Bucky's 5th Quarter - Cotton Bowl 2017: Wisconsin defeats Western MichiganWelcome to the unofficial online tavern of the Wisconsin Badgers. Please seat yourself.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47803/buckys-fave.png2017-01-05T10:46:53-06:00http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/rss/stream/137140572017-01-05T10:46:53-06:002017-01-05T10:46:53-06:00Cotton Bowl game balls, plays of the game
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<img alt="NCAA FOOTBALL: JAN 02 Cotton Bowl - Western Michigan v Wisconsin" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2P8syQB9jC95uYYeLO-BswbMDYw=/0x0:3246x2164/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52608503/630990612.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The Badgers appear in fine shape entering next season.</p> <p id="KoI391">Welcome back to another session of the B5Q roundtable.</p>
<p id="wdX9nM">The <a href="https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/">Wisconsin Badgers</a> defeated the previously undefeated <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/western-michigan-broncos">Western Michigan Broncos</a> 24-16 <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/13/13950016/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-pj-fleck">in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic</a> on Monday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.</p>
<p id="hhWmD6">Wisconsin (11-3) held Western Michigan (13-1) to season lows in total yards and points while receiving solid production from its redshirt junior tight end and outgoing redshirt senior quarterback. Not to mention, UW won the turnover battle against one of the nation’s best programs in turnover margin.</p>
<p id="OyncZE">B5Q assembled its team of writers for a two-part discussion on the win and what it means to a successful 2016 season. <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/5/14162036/wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan-troy-fumagalli-paul-chryst">Part one</a> discussed the positives and negatives from the New Year’s Six bowl victory.</p>
<aside id="oV43TO"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"3 things we learned from Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148850/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-3-things"},{"title":"Grading Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win vs. Western Michigan","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14145990/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-grades"}]}'></div></aside><h4 id="v54e54">GAME BALLS: Who’s your MVP(s) for the Cotton Bowl?</h4>
<p id="u1Kwn5"><a href="https://twitter.com/RieseDraft">Owen Riese:</a> I’m gonna give it to Corey Clement. He didn’t have a ton of big plays, but in typical 2016 Clement form, he didn’t lose the Badgers yards and set the tone early with some big runs. One of the major leaders on this team, he finished his season off well.</p>
<p id="pSK1yR">Side note: After the game, lost in the pomp and circumstance of the moment, Clement walked alone to the end zone and was kneeling on and kissing the “W” in the end-zone paint and crying. You could really tell how much this win meant to him, capping off his career in Madison.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wisconsin player <a href="https://twitter.com/CoreyClement_6">@CoreyClement_6</a> overwhelmed with happiness after <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cottonbowl?src=hash">#cottonbowl</a> win. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pricelessmoment?src=hash">#pricelessmoment</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FOX17">@FOX17</a> <a href="https://t.co/BrOvpHaQqr">pic.twitter.com/BrOvpHaQqr</a></p>— Lindsey Basye (@LindseyMBasye) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyMBasye/status/816036823055159296">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wisconsin's Corey Clement clearly enjoying the Cotton Bowl win. <a href="https://t.co/VHNgHgresK">pic.twitter.com/VHNgHgresK</a></p>— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ben_Baby/status/816030797094387712">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p id="bChCQv"><a href="https://twitter.com/jonbei013">Jon Beidelschies: </a>Let’s give it to the secondary. After getting decimated by Penn State, they finally tightened things up on the back end. The defense looked rough much of the day, but Western Michigan had multiple drives of more than six minutes and somehow only managed two touchdowns and a field goal. The Badgers kept the talented WMU wideouts in front of them all day. When the Broncos got down 14 points and needed a quick strike, they made them eat nine minutes of clock, only scoring on a desperation throw and spectacular catch by Davis. This should be vindication for a unit that must have been smarting after the Big Ten <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/big-ten-championship-game">c</a><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/big-ten-championship-game">hampionship</a> game loss.</p>
