ANDY BAGGOT Insider

BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider

MADISON, Wis. — If members of the Wisconsin football team were so inclined, the task of collecting bulletin-board material prior to the 2019 season would have required some fairly heavy lifting.

There was the USA Today power ranking that had the Badgers situated seventh in the Big Ten Conference overall and third in the West Division behind Iowa and Nebraska.

There was the Yahoo Sports power ranking that had Wisconsin finishing with five losses overall for the second straight year, something that hadn't happened since 2002 and '03.

There was the Cleveland.com poll of 34 writers who cover the Big Ten that had Nebraska winning the West Division and Iowa finishing second.

The biggest knock on the Badgers was their ultra-tough league schedule — cross-over games with Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State from the East — as well as trips to West contenders Minnesota and Nebraska.

But a rebuilt offensive line and a potential quarterback controversy — unproven junior Jack Coan vs. heralded true freshman Graham Mertz — also appealed to the skeptics.

The fact the Badgers underachieved in 2018 on the way to an 8-5 mark overall — they were veteran-laden coming off a 13-1 record in 2017 and "the top team in the West by a mile," according to one Big Ten analysis — was another point of contention.

Which made their Big Ten opener with Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium all that more compelling.

The Wolverines were the trendy pick to claim their first conference title since 2004 and finally validate all the hype surrounding the Jim Harbaugh coaching era, which began in 2015.

The fact Michigan was getting two of its best players back from injury — all-Big Ten offensive tackle Jon Runyan Jr., and wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones — was another reason for its fan base to be optimistic although lackluster non-league wins over Middle Tennessee State and Army tempered some of that.

"We're looking to go out there and make a statement," Michigan senior quarterback Shea Patterson said. "It's as simple as that."

Both clubs came into the duel having won their first two non-league games. Both were coming off bye weeks. Both were ranked in the top 15 of the national polls: Michigan No. 11 and the Badgers No. 13. Both were in a position to make a loud statement of their intentions.

"We want to be able to come back in on Sunday and be able to say, 'All right, this team is playing its best football right now,'" Michigan safety Josh Metellus said.

What transpired was a stunningly one-sided performance by Wisconsin, perhaps its most dominating effort in a 68-game series that dates back to 1892 and heavily favors the Wolverines (51-16-1).

The Badgers rolled to a 35-14 victory that wasn't nearly that close. They had five touchdowns and a shutout intact with 2 minutes, 7 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

"They had a better plan," Harbaugh said.

The Wolverines were 0-for-10 on third down, lost two fumbles and two interceptions and failed to access Wisconsin territory on nine of their 12 possessions.

"We were outplayed," Harbaugh said. "Outplayed and out-coached."

One play seemed to set the tone for the day. On the first possession of the game, the Badgers faced fourth-and-inches at their own 34-yard line. Instead of playing it safe and punting, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst unleashed his "Hippo" formation — senior offensive linemen Jason Erdman (328 pounds) and David Moorman (307 pounds) in the backfield — and had Coan hand the ball to junior all-America running back Jonathan Taylor. The 3-yard gain set up a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown march that featured 11 runs.

Badgers players weren't surprised by the gamble — they were 3-for-3 on fourth downs in the game — but they were inspired.

"The crowd loved it," Coan said. "The players loved it."

Wisconsin had never had a running back top 200 yards rushing against the Wolverines, but Taylor crossed that feat off the list with 203 on 23 carries, all highlighted by a 72-yard TD burst in the opening quarter.

Taylor notched his ninth career 200-yard outing despite a case of muscle cramps that kept him from getting a single carry in the second quarter. The Badgers didn't miss a beat, though. Senior Bradrick Shaw, junior Garrett Groshek and redshirt freshman Nakia Watson each had big-play runs on the day. Shaw had a 42-yarder, while Groshek and Watson turned in 23-yarders.

Perfect football games are impossible, regardless of level, but there are some eye-opening metrics that, in this case, suggest Wisconsin was flirting with one.

Turnovers? The outing marked the first time since 1994 that the Badgers didn't have at least one giveaway against Michigan.

Ball control? Wisconsin was 8-for-16 converting on third and fourth down and maintained possession for 41 minutes, 7 seconds.

Dominate the line of scrimmage? The Badgers finished with 359 yards rushing, its best showing ever against Michigan, and didn't allowed a first down on the ground on the way to holding the Wolverines to a season-low 40 yards rushing.

The game marked just the third time the Badgers defeated Michigan when both teams were ranked. The other times were 2017, when Wisconsin finished a program-best 13-1 overall, and 1993, when the Badgers reigned as Big Ten and Rose Bowl titlists.

"We want the world to understand who we are this year and what we're doing," Wisconsin junior offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen said. "If this game doesn't, then we'll prove it the next game."