepted the UMass pass. The Badgers took over at their own 22-yard line and five plays later they were in the end zone again with a 57-yard touchdown pass to Jared Abbrederis from Joel Stave. At the end of the third quarter, Wisconsin led 38–0. The Badgers would close out the scoring less than two minutes into the fourth quarter with a 23-yard touchdown run by true freshman running back, Corey Clement, his first career touchdown. UMass then used a 12-play drive to get down to the Badgers 33-yard line but failed on a fourth down conversion. A heavy dose of running the ball with Corey Clement help the Badgers run off the final seven and a half minutes of the game and giving Wisconsin a 45–0 victory.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
0–0––

In the Badgers' second game, they faced another opponent whom they had never faced in the school's history, the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles.
Tennessee Tech received the opening kickoff. On the second play of the game, the Golden Eagles fumbled and Badgers safety Dezmen Southward recovered at Tech's 22-yard line. Six plays later, Joel Stave connected with fullback Derek Straus on a 3-yard touchdown pass. It was Straus' first career start and his first career touchdown. After two Tech punts and a Wisconsin punt, the Badgers took over at their own 24-yard line just under seven minutes left in the first quarter. After a Melvin Gordon 5-yard run, Gordon ripped off a 65-yard run and was pushed out-of-bounds at the Golden Eagles 6-yard line. The very next play, Joel Stave hit Jared Abbrederis with a 6-yard touchdown pass giving the Badgers a 14–0 lead. The first quarter end after a Tech punt and the Badgers driving into Tech territory. At the start of the second quarter, the Badgers got down to the Golden Eagles 37-yard line but Joel Stave threw an interception that was returned to Tech's 39-yard line. After a Tech punt, a Wisconsin punt and another Tech punt, the Badgers took over at their own 48-yard line. It only took Wisconsin three plays to drive 52 yards and score on a 37-yard touchdown run by Melvin Gordon stretching the lead to 21. After a Tech punt and Wisconsin penalty on the punt return, the Badgers were backed up at their own 6-yard line with 1:49 left until halftime. The Badgers put together an impressive 11-play 94-yard scoring drive that only took one minute and 37 seconds. Joel Stave was 10–10 passing during the drive and capped the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brian Wozniak. The Golden Eagles then took the kickoff to their own 19-yard line and took a knee on the final play of the half with the Badgers leading 28–0.
The second half started with the Badgers receiving the kickoff. Wisconsin put together a scoring drive using 12 plays to go 76 yards. The drive was closed out by a James White 2-yard touchdown run but kicker Kyle French missed the extra point; the Badgers led, 34–0. Punt by Tech, punt by Wisconsin and punt by Tech again. The Badgers took over at their own 20-yard line and got to Tech's 42-yard line as the third quarter came to a close. Wisconsin then turned the ball over on downs. The Badgers just looking to run the clock down, true freshman running back Corey Clement eight times on the next drive and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run extending the Wisconsin led to 41–0. On the next Tech drive, Badgers redshirt freshman safety Leo Musso got his first career interception. On the very next play, Corey Clement scampered 75 yards for his second touchdown of the game. After a Tech turnover-on-downs, a Wisconsin missed field goal, the Golden Eagles ran the clock out and the Badgers start the season 2–0 after a 48–0 victory over Tennessee Tech.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
1–22010W 20–19

The Badgers' first road game of the 2013 season was against the Arizona State Sun Devils. The Badgers were 1–2 all-time vs. the Sun Devils and Wisconsin won the last meeting, 20–19, on September 10, 2010, in Madison.
The Badgers first road game of the season was a hot one as the game time temperature was 98 degrees. Arizona State's opening drive took them down to the Wisconsin 3-yard line but on fourth and two the Sun Devils went for it but failed. Both offenses struggled for most of the first quarter until the Sun Devils kicked a 34-yard field goal with 4:08 left in the first quarter. The Badgers then put a 10-play 73-yard drive together that took 5:22 and into the second quarter. The Badgers capped that nice drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass from QB Joel Stave to TE Jacob Pedersen. On the next drive, the Sun Devils had a three-and-out. Arizona State attempted to punt the ball but because of a bad snap, Wisconsin's DT Beau Allen recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown giving the Badgers a 14–3 lead. Arizona State answered right back with a 10-play 75-yard scoring drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by RB Marion Grice. The Sun Devils added a 19-yard field goal before the half cutting the Wisconsin lead to 14–13.
The start of the second half had the Badgers starting at their own 20-yard line. On the first play, Badgers RB Melvin Gordon lined up as a wide receiver and went in motion taking the jet sweep handoff 80-yards for a touchdown. This gave the Badgers a 21–13 lead. Arizona State the scored before the end of the third quarter on a Marion Grice 1-yard touchdown run but the 2-point attempt failed. On the next drive, Wisconsin extended their lead 24–19 with a 34-yard field goal by K Kyle French. Arizona State took the lead less than two minutes later on a Marion Grice 2-yard touchdown run but again failed on the 2-point try giving the Sun Devils a 25–24 lead. After a Badgers punt, the Sun Devils added to their lead with a 12-yard touchdown run by Marion Grice, his fourth touchdown of the night. Arizona State led 32–24 with 8:50 left to go in the game. The Badgers scored on their next drive chewing up over five minutes as Melvin Gordon scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. The Badgers attempted the 2-point conversion to try to tie the game but Joel Stave's pass was incomplete as the Sun Devils held on to a 32–30 lead with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Arizona State could not run out the clock as they got to about midfield where they were forced to punt. Wisconsin got the ball back at their own 17-yard line with 1:36 and the Badgers were out of timeouts. On third and four at their own 23-yard line, Joel Stave connected with WR Jeff Duckworth for a 51-yard catch and run that put the Badgers at the Sun Devils 26-yard line.