<p id="hFWtbq"><a href="https://twitter.com/drewhamm5">Drew Hamm:</a> The Badgers have weaponized <span>Anthony Lotti</span>, and the rest of the Big Ten should be nervous. His punt that was downed at the three-yard line led to <span>T.J. Edwards</span> picking off <span>Zach Terrell</span>—but, uh, I’m not picking the punter as the MVP. Let’s give it to Edwards and also my buddy Tank who drove to Hudson, Wis., to pick up a case of Moon Man for the game.</p>
<p id="Bzd9Vo"><a href="https://twitter.com/JakeKocoB5Q">Jake Kocorowski:</a> I’m a broken record here, but have to give it to tight end Troy Fumagalli. He recorded six catches for 83 yards and a key touchdown in the fourth quarter. There’s a trust the former walk-on has with his quarterbacks. Four of his receptions went for first downs, and four also came on third-down throws. He did drop a possible touchdown before halftime that would have put the UW lead back up to 14, but he atoned for that with his leaping eight-yard grab early in the fourth quarter, and also started and ended the game off hot with two receptions of more than 20 yards on third-down conversions.</p>
<aside id="ROpoFr"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Troy Fumagalli’s breakout performances bookend 2016 season","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148612/troy-fumagalli-wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan"}]}'></div></aside><p id="ttP9sN">Honorable mention goes to Bart Houston. After a rollercoaster of a career, Houston finished his last game as a Badgers quarterback the right way: going 11-of-12 for 159 yards. His only incompletion was Fumagalli’s drop late in the second quarter. After being benched earlier this season, he worked his way into the quarterback rotation at Iowa and improved from there. I’m excited to see what <span>Alex Hornibrook</span> will do in 2017 and beyond, but Houston showed in the last few weeks that he could handle being a main player in the offense.</p>
<h4 id="rEnGNW">PLAY OF THE GAME: What play(s) held the most significance?</h4>
<p id="BvoOdh"><strong>Owen:</strong> I think probably the easy ones are the catches and pick, but honestly I’m going to say the dropped touchdown by Fumagalli, the only incompletion of the day for the Badgers (which is bonkers, by the way). If he catches that, the route is on, and it’s 21-7 at half and the Broncos are playing catch up in a big way.</p>
<p id="YdgVPW"><strong>Jon:</strong> True freshman Anthony Lotti’s punt that stuck inside the five-yard line early in the fourth quarter. It pinned WMU back against its own end zone, which led to a rushed throw that landed right in Edwards’s chest for an interception. Western Michigan had started to get some momentum and that sequence turned the game around. Lotti struggled a bit this year, particularly early in the season, but his punt made a huge difference in the win.</p>
<p id="vE7kYG"><strong>Drew:</strong> Stupid Jon picking the stupid play that I wanted to stupid talk about. *kicks dirt and walks away with hands in stuffed in my pockets* Bart Houston’s 16-yard completion on third-and-15 to <span>George Rushing</span> that set up the end-of-the-half field goal was a big play. It got <span>Andrew Endicott</span> into comfortable field-goal range and extended the lead going into halftime.</p>
<p id="PfvDLs"><strong>Jake:</strong> I’ll play Captain Obvious again and say Edwards’s interception. Edwards has been a consistent force in an ever-changing inside linebacker rotation due to injuries, and again led the team in tackles for the season—his second consecutive year doing so—and in the Cotton Bowl (10). Lotti’s punt was the “People’s Elbow” to Edwards’s “Rock Bottom;” that is, the set-up to the “finisher.”</p>
<p id="eueTx4">Edwards’s interception at a critical time set up Wisconsin’s offense deep in Western Michigan territory, with Fumagalli’s touchdown extending the lead again to two scores. </p>
<h4 id="lri068">What does the win mean for Wisconsin’s 2016 season as a whole?</h4>
<p id="4HmCRY"><strong>Owen:</strong> It caps off a great year and with the losses <em>relatively </em>small, it definitely breeds optimism for the future of the Badger program. Paul Chryst has the team and program in the right direction, the fence has been put back up around the state (the top five and six of the top seven prospects in the state according to 247 Sports are currently committed to Wisconsin) and the Badgers are hungry for more national respect, which they are earning seemingly every week.</p>
<p id="3xWC4b"><strong>Jon:</strong> The Cotton Bowl was a great statement win and critical for both the program’s and the Big Ten’s national perception. This was a smart, no-drama team all season long and the victory mirrors that. The Badgers came in, handled business, stayed the course when things got rough and got the job done.</p>
<p id="KDqx5h">With a neutral-site win against LSU, a road win against Michigan State (then-top 10), home wins against Nebraska and a pretty decent Minnesota squad, plus a New Year’s Six victory against an undefeated conference champion, this season is on paper better than just about anything Bret Bielema or Gary Andersen managed short of the 2012 and 2013 Rose Bowl seasons, which had generational talent at quarterback and running back, respectively.</p>
