PHOENIX – Wisconsin had a new coach on the sidelines, with the interim coach still in charge. The Badgers had several new players in key positions, including quarterback.
A long, sometimes difficult season ended in more adversity – and eventually in victory.
With a nearly annihilated 17-point lead, Wisconsin clinched one last defensive play to beat Oklahoma State 24-17 in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Tuesday night.
“It ended the way we wanted it to—we won,” said Braelon Allen, who rushed for 116 yards and scored on a 20-yard touchdown.
Luke Fickell, who was hired out from Cincinnati after a trip to last season’s college football playoffs, joined the team on the sidelines for the bowl game. However, he wasn’t there to headline the show; All decisions were left to interim coach Jim Leonhard.
Everything worked for the Badgers in the first half. The offense was balanced, the defense stifling as they built a 17-point lead.
In the second half, Wisconsin (7-6) got stuck on the slippery Chase Field turf and the defense began giving up chunk plays as the Cowboys rode their way back.
Cedrick Dort finally ended Oklahoma State’s momentum by intercepting Garret Rangel’s pass three minutes from time and preserving the Badgers’ eighth win in their last nine bowl games.
“That’s what I imagined from afar,” Fickell said. “And that’s what they’ve shown me over the last three and a half weeks: they want to be here, they want to do it together and they want to do it right.”
The Cowboys lost four of five to end the regular season and struggled offensively while falling to a 24-7 hole midway through the third quarter. Rangel had the lone offensive highlight in the first half with a big assist from Stephon Johnson Jr., who broke a couple of tackles to turn a swing pass into an 84-yard touchdown.
“We had the one big game, but otherwise we couldn’t sustain anything,” said Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy.
Rangel led Oklahoma State back, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns in place of Spencer Sanders, who entered the transfer portal.
The freshman improvised on a fourth goal, scooping a pass to Ollie Gordon while in the hands of a defender to open the fourth quarter and set up Tanner Brown’s 24-yard field goal to put the Cowboys at 24 -17 to pull.
With the momentum on Oklahoma State’s side, Rangel attempted to make a big play downfield after another Oklahoma State defensive stop in the second half. There it pulled back to the Badgers by cutting in John Paul Richardson for interception of the game.
“We came out here with a slightly reduced roster and new people were involved and we kind of had to find our way around,” Gundy said. “The boys trained hard for three weeks. I’ve had a great week of training out here so I was proud of it.”
THE TAKE AWAY
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys accelerated their offense a little too late to start the comeback, leaving Coach Mike Gundy tied seventh on the career list with nine bowl wins.
Wisconsin: The Badgers had a new coach on the touchline and several new players in key positions, including quarterback. Wisconsin clinched the win after its offense faltered, sending Leonhard off with a win.
IT’S THE WOLF’S TURN
Among the many changes Wisconsin faced was the quarterback after Graham Mertz, a three-year starter, entered the transfer portal.
The Badgers turned to fifth-year starter Chris Wolf, who attempted six passes before arriving in the desert.
Wolf had some early success with short passes and found Hayden Rucci in the second quarter with a 15-yard TD pass. He also threw an interception in the end zone on Wisconsin’s second drive and finished 16 of 26 for 116 yards.
“Chase played well. He controlled what he could control, he took shots and I never saw him bat an eyelid,” Fickell said.
NEXT
Wisconsin: Fickell will continue to fill out his staff and roster after losing several players who submitted to the NFL Draft or went to the transfer portal. Wolf will be back and will have the momentum on his side after winning a bowl game.
Oklahoma State: The bowl experience should help Rangel head into the next season, where he will be the starting quarterback as the front-runner. Most of the Cowboys’ skill players should be back, too.
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