Controversial last play (kneel) of the game

After a couple more completions, the Badgers had the ball at the Sun Devil 13-yard line for 1st and 10. The Badgers were in possession of the football with 18 seconds left, hoping to kick a game-winning field goal. Upon the hike quarterback Joel Stave knelt in the middle of the field to center the ball for their kicker. Stave then placed the ball quickly on the ground after the play was blown dead by the referee. Replays showed that Stave did get his knee down for a brief second; however, Arizona State believed that it was a fumble, and ASU Anthony Jones dove on top of the ball, with the game clock running. At this point Badgers players signalled to the officials, pointing out the delay of game penalty by ASU due to Anthony being top of the football. Umpire Jack Folliard motioned to Stave acknowledging his knee, however the rest of the officiating crew allegedly did not see this signal. The umpire then spotted the ball after a significant delay, but told the Wisconsin offensive line to wait to line up, even though the clock continued to run. Finally, with approximately 2 seconds remaining, the umpire rushed behind the defensive line as Wisconsin tried to run a play to spike the ball and stop the clock but the clock reached zero before the ball was snapped and the game was over.
Initially after the game ASU coach Todd Graham stated "The quarterback put the ball on the ground while he was still standing up, he hadn't been tackled," and "So that should have been a turnover. That should have ended the game." And after watching the footage after the game he acknowledged the officiating error when he stated "You win or you lose. We won and let's move onto the next deal. Obviously, that was a very unusual deal."
The next day saw sports commentators and articles who reported on the "bizarre end" of the game in Tempe. Some even stated that Stave's knee did not touch the ground or that he crouched. This was later countered by other sports commentators, notably columnist Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports that the NCAA handbook states that one simply has to assimilate a kneeling motion.
Ultimately the Pac-12 reprimanded the officiating crew two days after the game ended, deeming that the officials had not acted with enough urgency during the end of the game. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott made a statement when announcing the reprimand; "After a thorough review, we have determined that the officials fell short of the high standard in which the Pac-12 games should be managed. We will continue to work with all our officials to ensure this type of situation never occurs again."
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
43–29–82012W 38–14

The Badgers first conference game of the 2013 season is against Purdue. The Badgers led the all-time series 43–29–8. The Badgers won the last meeting on October 13, 2012, 38–14 in West Lafayette.
The 2013 Big Ten season kicked off with the Purdue Boilermakers squaring off with the Wisconsin Badgers. Both teams started off a little slow as they exchanged punts on their first possessions. After another Purdue punt the Badgers took over at their own 5-yard line. Just 8 plays and 95 yards later, Wisconsin got on the board first with a RB Melvin Gordon 5-yard touchdown run. After another Boilermakers three-and-out, the Badgers struck again as RB James White scored on 70-yard touchdown run. At the end of the first quarter the Badgers led 14–0. Purdue then got on the board on a broken play where QB Rob Henry scrambled for a 22-yard touchdown run. On the next Wisconsin drive, QB Joel Stave's pass was intercepted by CB Ricardo Allen and returned to the Wisconsin 10-yard line. The Badgers defense was able to hold the Boilermakers to a field goal to make the score 14–10 Wisconsin. The Badgers then marched right down the field and scored on a Milevin Gordon 27-yard touchdown run. After another Purdue three-and-out, the Badgers again moved the ball with ease against the Boilermaker defense but stalled out and settled for a 32-yard field goal by K Kyle French. Wisconsin led 24–10 at the half.
Wisconsin opened the second half with the ball and once again marched right down the field and Melvin Gordon scored his third touchdown of the game on a 15-yard run. Wisconsin put some more points on the board late in the third quarter with a 27-yard field goal by Kyle French. On the first play of the fourth quarter, RB Corey Clement scored on a 5-yard touchdown run. With Purdue unable to move the ball and Wisconsin just running the clock down, the game was over by a score of 41–10. Wisconsin stuffed the stats sheet as they out gained Purdue 546 yards to 180 yards. Wisconsin out rushed Purdue by a clip of 388 yards to 45 yards. Wisconsin had 22 first downs, 10 more than Purdue.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
18–55–52012L 14–21