<p id="QQxyVF">I think the program is in better shape than it was under Bielema and Andersen. The Badgers have now won three straight bowls and a couple of other high-profile games. There is a mental resiliency about this team that was lacking under Chryst’s predecessors. I wonder how a Bielema-coached team would have handled Western Michigan’s counter-punching—after seeing Arkansas melt down at the Belk Bowl, I wonder if the Razorbacks would have wilted against the Boatrowers.</p>
<p id="XuNkQR">It’s hard to believe that coming into this season there was legitimate concern that Wisconsin might not even make a bowl. It’s really a testament to this squad and the coaching staff that they performed at a higher level than anyone thought they could.</p>
<p id="m87psO"><strong>Drew:</strong> The 2016 Wisconsin Badgers will be ranked in the top-eight at the end of the season. That was an amazing sentence to type. National perception of the Badgers is trending upward and multiple big wins (and close losses) against high-profile opponents have undoubtedly helped the Wisconsin #brand. I am interested to see if there is an uptick in recruiting and preseason rank heading into next year.</p>
<aside id="ie0LQP"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Where does 2016 fit among Wisconsin’s greatest seasons?","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/4/14152630/wisconsin-football-best-seasons-ever-paul-chryst-barry-alvarez-bret-bielema-gary-andersen"}]}'></div></aside><p id="wajcp7"><strong>Jake:</strong> Wisconsin showed it could match up with everyone it played and have a significant chance to win in every single contest. Many expected the Badgers to have seven or eight wins this season, and it’s hard to blame the pundits with the questions the program faced at key positions and looking on paper at the daunting schedule.</p>
<p id="gO6zVe">The win puts a cherry on top of a successful, overachieving season, one that could have been even greater if not for second-half collapses against Ohio State and Penn State. A berth in the New Year’s Six bowl showed that the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-playoff">College Football Playoff</a> committee thought highly of the Badgers, and there’s something special brewing in Madison.</p>
<p id="ZoXWrj">It also means Wisconsin, under the leadership of Chryst and his coaching staff, will be in every regular-season game it plays moving forward. The players bought in to his “one game at a time” mentality and quickly turning the page after both wins and losses. The program has taken on the shape of its head coach, and you can expect in future years the focus and drive this team displayed.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/5/14162632/wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-game-balls-play-of-gameJake KocorowskiOwen RieseDrew HammJon Beidelschies2017-01-05T08:59:53-06:002017-01-05T08:59:53-06:00Closing the book on Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win
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<img alt="NCAA FOOTBALL: JAN 02 Cotton Bowl - Western Michigan v Wisconsin" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eCRfyd-zrmczU0hdK0931ylxMF8=/425x387:3226x2254/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52606243/630990788.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>After a few days to revel in the victory, our staff convenes to break down the Badgers’ win over Western Michigan.</p> <p id="KoI391">Welcome back to another session of the B5Q roundtable.</p>
<p id="wdX9nM">The <a href="https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/">Wisconsin Badgers</a> defeated the previously undefeated <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/western-michigan-broncos">Western Michigan Broncos</a> 24-16 <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/13/13950016/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-pj-fleck">in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic</a> on Monday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.</p>
<p id="hhWmD6">Wisconsin (11-3) held Western Michigan (13-1) to season lows in total yards and points while receiving solid production from its redshirt junior tight end and outgoing redshirt senior quarterback. Not to mention, UW won the turnover battle against one of the nation’s best programs in turnover margin.</p>
<p id="i1wJFf">B5Q assembled its team of writers for a two-part discussion on the win and what it means to a successful 2016 season.</p>
<aside id="5g4TV4"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"3 things we learned from Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148850/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-3-things"},{"title":"Grading Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win vs. Western Michigan","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14145990/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-grades"}]}'></div></aside><h4 id="eCBUEt">THE GOOD: What went well for Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan?</h4>
<p id="7HyNNC"><a href="https://twitter.com/RieseDraft">Owen Riese:</a> The Badgers had a perfect balance in this game that kept an inferior but hungry Western Michigan defense guessing. The play calling was phenomenal, and the seniors played a huge part in their final game, which is always fun to see.</p>
<p id="O4Mvkl"><a href="https://twitter.com/drewhamm5">Drew Hamm:</a> The only incomplete pass was a dropped touchdown. I think that means the passing game (!!!) went well for the Badgers.</p>
