BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin football team is working on an obscure, yet telling streak that's bound to shape its postseason destiny.
The Badgers have won their last 11 November road games against schools currently from the Big Ten West Division.
The run is significant when you know that No. 15 Wisconsin (7-2 overall, 4-2 in the Big Ten) plays two of its final three regular-season contests on the road vs. divisional foes.
One comes up Saturday at 11 a.m. against Nebraska (4-5, 2-4) in Lincoln. After hosting Purdue (3-4, 2-3) on Nov. 23, the second-place Badgers finish in Minneapolis facing front-running Minnesota (9-0, 6-0) on Nov. 30.
The 11-game winning streak began in 2010, which means it predates the divisional splits in 2011 (when the Big Ten became 12 by adding Nebraska) and '14 (when the league grew to 14 by annexing Maryland and Rutgers).
Over the last nine-plus seasons, Wisconsin has won three Big Ten titles ('10, '11 and '12) and advanced to the championship game three other times ('14, '16 and '17) due in large part to its ability to close things out in November.
Going back to 2010, the Badgers are 29-6 in November conference games and 17-2 in league road games.
During the Paul Chryst coaching era, which began in 2015, Wisconsin is 13-3 in November overall and 7-1 in November road games.
Here are five more things to know:
Say It Out Loud
Junior tailback Jonathan Taylor has played 36 career games for the Badgers and rushed for at least 100 yards in 29 of them. That's a loud statement to be sure, but a closer look shows Taylor has turned up the volume in another way. In the games immediately following his sub-100-yard efforts, Taylor, incredibly, has topped 200 yards rushing four times and is averaging 197 yards in the seven outings. His per-carry average in those games is 7.18. That's how you respond to a challenge. Go ahead and put that on Taylor's list of greatest hits.
Check List
Taylor needs 160 yards to pass two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin of Ohio State (5,589) and move into second place on the all-time Big Ten list for career rushing yards. First place belongs to Wisconsin great Ron Dayne (7,125). Meanwhile, Taylor needs 167 yards to surpass former Heisman winner Herschel Walker of Georgia (5,596) for most rushing yards by a player through his junior season. Taylor needs 224 yards to pass Donnel Pumphrey of San Diego State (5,653) for most rushing yards in three successive seasons.
Three of a Kind?
Six backs in Wisconsin history have multiple 200-plus-yard performances against the same opponent, but Taylor has a shot at becoming the first with a trifecta. His first two encounters with Nebraska produced outings of 249 and 221 yards with a per-carry average of 9.6 yards. Taylor also has a pair of 200-plus efforts vs. Purdue, including his career-best 321, and another meeting with the Boilermakers coming up. Dayne (Illinois, Purdue), Montee Ball (Purdue), Anthony Davis (Minnesota), Melvin Gordon (Nebraska) and Billy Marek (Iowa) also had multiple 200-yard performances against the same opponent.
Meaningful Milestones
Earlier this season, Chryst picked up his 47th career coaching victory at his alma mater to pass Dave McClain and move into the top five on the all-time list. Chryst was recruited by McClain to Wisconsin, lettering in 1986, '87 and '88. Next up, Chryst needs one more victory to hit 50 and move within two of tying Milt Bruhn. Chryst's father, George, played for Bruhn, lettering in 1957 and '58. Barry Alvarez (119), Bret Bielema (68) and Phil King (65) represent the top three.
A Slice of History
Seven Football Bowl Subdivision programs have 900 victories and the Badgers have contributed to each win total, including the 901 won by Nebraska. They are 16-51-1 vs. Michigan (960 wins); 18-60-5 vs. Ohio State (920); 0-1 vs. Texas (914); 1-1 vs. Alabama (913); 0-2 vs. Oklahoma (904); and 6-8-2 vs. Notre Dame (904). Wisconsin's only winning record against members of the 900 Club is its 9-4 mark vs. the Cornhuskers.