The Badgers first road conference game of the season is against Ohio State. The Buckeyes have dominated the all-time series against the Badgers with a record of 18–55–5. Ohio State won the last meeting on November 17, 2012, 14–21 in Madison.
The Badgers received the opening kickoff but after a three-and-out, they punted giving the Buckeyes the ball at their own 45-yard line. Four plays later, Ohio State was on the board first with a 25-yard touchdown pass to WR Evan Spencer from QB Braxton Miller. The Badgers and Buckeyes then exchanged punts. The Badgers third drive started at their own 10-yard line. Wisconsin put together an 8 play 90 yard drive that was capped off by a 36-yard touchdown pass to WR Jared Abbrederis from QB Joel Stave, that tied the game at seven. Ohio State answered on the very next drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to WR Devin Smith from Braxton Miller. The first quarter came to a close with the Buckeyes leading 14–7. On the next drive, Wisconsin got the ball down the Ohio State 11-yard line at the start of the second quarter. The Badgers attempted a 32-yard field goal that was missed by K Kyle French. For most of the second quarter, both team struggled to move the ball but with just under five minutes left in the half, the Buckeyes added to their lead with a 45-yard field goal from K Drew Basil. The Badgers then answered with a minute and a half left until half with an 11-yard touchdown pass to TE Sam Arneson from Joel Stave cutting the Buckeyes led to only three. Ohio State then drove the ball to the Wisconsin 40-yard line. On third down, Braxton Miller threw a deep ball that was under thrown. Wisconsin CB Sojour Shelton had a chance to intercept the ball but dropped it. It was fourth down and with eight seconds left until halftime. Ohio State head coach, Urban Meyer to go for it rather than try a long field goal. Brxtom Miller connected on a 40-yard touchdown pass to WR Corey Brown leaving only one second on the clock. Ohio State led 24–14 at the half.
For almost the entire third quarter, both teams struggled to move the ball. A couple of punts, a turnover on downs by Ohio State and a Wisconsin interception thrown by Joel Stave. Finally, Ohio State scored on a 1-yard touchdown pass to Corey Brown from Braxton Miller with 2:18 left in the third. The Badgers then took over and putting a nice drive together as the third quarter came to an end. On the last play of the third quarter, Badger RB Melvin Gordon was hurt and unable to return to the game. The Badgers would continue driving into Buckeyes territory at the start of the fourth quarter. Wisconsin would score on a 17-yard run by RB James White and getting the Badgers within 10. Three drives and three punts later, the Badgers got the ball back 4:38 left in the game. Wisconsin drove down to the Ohio State 24-yard line but the drive stalled there. On fourth and ten, the Badgers decided to kick a field to try to get within one score. Badgers kicker Kyle French then drilled a 42-yard field goal making the score 31–24. Wisconsin would try a "pooch" onside kick that went out of bounds at the Ohio State 34-yard line. With 2:03 left on the clock, Ohio State was trying to run the clock out. Wisconsin had all three of their timeouts left. Wisconsin stopped Ohio State on three straight runs and forced a punt. The Badgers would get the ball back at their own 10-yard line with 1:29 left in the game and no timeouts. After an incomplete pass on first down, Joel Stave threw a screen pass to James White. White fumbled but Stave would recover the ball for a seven-yard loss. Without any timeouts, the clock ticked down to 43 seconds before the Badgers could get lined up for third and 17. Stave then completed a 13-yard pass to James White bringing up fourth and four. White did not get out of bounds but an Ohio State player was injured stopping the clock. When play resumed, Stave's pass was incomplete on fourth down turning the ball over on downs to Ohio State and giving the Buckeyes a 31–24 victory.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
56–33–62010W 70–23

Wisconsin returned home to face Northwestern. The Badgers held a commanding all-time lead over the Wildcats with a record of 56–33–6. Wisconsin won the previous meeting on November 27, 2010, 70–23 in Madison.
After a week off, the Badgers returned home for homecoming to face the Northwestern Wildcats. The Wildcats started with the ball. On the fourth play of the game, QB Kain Colter threw and interception to CB Sojour Shelton. The Badgers then took over at their own 36-yard line. On the Badgers second offensive play of the game, WR Jared Abbrederis caught and 11-yard pass but fumbled. The ball was recovered and returned by Northwestern to the Badgers 39-yard line. Northwestern got down to the Wisconsin 3-yard line but they were unable to get into the endzone and had to settle for a 27-yard field goal by K Jeff Budzien to give the Wildcats a 3–0 lead. The next four drives all resulted in punts. On the fifth drive, Wisconsin started at their own 37-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Joel Stave threw a deep pass down the middle to Jared Abbrederis who got behind the defense and scored on a 63-yard touchdown catch giving the Badgers a 7–3 lead. After a Wildcat punt, the Badgers drove into Northwestern territory but Joel Stave was intercepted at the NU 18-yard line. The first quarter ended with the Badgers holding a slight lead, 7–3, Another Northwestern punt gave the ball back to Wisconsin. The Badgers then put together an 11 play 75-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by RB James White making the score 14–3 Wisconsin. The Wildcats would punt again and the Badgers would then drive to the NU 20-yard line but K Kyle French missed at 38-yard field goal. The Wildcats continued to struggle as RB Venric Mark left the game with and ankle injury and QB Kain Colter was in and out of the game with an ankle injury. Another Northwestern punt and Wisconsin would strike quickly again as the second play of the drive would lead to a touchdown by RB Melvin Gordon on a 71-yard run giving the Badgers a 21–3 advantage. Northwestern would punt and Wisconsin then tried to add to their lead with less than two minutes left until halftime. Joel Stave completed two passes to get into NU territory but his third attempt of the drive was intercepted by NU at their own 16-yard line with 47 second left until half. QB Trevor Siemian would drive NU into field goal range and NU got three points before the half on a 43-yard field goal making the score 21–6 at the half.
The Badgers started the second half with the ball and put together a 10 play scoring drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown pass to TE Jacob Pedersen giving Wisconsin a commanding 28–6 lead. The remainder of the third quarter would see both teams unable to put anymore points on the board as both teams punters got their work in exchanging five punts. The Badgers took over at the end of the third quarter and moved the ball into the NU red zone at the start of the fourth quarter. Wisconsin would score on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Joel Stave to FB Derek Watt scoring the final points of the game and making the score 35–6. Another NU punt, their 11th of the game. Northwestern's previous season high for punts in a game was five. Wisconsin would then chew up 8 minutes and 15 seconds before turning the ball over on downs at the Northwestern 30-yard line. The Wildcats got the ball back with only 1:16 left in the game. After a few rushing plays and NU penalty, the game was over with Wisconsin dominating the #18 ranked team in the nation with a 35–6 victory.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
36–36–72012W 31–14