<p id="OrEFXx">Can we also talk about that <span>Austin Ramesh</span> fullback sweep to salt the game away for a second? It was amazing and probably the most Wisconsin way to win a major bowl game. It’s good to be #onbrand for national TV appearances.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">There's a fullback play. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Badgers?src=hash">#Badgers</a></p>— Bucky's 5th Quarter (@B5Q) <a href="https://twitter.com/B5Q/status/816027192236920833">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p id="4gdsdp"><a href="https://twitter.com/jonbei013">Jon Beidelschies:</a> The Badgers executed their game plan and did not beat themselves. That sounds like damning with faint praise, but it is meant in the best possible way. Quarterback play was solid. The offense did not turn the ball over. The defense did not let <span>Corey Davis</span> or any of the other Western Michigan weapons beat them over the top. Special teams executed. Everyone played within themselves (#coachspeak), and the result was a high-profile win against a really solid team.</p>
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<p id="fkcdDX"><a href="https://twitter.com/JakeKocoB5Q">Jake Kocorowski:</a> I’ll go with the obvious pick: the play of tight end Troy Fumagalli. The former walk-on earned offensive MVP honors, and like he started his 2016 season with seven receptions for 100 yards, he ended it with a bang by leading the team with six receptions for a game-high 83 yards and that spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Five of his six catches went for either first downs or six points, and four of his receptions were on third down. Wisconsin found a mismatch against the Western Michigan defense, and it will be interesting to see what’s in store for Fumagalli in his senior campaign.</p>
<aside id="g1DM6y"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Troy Fumagalli’s breakout performances bookend 2016 season","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148612/troy-fumagalli-wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan"}]}'></div></aside><h4 id="4JSTZs">THE BAD: What didn’t go well against the Broncos?</h4>
<p id="zbg5PT"><strong>Owen:</strong> Despite the media being lazy and using old narratives, the offensive line still isn't very good (relative to former UW offensive lines). Left tackle <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/31/14136468/ryan-ramczyk-nfl-draft-grade-wisconsin-football">Ryan Ramczyk is a stud</a> and center <span>Michael Deiter</span> is good, but the rest are still developing and struggled at times during this game. I wouldn’t be shocked if any of the redshirted freshmen from this season push for and get playing time next season over these older guys.</p>
<p id="UAYdW4"><strong>Drew:</strong> *puts on national media member hat* “These brawny, corn-fed Wisconsin boys sure can move a pile and put a hurt on opposing defenses!” *Corey Clement stopped in backfield again* “Let’s just compare the Wisconsin offensive line’s size to the Cowboys. Holy cow! They’re huge!” *<span>Corey Clement</span> gains one yard after breaking tackle in backfield*</p>
<p id="vNhvw7">Also, wide receivers only caught three passes. On the other hand, wide receivers ran the ball quite well. Fumble luck was also not going Wisconsin’s way. *shakes fist at Lady Luck*</p>
<p id="jqCYAB"><strong>Jon:</strong> This is an extension of Owen’s point, but the running game really sagged at times. After starting the game with some explosive runs, WMU figured some things out in second quarter which shut down the internal run game. The edge was there, particularly early (god I love the jet sweep), but the internal push disappeared at long stretches, particularly in the second half.</p>
<p id="ZfdnF8">I’ll leave the in-depth analysis to the guys who know Xs and Os better than I do, but I don’t think this line ever really learned how to block the screen. Without it (and without the play action, which also disappeared repeatedly throughout the season) Paul Chryst’s toolbox was limited in shaking up the short-yardage game. </p>
<p id="dxKzBJ"><strong>Jake:</strong> I’ll agree that the offensive line didn’t necessarily play as effectively as I originally thought heading into the game (Western Michigan recorded eight tackles for loss and the run game stalled at times as mentioned earlier), but Wisconsin’s rushing attack has improved this season considerably and is a key reason why the offense has looked more dynamic since the Ohio State game.</p>
<p id="RcScbT">I’ll focus on two things: uncharacteristic penalties and third-down conversions. Wisconsin came in as the second-least penalized team in the nation after Navy. Against the Broncos, the Badgers were assessed five penalties for 35 yards. It ultimately didn’t matter, but three false starts against the offense could have stalled progress. The offensive pass interference negated a first down that could have had significant implications.</p>
