Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: Game Grades, Analysis for the Badgers

The No. 14 University of Wisconsin Badgers punched their ticket to the Big Ten title game with an inspiring 34-24 comeback against No. 18 University of Minnesota at home Saturday afternoon.

After falling into a 17-3 hole, the Badgers battled back to make it a four-point deficit before halftime. Then, timely chunk-yardage runs by Melvin Gordon and over-the-top throws from Joel Stave led Wisconsin to a tight victory down the stretch.

It was far from a perfect performance from Wisconsin, especially in the first half. But there's plenty to build on as the Badgers prepare for Ohio State University. Let's take a look at their game grades.

Positional Unit	1st-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	B	A-
Run Offense	C+	B+
Pass Defense	A-	A-
Run Defense	C+	B-
Special Teams	B-	B+
Coaching	B	B+

Pass Offense: Neither Minnesota nor Wisconsin were known for quarterback play entering the game, but Stave made a name for himself. He went 11-of-18 with 215 yards and two touchdowns, with most of those passes coming in clutch moments when Wisconsin desperately needed to take momentum and the running game wasn't going.

Run Offense: Gordon was bottled up early by the Golden Gophers, but he ended with a serviceable 151 yards on 29 carries. The running lanes weren't there early, but they opened up in droves late. Corey Clement had a fantastic day in relief of Gordon, going for 89 yards on seven carries. Both had touchdown runs.

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Pass Defense: Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner had a day to forget passing the football. He went 5-of-18 with 95 yards for the entire contest. To make matters worse, 53 of those yards came on a single pass—and it was a short screen that tight end Maxx Williams did most of the work on. Wisconsin's secondary had a pretty easy day.

Run Defense: The Badgers didn't have any answers early for Minnesota running back David Cobb, who was a game-time decision before bursting through for a 40-yard touchdown in the opening quarter. But with Minnesota unable to throw the ball, Wisconsin loaded the box and kept the Golden Gophers to four yards per carry. 

Special Teams: A fumbled punt return directly led to Minnesota's first touchdown, but that was early enough of a blunder for Wisconsin to be able to rebound. After losing the field-position battle for much of the first half, the Badgers constantly pinned the Gophers back.  

Coaching: Without much of a running game early from Gordon and Co., the Wisconsin coaching staff smartly put Stave in positions to make things happen with the play-action pass. That proved to be a big game-changer. Minnesota could no longer load the box with eight to nine men, and Gordon started to take advantage late.