The Badgers travel down south to Illinois. The all-time series is deadlocked with a record of 36–36–7. The Badgers won the last meeting on October 6, 2012, 31–14 in Madison.
The Badgers traveled to Champaign, Illinois, looking for their first road win of the season. The Illini started the game with the ball but ended up going backwards on their first drive and were forced to punt. The Badgers took over with great field position at their own 47-yard line. Five plays later, Wisconsin was on the board first with a 2-yard touchdown run by RB James White. After a three-and-out for the Illini, the Badgers struck again this time it was RB Melvin Gordon with a 26-yard touchdown run. On the next Illini drive, QB Nathan Scheelhaase fumbled on the first play of the drive and the Badgers DE Ethan Hemer recovered at the Illinois 8-yard line. Three plays later, the Badgers extended their lead with a 2-yard touchdown pass to TE Brian Wozniak from QB Joel Stave. Back-to-back three-and-outs for both teams gave the ball back to the Illini late in the first quarter. The Illini were driving the ball into Wisconsin territory as the first quarter came to a close, the Badgers leading 21–0. The Illini would continue to move the ball and got down to the Wisconsin 3-yard line but on third down, Nathan Scheelhaase was sacked by LB Derek Landisch. The Illini K Taylor Zalewski kicked a 31-yard field goal and got Illinois on the board. Wisconsin would punt on their next drive and then Illinois responded with a quick 4-play drive that was capped with a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Josh Ferguson. The Badgers would then extend their lead with a 10-play scoring drive with Melvin Gordon punching in a 1-yard touchdown run. Once again, Illinois would score on their next drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to TE Matt LeCosse from QB Aaron Bailey with less than a minute before half. The Badgers led 28–17 at halftime.
Wisconsin would come out of halftime running and score on the opening drive of the half with a 3-yard pass to James White from Joel Stave. Another three-and-out for the Illini and the Badgers would continue running their "Two-Headed Monster" of Gordon and White. The Badgers would score on a 13-yard run by Melvin Gordon. The Illini would then put together a 13-play 74-yard drive but on fourth and goal at the one yard-line but the Badgers stuffed Illini and took over at their one 1-yard line. The fourth quarter would begin with the Badgers trying to get out of the shadow of their own end zone. They would get the ball out to their own 17-yard line but they would punt the ball back the Illini. The Illini would take advantage of a short field and score on a Nathan Scheelhaase 1-yard touchdown run. The Illini would then convert a 2-point conversion. The Badgers would not let the Illini back in the game as they scored on the next drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by James White. Wisconsin would force a fumble and close out their scoring with a 5-yard touchdown run by RB Corey Clement. With both teams playing their backups, the Illini would score on a 29-yard pass to WR Spencer Harris from QB Reilly O'Toole. The Badgers would then use backup running back Corey Clement to run out the final 44 seconds for a 56–32 victory.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
42–42–22010W 31–30

Two straight road games for the Badgers as they faced off against the Hawkeyes. The all-time series is tied at 42–42–2. The Badgers won the last meeting on October 23, 2010, 31–30 in Iowa City.
Just before the game starting middle linebacker Chris Borland was ruled out. The Badgers would start with the ball. On the third play of the game, Wisconsin QB Joel Stave was hit as he attempted a third down pass. The ball fluttered and was off target and was intercepted by Iowa at the Wisconsin 49-yard line. Iowa was unable to capitalize on the turnover as they punted. The Badgers went three-and-out and punted into the wind. The punt traveled 23 yards and the Hawkeyes took over at the Wisconsin 39-yard line. Iowa got down to the Wisconsin 11-yard line but had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by K Mike Meyer. Once again, Wisconsin went three-and-out and punted a 27-yarder into the wind. Wisconsin's defense forced an Iowa three-and-out; Iowa would do the same and then again the Badgers. The first quarter would end with Iowa leading 3–0 in a defensive struggle. The Badgers would start the second quarter at their own 8-yard line. They would finally pick up their first first down of the game on the drive but would later punt. The Hawkeyes would put together a nice 13-play drive that chewed up almost six and a half minutes and got down to the Wisconsin 4-yard line but again Iowa would have to settle for a 22-yard field goal. The Badgers would answer with a 44-yard touchdown pass to TE Jacob Pedersen from Joel Stave. The Hawkeyes would get the ball with less than two minutes until the half. They would be forced to punt and Wisconsin took over at their own 42-yard line with 1:17 left until half. The Badgers got to the Iowa 36-yard line with one second left. Wisconsin K Jack Russell came out to attempt a 54-yard field goal with the wind at his back. Just before the ball was snapped, Iowa called a timeout but Russell kicked the ball anyway and the kick would have been good. Iowa would use another two timeout to try to "ice" the kicker. It worked as Russell's attempt was short and the Badgers led 7–6 at halftime.
Iowa started the second half with the ball but they would punt the ball to Wisconsin after three plays. Wisconsin would do the same as they punted the ball back to Iowa. The Hawkeyes drive the ball to the Badgers 35-yard line. On fourth-and-one, Iowa decided to go for it and failed as the Badgers defense stuffed the run up the middle. Still the Badgers struggled to move the ball on the Iowa defense and punted it back to the Hawkeyes. The Wisconsin punt was downed at the Iowa 1-yard line. On the first play, Iowa tried to pass out of their own end zone. The pass was intercepted by CB Darius Hillary at the Iowa 20-yard line. During that play Iowa starting QB Jake Rudock was injured and would not return to the game. On the very next play, Joel Stave connected with WR Jared Abbrederis on a 20-yard touchdown pass. Jared Abbrederis was injured on the touchdown catch and he would not return to the game. Iowa's backup QB C. J. Beathard would come in but failed to pick up a first down so they punted. Wisconsin tried to move the ball but two holding penalties forced them to punt. Wisconsin punting into the wind again forced a 23-yard punt and Iowa took over at their own 40-yard line. Iowa would again get into the red zone at the Wisconsin 12-yard line but once again they were forced to settle for a 29-yard field goal. Wisconsin would have the ball as the third quarter came to a close with the Badgers holding onto a slight 14–9 lead. The Badgers got to midfield put punted the ball back to the Hawkeyes. The Badgers would get pressure on the Iowa backup QB and forced a bad throw that hit off an Iowa helmet, popped up in the air and was intercepted by DE Pat Muldoon at the Iowa 25-yard line. Three plays later, RB James White scored on an 11-yard touchdown run. The Badgers defense forced another Hawkeye punt. Wisconsin took over at its own 24-yard line and on the second play of the drive, James White broke loose for a 59-yard run down to the Iowa 17. The Iowa defense tried to hold Wisconsin but finally James White punched it in with a 2-yard touchdown run giving the Badgers a 28–9 lead. With about and three and a half minutes left in the game, Iowa again drove into the Wisconsin red zone but failed on fourth down and the Badgers closed out the game with a kneel-down.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
0–11980L 3–28