<p id="3v5SAC">The Broncos converted five of 11 third downs, and though it was below their season average of 54.2 percent, Wisconsin gave up more than its average of nearly 27 percent allowed. WMU had three drives of over five minutes, two nearly nine minutes long.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/5/14162036/wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan-troy-fumagalli-paul-chrystJake KocorowskiDrew HammOwen RieseJon Beidelschies2017-01-03T06:52:18-06:002017-01-03T06:52:18-06:00Troy Fumagalli’s breakout performances bookend 2016 season
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<img alt="81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Western Michigan v Wisconsin" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NuDASeUxo-R1Wm8Q9fgpMghiDro=/0x0:3924x2616/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52566425/630811442.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Wisconsin’s tight end collected 13 receptions between the Badgers’ season opener and bowl win, 10 of which gave them a fresh set of downs.</p> <p id="j2GeXr">The saying, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” often applies to sports and to life in general. However, Troy Fumagalli proved Monday that how you start and how you finish a season can change its final outlook completely.</p>
<p id="jtO8dF">The junior tight end for the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers was the driving offensive force in two of UW’s biggest wins during the 2016 season: its first and its last.</p>
<p id="KIbqgw">Fumagalli turned in one of Wisconsin’s two 100-yard receiving performances in the opening game of the season, when the Badgers defeated the No. 5 LSU Tigers 16-14. Fumagalli hauled in seven receptions for an even 100 yards and his first six receptions. all went for first downs. His final reception moved the Badgers into field-goal range, which led to the eventual 47-yard, game-winning kick.</p>
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<p id="w86PYD">Almost four months to the date, the junior put up another game-changing performance Monday against No. 15 Western Michigan in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The Badgers (11-3) <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14146834/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-score-recap">went on to defeat the Broncos (13-1) 24-16</a>.</p>
<aside id="FUcuX8"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"3 things we learned from Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148850/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-3-things"},{"title":"Grading Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win vs. Western Michigan","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14145990/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-grades"},{"title":"Former, current, future Badgers react to Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14149046/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-reactions-corey-clement"}]}'></div></aside><p id="0erXgX">Fumagalli caught six catches for 83 yards and one score in the victory, garnering offensive MVP honors.</p>
<p id="QJZDPb">During Wisconsin’s opening drive, with the Badgers facing a third-and-13, Bart Houston found Fumagalli 20 yards downfield, where he made a miraculous one-handed (<a href="http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/138394/for-wisconsin-tight-end-troy-fumagalli-amputated-finger-is-no-big-deal">and four-fingered</a>) catch despite being held by the defender. The play moved the Badgers down to the 12-yard line.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">...and that's <a href="https://twitter.com/TroyFumagalli">@TroyFumagalli</a>'s four-fingered hand. <a href="https://t.co/I4hxlFwxrb">pic.twitter.com/I4hxlFwxrb</a></p>— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball/status/815988117001895936">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p id="loa5Xb">Three plays later, Corey Clement took a hand-off into the end zone for Wisconsin’s first score of the game. Clement finished his final game in cardinal and white with 22 carries for 71 yards and one touchdown.</p>
<p id="MA64FJ">In the waning moments of the first half, Houston looked to Fumagalli once more on third down in the back of the end zone, but he was unable to handle the pass and the Badgers would have to settle for a field goal.</p>
<p id="H8NuF7">Houston finished 11-of-12 for 159 yards. His only incompletion? Fumagalli’s drop.</p>
<p id="QxWQ5b">However, the junior would have a chance to redeem himself in the fourth quarter with Wisconsin up 17-10 following a T.J. Edwards interception, only the fourth of the year thrown by Western Michigan quarterback Zach Terrell.</p>
<p id="NvaYrB">Edwards earned defensive MVP honors in the game for his interception and team-leading 10 tackles.</p>
<p id="bcPQfv">The takeaway gave Wisconsin great starting field position on the Western Michigan 12-yard line. Alex Hornibrook then found Fumagalli in the back of the end zone, between two defenders, on third-and-6 for an eight-yard touchdown, his second score of the season. Following the extra point, Wisconsin was up 24-10.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Troy Fumagalli's leaping catch in the back of the end zone gives <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wisconsin?src=hash">#Wisconsin</a> a 24-10 lead! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CottonBowl?src=hash">#CottonBowl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnWisconsin?src=hash">#OnWisconsin</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WMUvsWISC?src=hash">#WMUvsWISC</a> <a href="https://t.co/BSAi4qVQyL">pic.twitter.com/BSAi4qVQyL</a></p>— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChatSports/status/816021837092102144">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p id="OMBiQG">Following the touchdown, Western Michigan went on nearly a nine-minute scoring drive to bring the game within a single score at 24-16 following a missed extra point.</p>
