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Wisconsin falls on the road to Michigan State in double-overtime

The Wisconsin Badgers lose 34-28 in double-overtime to the Michigan State Spartans.

Matt Belz

In this story:

The Wisconsin Badgers (3-4 overall, 1-3 B1G) came into Saturday's matchup against Michigan State (3-4 overall, 1-3 B1G) shorthanded with a laundry list of notable injuries. 

However, in the end, Michigan State would find a way to take down the Badgers in an overtime thriller in East Lansing, 34-28. 

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Here is a breakdown of Wisconsin's narrow loss on a last-second reception by Jayden Reed. 

Contents

  1. Game Recap
  2. Players of the game
  3. Photos of the game
  4. Up next

Game Recap

After winning the pregame coin toss and choosing to take the ball in the second half, the Wisconsin defense came up with a quick three-and-out against the Michigan State offense. The defensive line came up with a pair of run stops and then the pass-rush got home for a big sack to give the Wisconsin offense the ball.

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen would help lead an early scoring drive for the Badgers. Allen had a 20-yard rush on his initial carry of the game and would find the end zone on a short dive from the one-yard line. Quarterback Graham Mertz completed a crucial third-down throw to Chimere Dike of 18 yards to put the Badgers into scoring position on the 11-play drive. 

Michigan State would respond with an extended drive of their own which featured a pair of Jayden Reed receptions and some hard running up the middle by Jalen Berger. However, the Wisconsin defense would come up with a huge goal-line stand on fourth down from the one-yard line to stop the Spartans without points. Safety Kamo'i Latu came up with the big tackle for loss to end the 14-play drive by Michigan State. 

However, Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz would throw an errant pass behind tight end Jack Eschenbach from his own end zone that leads to an interception by Michigan State defender Jacoby Windmon. 

From there, the Spartans would keep it on the ground, with former Wisconsin running back Jalen Berger running through the defense for a 12-yard touchdown to tie the game up. 

The Badgers would quickly get back in business on their next drive. Braelon Allen would break off a 34-yard run on his first carry, and then Graham Mertz would help propel the offense down the field with four straight completions and a 14-yard run up the middle of the defense. Braelon Allen would finish the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 14-7 in favor of Wisconsin. 

Following the short-yardage score, the Badgers would then force a Michigan State punt to get the ball back at their own 17-yard line. 

Michigan State defensive lineman Michael Fletcher would moments later be ejected from the game for targeting, but the Badgers are unable to convert a first down on third and one due to miscommunication between Graham Mertz and backup running back Isaac Guerendo. 

The Spartans could not find any traction offensively despite some solid starting field position and were forced to punt the ball right back to the Badgers with just under two minutes remaining in the first half. 

Wisconsin could not muster anything over the final seconds, taking a 14-7 lead into halftime. 

Wisconsin received the second-half kickoff, but the Badgers were unable to convert a first down, bringing out punter Andy Vujnovich. Michigan State return man Jayden Reed took it back 81 yards, but a blindside block nullified the return, giving the Spartans the ball on their own 17-yard line. 

A pass breakup by Wisconsin linebacker Maema Njongmeta would end the Michigan State drive only a handful of plays later, giving the Badgers the ball back.

Wisconsin's proceeding drive would stall out after four straight first downs, as Graham Mertz recorded three straight incompletions. However, punter Andy Vujnovich pinned the Spartan down at the three-yard line with a pooch punt. 

Michigan State would grab momentum with a 72-yard trick play. Quarterback Payton Thorne hit tight end Maliq Carr in stride for a huge chunk play. Michigan State running back Elijah Collins would cap off the 97-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run up the gut to tie the game at 14 points apiece. 

Wisconsin's offense would continue to struggle on the next drive, but a sack by outside linebacker Nick Herbig give the offense another chance. 

Starting at their own 24-yard line, it was more of the same for Graham Mertz and the offense as he is nearly intercepted by Dillon Tatum on third down. As result, Wisconsin had to punt the ball right back to Michigan State. 

The Spartans would take advantage. Two pass interference penalties on the Wisconsin defense gave way to a 29-yard touchdown throw from Payton Thorne to Keon Coleman to give Michigan State the 21-14 lead. 

Wisconsin return man Isaac Guerendo would set the Badgers up with stellar field position on a 45-yard kickoff return. From there, a 29-yard jet sweep by Skyler Bell on third and long would help move the Wisconsin offense inside the Michigan State 10-yard line. 

Quarterback Graham Mertz would find wide receiver Keontez Lewis in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown on fourth down to tie the game up at 21. 

Michigan State would move the ball quickly down into field goal range though, as Payton Thorne found Keon Coleman for a big gain. 

The Spartans would proceed to botch the attempt, sending the game into overtime. 

After Wisconsin won the toss and opted to give Michigan State the ball first, the Spartans threw a touchdown on the first play of overtime. On a trick play, wide receiver Jayden Reed went deep to fellow wide-out Keon Coleman for the touchdown. 

After Michigan State nearly intercepted a pass from Graham Mertz, Mertz responded with a touchdown throw to Chimere Dike on a crossing route for a Wisconsin touchdown to tie the game up at 28 points. 

Braelon Allen would put the ball on the ground his first fumble of the season on the next drive, and Michigan State would go back to wide receiver Jayden Reed on offense. 

Reed would end the game with a pretty touchdown catch in traffic to give the Spartans a 34-28 win. 

Players of the game

  • Kamo'i Latu (Wisconsin)

The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Wisconsin safety Kamo'i Latu played well once again for the Badgers. The junior out of Hawaii came up with a huge tackle for loss to come up with a fourth down stand on the goal line and added a game-high 13 total tackles for the game. Even with a massive club on his hand, Latu gave the Badgers a physical presence from his safety position. 

  • Jayden Reed (Michigan State)

Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed broke free on multiple occasions in the game. The senior out of Naperville (Ill.) finished the game with nine receptions for 117 yards, a passing touchdown, and the game-winning receiving touchdown. Reed also took a punt return back 80 yards for a touchdown, but the play was wiped away because of a penalty. 

Photos of the game

Braelon Allen / Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen reaching for the end zone against Michigan State. 

Graham Mertz / Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz dropping back to pass against Michigan State. 

Warmups / Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin wide receivers Koentez Lewis and Skyler Bell practicing finger-tip catches in warmups. 

Braelon Allen / Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen breaking a tackle on a first down run against Michigan State. 

John Torchio / Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin safety John Torchio pushing a Michigan State wide receiver out of bounds. 

Graham Mertz / Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz throwing on the run against Michigan State. 

Braelon Allen / Dale Young-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen running with the football in space against Michigan State. 

Up next

Wisconsin will head back home next Saturday, welcoming the Purdue Boilermakers to Camp Randall Stadium for a Big Ten West clash. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST and the contest will be aired on ESPN.

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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