The Badgers then face a rare non-conference opponent, the Cougars, in the second half of the season. The Badgers and Cougars have only played once on September 20, 1980, and the Cougars won 3–28 in Madison.
Wisconsin started the game with the ball. The Badgers put together an 11–play drive that ended with Wisconsin striking first with a 4-yard touchdown run by RB James White. The next two drives would all result in three–and–outs. The Badgers would get the ball back after an interception by quarterback turned safety Tanner McEvoy. BYU would take over after a catch and fumble by WR Kenzel Doe. BYU then put together their own nice 13–play drive but they would have to settle for a field goal. A Wisconsin three–and–out would give the ball back to BYU and the first quarter came to a close with Wisconsin leading 7–3. The Cougars would get the ball to the Badgers 32-yard line but they would put the ball rather than attempt a long field goal into the wind. Two plays later, the Badgers would again turn the ball over after an interception by QB Joel Stave. The Cougars would have very good field possession after the interception at their own 40-yard line but the Badgers defense would force a punt. Wisconsin would get down to the BYU 20-yard line but stalled there and settle for a 38-yard field goal by K Jack Russell, the first field goal of his career. The Badgers defense forced BYU to a three–and–out and Wisconsin would score just before halftime on a 5-yard touchdown pass to James White from Joel Stave. Wisconsin led 17–3 at the half.
BYU would start the second half with the ball but once again the Wisconsin defense would force a three–and–out. After a nice punt return by Kenzel Doe, the Badgers would start the drive at the Cougars 23-yard line. The BYU defense would hold the Badgers to a 26-yard field goal and giving Wisconsin a 20–3 lead. The Cougars would answer right back quick 6–play drive capped by a 34-yard touchdown pass to WR Cody Hoffman from QB Taysom Hill. A couple of stalled drive by both teams but Wisconsin would get the ball at their own 8-yard line after a 73-yard punt by BYU and were moving the ball into BYU territory as their quarter came to an end. The Badgers would score just over a minute into the fourth quarter on a 14-yard touchdown run by James White giving the Badgers a 27–10 lead. The next four drive would all result in punts. BYU would score after a 9–play 57 yard drive capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass to Cody Hoffman from Taysom Hill. BYU then forced the Badgers to punt and the Cougars would get the ball back with 2:12 left in the game and down by 10 points. BYU got down to the Wisconsin 25-yard line but ran out of time, Wisconsin won 27–17.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
39–18–22012W 62–14

Another home game and the return to Big Ten play as the Badgers face the Hoosiers. Wisconsin has owned the all-time series with a record of 39–18–2 against Indiana. The Badgers won the last meeting on November 10, 2012, 62–14 in Bloomington.
Indiana would start the game with the ball and move into Badgers territory. Indiana QB Nate Sudfeld then threw a deep pass that was intercepted by CB Sojourn Shelton at the Wisconsin 7-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage for the Badgers, RB James White ran 93 yards for the touchdown. On Indiana's second possession, a fumbled snap was recovered by OLB Brendan Kelly at the Indiana 14-yard line. The Badgers would score three plays later on a Melvin Gordon 1-yard touchdown run. Indiana was forced to punt and Wisconsin would settle for a 31-yard field goal by K Jack Russell. Another punt for the Hoosiers and the Badgers would again have to settle for a field goal, this time it was a 36-yard field goal by Jack Russell. Indiana would have the ball near midfield as the first quarter came to a close with Wisconsin leading 20–0. Indiana's drive stalled at about midfield and gave the ball back to Wisconsin. The Badgers would then be forced to punt for the first time of the game. After an Indiana three–and–out, Wisconsin took over at their own 7-yard line. The Badgers put together a very nice 9 plays 93 yard scoring drive that was capped with a 32-yard touchdown run by WR Jared Abbrederis. The Hoosier and Badgers would exchange punts as Indiana then closed out the half by running out the clock. The Badgers led 27–0 at halftime.
Wisconsin started the half with the ball and a big 61-yard completion to TE Jacob Pedersen from QB Joel Stave would get the Badgers down to the Hoosiers 2-yard line. Wisconsin was unable to get the ball into the endzone and they would have to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Jack Russell. Indiana then put together their best drive of the game, a 14 play, 70 yard drive but were unable to get into the endzone so they were forced to kick a 23-yard field goal. Once again both team exchanged punts. The Badgers got the ball back with less than a minute left in the third quarter. On the second play of the drive, Jared Abbrederis took a jet sweep handoff and ran 49 yards for his second rushing touchdown of the game. The Badgers led 37–3 by the end of the third quarter. A three–and–out for the Hooisers would then lead to another scoring drive for the Badgers, a 19-yard touchdown run by RB Corey Clement. Indiana's next drive would again stall right at midfield so they punted the ball back to Wisconsin. The Badgers started the drive at their own 17-yard line and they would use 9 plays to go 83 yards and score on a 21-yard touchdown run by Corey Clement. The Hoosier got the ball with less than two minutes left in the game. They ran the ball four times as time expired. Badgers would win 51–3.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
56–58–82012W 38–13