<p id="DRXsJI">The ensuing onside kick harmlessly ended up out of bounds despite Jazz Peavy being unable to corral it, allowing Wisconsin to take over with 3:27 left in the game on the Broncos’ 48-yard line nursing an eight-point lead.</p>
<p id="902kIx">Following back-to-back Clement runs, Wisconsin found itself in familiar territory, looking at third-and-8, essentially with the game on the line, with 2:35 left in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p id="F23FBp">Once again, Houston looked to Fumagalli and connected on a game-saving, 26-yard completion to help Wisconsin move the chains for a fresh set of downs. Three plays later, Houston and the Badgers went into victory formation to cap off the victory.</p>
<p id="QxONce">Between Wisconsin’s 2016 season opener and Monday’s bowl game, Fumagalli combined for 13 receptions, 183 yards and one touchdown. Over the 12 games in between those two, Fumagalli recorded 34 receptions for 397 yards and one touchdown, averaging 2.8 receptions per game and 33.1 yards per game.</p>
<p id="Zeg2wT">All-in-all, the junior hauled in 47 receptions for 580 yards and two touchdowns in 2016. Given his recent trajectory and improved year-over-year performance, Fumagalli could be in store for quite the season in 2017.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148612/troy-fumagalli-wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michiganRyan Mellenthin2017-01-03T06:05:39-06:002017-01-03T06:05:39-06:003 things we learned from Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win
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<img alt="81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Western Michigan v Wisconsin" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5KhsETbZXm4nGqx930hqtQaINaY=/0x946:3271x3127/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52566291/630811560.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>There’s a whole lot of good to take from the Badgers’ win over Western Michigan.</p> <p id="f0Sj0a">To parody the great Dr. Seuss’s <em>The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,</em> “Sink. Sank. Sunk!”</p>
<p id="Go0Sld">The No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers capsized the No. 15 Western Michigan Broncos’ 2016 season in their <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14146834/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-score-recap">24-16 victory in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic</a> on Monday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.</p>
<p id="F5XSPn">It was a game both sides of the ball won, with an offense churning out explosive plays on the ground and through the air while having exceptional quarterback play and a tight end who turned into a Man-Bear-Pig.</p>
<p id="7qqQiE">Defensively, Wisconsin (11-3) stymied the Western Michigan (13-1) offense into season lows for points (16) and yards gained (280). Multiple times, the Broncos fumbled and seemed to be in Lady Luck’s favor in recovering them, but the Badgers came up with one critical takeaway that P.J. Fleck’s squad couldn’t overcome.</p>
<aside id="GIpSJA"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Grading Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win vs. Western Michigan","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14145990/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-grades"},{"title":"Former, current, future Badgers react to Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14149046/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-reactions-corey-clement"},{"title":"Troy Fumagalli’s breakout performances bookend 2016 season","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148612/troy-fumagalli-wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan"}]}'></div></aside><p id="ewrlnz">Three things we learned from Monday’s New Year’s Six bowl victory:</p>
<h4 id="Yu5SxX">Troy Fumagalli is reaching “next great Wisconsin tight end” status</h4>
<p id="CxpJJl">The redshirt junior was named the Cotton Bowl’s most valuable player on offense, and it was well deserved as he caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. </p>
<p id="NX9C6E">“I tell you what, that tight end, he’s unbelievable,” Fleck said when asked about the Wisconsin passing attack after the game, according to <a href="http://CollegePressBox.com">CollegePressBox.com</a>. “I thought—we knew he was really good, right? But we don’t have some 6’3 safeties or anything really to contest with him. You see some of his catches were contested by Darius Phillips, and we put our best cover guy on him at different times.</p>
<p id="g9Ibzx">“Schematically, created some mismatches here and there that we felt, ‘Hey, we got a shot to be able to do this.’ But when you have a 6’6 tight end that has range like that, you got a quarterback as accurate as they have, two of them, that’s what happens. There were multiple catches he had that were contested, and we just didn’t come down it with.”</p>