The longest rivalry in Division I FBS is Wisconsin vs. Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have a slight all-time series lead over the Badgers, 56–58–8. The Badgers won the last meeting on October 20, 2012, 38–13 in Madison.
The Golden Gophers started the game with the ball on a chilly afternoon in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The stout Badgers defense would get right to work forcing a three–and–out. Wisconsin's first offensive play was a 49-yard run by RB James White down to the Minnesota 12-yard line. The Gopher defense would hold up and force Wisconsin to kick a 31-yard field goal by K Jack Russell. Minnesota would then punt again after only three offensive plays. Wisconsin moved the ball to about midfield but were forced to punt. The Golden Gophers took over at their own 4-yard line and picked up a couple of first downs but once again had to punt. The Badgers then had their own three–and–out and punting the ball back to the Gophers who took over right around midfield as the first quarter came to a close. On the first play of the second quarter, Minnesota QB Philip Nelson threw a 9-yard pass to WR Maxx Williams but the ball the stripped by Badgers S Nate Hammon and recovered by LB Derek Landisch at the Badgers 32-yard line. Three plays later, Wisconsin QB Joel Stave threw and interception to Gophers CB Aaron Hill who returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. Wisconsin would move the ball into Minnesota territory but were forced to punt it back to Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were putting together a nice drive but on third down and 11 from the Wisconsin 36-yard line, LB Brendan Kelly hit the Gophers QB Nelson and forced a fumble that was recovered by Badgers LB Chris Borland. Five plays later, Wisconsin was in the end zone with a 1-yard touchdown run by James White. The Badgers defense moved the Gophers offense back and forced a three–and–out. The Badgers then used a 12 play drive and got down to the Minnesota 2-yard line but were forced to kick a 20-yard field goal by Jack Russell. The Gophers would take a knee to close out the half, Wisconsin led 13–7.
The second half started with the Badgers marching 83 yards on the Gophers and scoring on a 2-yard touchdown pass to WR Jared Abbrederis from Joel Stave. On the Gophers first play of the second half, RB David Cobb would stripped by Chris Borland and Borland would also recover the fumble. The Badgers had the ball at the Golden Gophers 26-yard line but could not get in the end zone. They tried a 38-yard field goal but missed. Minnesota would punt after unable to pick up a first down. The Badgers took over with very good field possession but would also punt the ball back to Minnesota. The Gophers picked up one first down but the Badgers defense again held firm and forced a punt that was returned by Jared Abbrederis down to the Gophers 33-yard line as the third quarter came to a close. Three straight incompletions by the Badgers would set up a fourth down where the Badgers tried a trick punt play that failed. A big 31-yard completion by the Gophers on their drive put them inside the Badgers 40-yard line. They could not pickup another first down and the Badgers defense held on a fourth down try by the Gophers. The Badgers would punt after three running plays. Minnesota would drive into the Badgers red zone but only to again be forced to turn the ball over on downs. The Badgers were then able to run out the final four minutes and 52 seconds and win their 10th in a row versus the Golden Gophers, 20–7.
Game notes
Statistical leaders
Overall recordLast meetingResult
9–72012L 21–24

The Badgers finished the regular season at home against the Nittany Lions. The Badgers lead the all-time series 9–7. Penn State won the last meeting on November 24, 2012, 21–24 at State College.
Penn State came out on the opening drive and scored on the fourth play of the game with a 68-yard touchdown pass to WR Adam Breneman from QB Christian Hackenberg. Wisconsin's first drive would result in a three–and–out. On the Nittany Lions next drive, they drove down to the Badgers 17-yard line but would have to settle for a field goal attempt. The 34-yard field goal attempt by K Sam Ficken was blocked by the Badgers. Wisconsin would take over but after one first down, they would again punt. Penn State would punt they ball back to Wisconsin after their own three–and–out. The Badgers then were driving into Penn State territory as the first quarter came to an end. The Badgers continued their drive and would score on a 4-yard touchdown pass to TE Brian Wozniak from QB Joel Stave. Another three–and–out for the Nittany Lions would lead to another scoring drive for the Badgers. This was after an 11–play drive for the Badgers which was capped with a 20-yard touchdown pass to WR Jeff Duckworth from Joel Stave. Penn State answered on their next drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to WR Eugene Lewis from Christian Hackenberg. Wisconsin then got to about midfield but were forced to punt. Penn State then ran one final play before halftime. The game was tied 14–14 at the half.
The Badgers started the second half with the ball but punted after three plays. Penn State capitalized as they would score on a 7-yard touchdown pass to TE Jesse James from Christian Hackenberg. Wisconsin's first drive of the half would end with the first turnover of the game. Joel Stave threw an interception that was returned to the Badgers 19-yard line. The Badgers would force the Nittany Lions to kick a 28-yard field goal giving Penn State a 24–14 lead. Back–to–back three–and–outs for both Wisconsin and then Penn State gave the Badgers the ball back at their own 34-yard line. Wisconsin was moving the ball to about midfield as the third quarter came to a close. After an 18-yard completion got the Badgers to the Nittany Lions 33-yard line, Joel Stave was again intercepted by Penn State. The Nittany Lions took over at their own 38-yard line and three plays later they were in the endzone again on a 59-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis from Christian Hankenberg. The Badgers next drive would end on a turnover–on–downs after Joel Stave was sacked on fourth and 23. Penn State would punt the ball back to Wisconsin after a three–and–out. The Badgers would then score after a 13 play drive that was capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass to Brian Wozniak from Joel Stave. Wisconsin would force Penn State to punt after three plays and the Badgers blocked the punt. They took over at their own 42-yard line. Wisconsin would get to the Penn State 30-yard line but they were forced to kick a field goal. Wisconsin K Jack Russell then kicked a 48-yard field goal to making it a seven-point game with just over four minutes left in the game. Wisconsin forced a Penn State to a third–and–nine at the Penn State 18-yard line but RB Zach Zwinak broke loose for a 61-yard run. He was tackled at the Badgers 21-yard line. Three plays later, Penn State would try a 31-yard field goal. The field goal try was missed and the Badgers took over down by seven with 31 seconds left in the game. Joel Stave completed two passes to WR Jared Abbrederis to get to the Penn State 41-yard line with 7 seconds remaining. Joel Stave then threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone but it was intercepted by Penn State with one second remaining. After a kneel-down, Penn State won, 31–24.
Game notes
Statistical leaders

South Carolina

Overall recordLast meetingResult
0–0––

The Badgers closed out the 2013 season playing in the 2014 Capital One Bowl against the Gamecocks on January 1, 2014. The Badgers had never faced South Carolina.
The game started with the Badgers kicking off to the Gamecocks. South Carolina picked up three first downs but punted after they went to the Wisconsin 36-yard line. The Badgers then picked up two first downs on their first drive but stalled at the South Carolina 30-yard line. Wisconsin lined up in a punt formation and attempted a fake but Badgers punter Drew Meyer's pass was incomplete. The Gamecocks' next drive resulted in a punt. On the Badgers next drive, QB Joel Stave was trying to throw away a pass into the ground as he was pressured but the pass deflected off a leg of his own lineman and into the hands of a South Carolina defender. On the very next play, South Carolina QB Connor Shaw threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to WR Bruce Ellington. The first quarter came to an end as the Badgers started their drive. Wisconsin answered with a 1-yard touchdown pass to TE Sam Arneson from Joel Stave. South Carolina then drove 86 yards on 12 plays and scored on a reverse throwback to the quarterback. Wide receiver Bruce Ellington threw a 9-yard pass to quarterback Connor Shaw. The extra point failed because of a low snap, then caused the holder for South Carolina to try to run for the conversion but was tackled well short of the goal line. The Badgers answered again on their next drive with a 16 play, 75 yard drive that used up over six and a half minutes. The drive was capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass to WR Jeff Duckworth from Joel Stave. After the kickoff and a South Carolina kneel down, the Badgers led 14–13 at halftime.
The Badgers took the opening drive of the second half and moved into the Gamecocks red zone but were forced to settle for a 35-yard field goal by K Jack Russell. South Carolina got the ball for their first second-half drive. On their first play, Connor Shaw scrambled for 8 yards but fumbled after he was hit by Badgers LB Derek Landisch. The ball was recovered by fellow Badgers LB Ethan Armstrong. Wisconsin started at the South Carolina 31-yard line but failed to move the ball into the red zone and were forced to try a field goal. The kick from Jack Russell was wide right from 42 yards. South Carolina then drove 75 yards scoring on a 22-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Ellington from Connor Shaw. On the first play of the Badgers' next drive, QB Joel Stave scrambled for 5 yards but was hit hard by a South Carolina defender. A few plays later after handing the ball off, Stave was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury. Taking over at quarterback for the Badgers was sixth-year senior Curt Phillips. The third quarter came to a close with the Badgers moving into Gamecock territory. On fourth and one from the South Carolina 26-yard line, Wisconsin decided to go for the first down instead to try a 40-plus-yard field goal. The Gamecocks' defense stuffed the Badgers and they turned the ball over on downs. Six plays later, South Carolina extended their lead with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jerell Adams from Connor Shaw. However, the Badgers struck quickly on the ensuring kickoff. Badgers kick returner, Kenzel Doe, returned the kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. The return was highlighted with a stiff arm that sprung Doe for the score. The Badgers were within three with just under 11 minutes left in the game. Once again, South Carolina would answer this time a 9 play 88 yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Connor Shaw on a QB sneak. The Badgers then took over and got to the Gamecocks 47-yard line before Curt Phillips was intercepted. With less than five minutes left, the Gamecocks took over. Wisconsin LB Conor O'Neill then forced a fumble that was recovered by CB Darius Hillary. The Badgers then moved the ball to the Gamecocks 16-yard line but again backup QB Curt Phillips was intercepted. The Badgers defense forced the Gamecocks to punt and the Badgers took over with 2:10 left in the game still down by 10 points. Wisconsin got to South Carolina's 17-yard line but the Badgers tried a trick play with a screen to WR Jared Abbrederis who then attempted to pitch the ball to RB Melvin Gordon but he mishandled the ball and fumbled turning the ball over to South Carolina. Two kneel-downs later and the game was over with a South Carolina victory over Wisconsin, 34–24.
Game notes
Statistical leaders

Roster

Team statistics

Passing

Note: G = Games played; COMP = Completions; ATT = Attempts; COMP % = Completion percentage; YDS = Passing yards; TD = Passing touchdowns; INT = Interceptions; EFF = Passing efficiency
Pos.PlayerGCOMPATTCOMP %YDSTDINTEFF
LBChris Borland1211100.02300293.2
QBBart Houston211100.0800167.2
PDrew Meyer13010.00000.0
QBCurt Phillips371450.0370243.6
QBJoel Stave1320833661.92,4942213138.1

Rushing

Note: G = Games played; ATT = Attempts; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average yard per carry; LG = Longest run; TD = Rushing touchdowns
Pos.PlayerGATTYDSAVGLGTD
WRJared Abbrederis13611919.8492
TESam Arneson131−7−7.000
RBCorey Clement12675478.2757
WRKenzel Doe111−17−17.000
WRJeff Duckworth10166.060
WRAlex Erickson1311212.0120
RBMelvin Gordon132061,6097.88012
RBJeffrey Lewis2320.710
QBCurt Phillips33113.770
QBJoel Stave1337−22−0.6101
FBDerek Watt12188.080
RBJames White132211,4446.59313

Receiving

Note: G = Games played; REC = Receptions; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average yard per catch; LG = Longest catch; TD = Receiving touchdowns
Pos.PlayerGRECYDSAVGLGTD
TESam Arneson136579.5202
WRJared Abbrederis13781,08113.9657
RBCorey Clement12199.090
TEBrock DiCicco1311616.0160
WRKenzel Doe117578.1110
WRJeff Duckworth101217614.7512
WRAlex Erickson13912714.1350
WRJordan Fredrick131010610.6190
RBMelvin Gordon13155.050
TEJacob Pedersen123955114.1613
FBDerek Straus73103.341
FBDerek Watt123206.7121
WRRobert Wheelwright12294.560
RBJames White13393007.7352
TEBrian Wozniak136335.594

Kick and punt returning

Note: G = Games played; PR = Punt returns; PYDS = Punt return yards; PLG = Punt return long; KR = Kick returns; KYDS = Kick return yards; KLG = Kick return long; TD = Total return touchdowns
Pos.PlayerGPRPYDSPLGKRKYDSKLGTotal Return TDs
WRJared Abbrederis131194350000
TESam Arneson130001990
WRKenzel Doe11161162620529911
CBSojour Shelton131−200000
RBJames White130001770
TEBrian Wozniak13000118180
SKyle Zuleger130008153270

Kicking

Note: G = Games played; FGM = Field goals made; FGA = Field goals attempted; LG = Field goal long; XPT = Extra points made; XPT ATT = XPT attempted; TP = Total points
Pos.PlayerGFGMFGALGXPTXPT ATTTP
KKyle French85842232438
KJack Russell1091348343461

Punting

Note: G = Games played; P = Punts; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average per punt; LG = Punt long; In20 = Punts inside the 20; TB = Touchbacks
Pos.PlayerGPYDSAVGLGIn20TB
PDrew Meyer13532,04538.658193

Defensive

Note: G = Games played; Solo = Solo tackles; Ast = Assisted tackles; Total = Total tackles; TFL-Yds = Tackles for loss-yards lost; Sack–Yds = Sack–yards lost; INT = Interceptions; PDef = Passes defended ; FF = Forced fumbles; FR = Forced recoveries
Pos.PlayerGSoloAstTotalTFL-YdsSack–YdsINTPDefFFFR
LBChris Borland1272391118.5–314.0–150212
SMichael Caputo133627633.0–70.0–00300
LBEthan Armstrong133318515.0–132.0–90202
LBConor O'Neill122418425.5–132.0–40110
SDezmen Southward132614403.5–70.0–01611
CBSojourn Shelton13315360.0–00.0–041110
LBBrendon Kelly122312357.0–214.5–180231
LBDerek Landisch101914332.0–111.0–100111
CBDarius Hillary13219300.0–00.0–01611
DEPat Muldoon131514294.5–192.0–121110
STanner McEvoy111314271.0–10.0–01500
LBVince Biegel13196253.0–142.0–90200
LBJoe Schobert131212242.5–131.0–80300
SNate Hammon12204241.0–81.0–80110
LBMarcus Trotter5914232.0–40.0–00101
NTBeau Allen131010202.0–131.5–130001
DEKonrad Zagezebski13109192.0–30.0–00000
DETyler Dippel12107170.5–10.0–00010
NTWarren Herring13107176.0–464.0–340000
SLeo Musso1378151.0–50.0–01100
DEEthan Hemer1376132.0–30.0–00201
CBPeniel Jean12130130.0–00.0–00400
SKyle Zulegar1366120.0–00.0–00010
CBJakarrie Washington1182100.0–00.0–00000
CBT.J. Reynard75380.0–00.0–00100
NTBryce Gilbert85271.0–81.0–80000
LBLeon Jacobs134371.0–50.0–00000
CBJerry Ponio132460.0–00.0–00000
WRA.J. Jordan133360.0–00.0–00000
KAndrew Endicott105050.0–00.0–00000
RBJames White134040.0–00.0–00010
CBDare Ogunbowale83030.0–00.0–00000
LSJames McGuire131230.0–00.0–00000
WRJordan Fredrick132130.0–00.0–00000
OLRob Havenstein132020.0–00.0–00000
WRAlex Erickson131120.0–00.0–00000
KKyle French81120.0–00.0–00000
PDrew Meyer131010.0–00.0–00000
WRLance Baretz30110.0–00.0–00000
DEJames Adeyanju30110.0–00.0–00000
SJoe Ferguson41010.0–00.0–00000
SMichael Trotter41010.0–00.0–00000
RBJeffrey Lewis20110.0–00.0–00000
RBMelvin Gordon131010.0–00.0–00010
LBJack Cichy41010.0–00.0–00000
WRKenzel Doe111010.0–00.0–00000
GKyle Costigan130000.0–00.0–00100

Regular starters

Note – Number of starts in parentheses
PositionPlayer
QuarterbackJoel Stave
Running BackJames White
Melvin Gordon
FullbackDerek Watt
Wide ReceiverJared Abbrederis
Tight EndJacob Pedersen
Tight EndBrian Wozniak
Left TackleTyler Marz
Left GuardRyan Groy
CenterDallas Lewallen
Dan Voltz
Right GuardKyle Costigan
Right TackleRob Havenstein

PositionPlayer
Defensive EndPat Muldoon
Nose GuardBeau Allen
Defensive EndEthan Hemer
Outside LinebackerEthan Armstrong
Inside LinebackerChris Borland
Inside LinebackerConor O'Neill
Outside LinebackerBrendan Kelly
CornerbackSojourn Shelton
Strong SafetyDezmen Southward
Free SafetyMichael Caputo
CornerbackDarius Hillary

2014 NFL Draft

2014 NFL Draft class

Fifth round compensatory pick

Signed undrafted free agents