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<p id="e7vy9e">It started with his one-handed catch on UW’s opening drive to move the chains on a third-and-13. Three plays later, senior running back Corey Clement found his way into the end zone to get the early advantage.</p>
<p id="bE2cN1">Though he dropped a sure touchdown at the end of the first half, he came back with key catches in the third quarter, then two critical receptions in the fourth quarter. His eight-yard touchdown from redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook atoned for his earlier mistake and extended the lead to 24-10.</p>
<p id="OqvaCn">On another third-and-long with under three minutes remaining in a one-score game, who ya gonna call? </p>
<p id="R81ZvO">Troy Fumagalli.</p>
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<p id="oMxM1F">Redshirt senior Bart Houston found his tight end once again, this time for a 26-yard gain to essentially put the game out of reach.</p>
<p id="U7UfsA">Fumagalli ended the season leading the team in receptions with 47, and will be looked upon again in 2017 as a play-making tight end that can not just be relied upon to move the chains in short-yardage situations, but also to create some opportunities downfield. In Paul Chryst’s pro-style offense, Owen Daniels, Travis Beckum, Lance Kendricks and Jacob Pedersen have all filled similar roles. Fumagalli could be the next in the line.</p>
<p id="ea4hif">“I’ve been really fortunate. We’ve had a number of really good tight ends at Wisconsin, and they’re all different,” Chryst said. “But ‘Fum’ has got the ability to be a matchup problem for a number of teams or a number of individuals if they’re playing him man, and he’s big. He’s skilled. He runs well enough and has a great knack to separate.</p>
<p id="6uRiHo">“I think another thing that’s important is our quarterbacks trust him, so he’s got a big reception radius, and he’s done a really nice job this year of continuing to develop as a blocker. And he was big today. It was fun to see.”</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Haven't seen a Wisconsin TE Take Over a Bowl Game like this Since <a href="https://twitter.com/TravisBeckum47">@TravisBeckum47</a> !!!!! Wow this kid is Baller...<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeeYouOnSundaysBuddy?src=hash">#SeeYouOnSundaysBuddy</a></p>— Aaron Henry (@AaronHenry7) <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronHenry7/status/816020806287368192">January 2, 2017</a>
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<h4 id="oQCGkE">Against an impressive offense, Wisconsin’s defense held serve and ended on the right foot</h4>
<p id="XTyEKV">A lot of talk surrounded the matchup of the Badgers’ secondary against the NFL-caliber Corey Davis, the FBS all-time receiving yards leader. Wisconsin gave up nearly 400 yards and four touchdowns through the air to Penn State in early December, and Western Michigan came into the game averaging nearly 500 yards of offense and 43.5 points per game.</p>
<p id="bykdfF">“It’s not that we were sad or anything like that,” inside linebacker T.J. Edwards said when asked about bouncing back from the Big Ten Championship game. “We just wanted to get back out there and prove ourselves again, and I think our prep throughout the whole week was good, and it was just time to prove ourselves. I’m glad we could do that.”</p>
<p id="NmTJBp">Justin Wilcox’s defense—ranked second in the nation in rushing defense, fourth in scoring defense, seventh in total defense and ninth in pass efficiency defense—limited the Broncos’ offense to only 16 points and 280 yards.</p>
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<p id="yLfs25">Wisconsin’s secondary held Davis to six catches for 73 yards, including that 11-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter to trim the UW lead to 24-16.</p>
<p id="AneoBq">Quarterback Zach Terrell completed 16 of 28 passes for 157 yards with one touchdown pass and one rushing score, but also threw a critical interception deep in Broncos territory that set up the Badgers’ final touchdown.</p>
<p id="3qe3Zk">“It was just a force on my part,” Terrell said. “We had kind of talked about a certain situation in which if the safety did one, we’re going to try to hit Donnie [Ernsberger] in the seam. And he made a good play. And the ball is the program.</p>
<p id="dg2ero">“It’s something that coach Fleck has instilled in us since he first got here, and I didn’t take care of it. Costly error. Put the defense in a tough position, and Wisconsin did a tremendous job of capitalizing on it.”</p>
<p id="hClhk9">Edwards made the play, and Wisconsin was in business in the red zone. </p>
<p id="W3v8sz">“I think their quarterback was doing a great job all game of reading our eyes and getting the ball out fast,” Edwards said. “We just needed a play to spark it, and I am just glad I was able to do that.”</p>
<p id="6nynKj">The strength of this 2016 team, like its predecessor a year prior, was the defense. Its performance on Monday should wipe some of the sour, bitter taste out of the players’ mouths after that early December meltdown.</p>
<h4 id="QMbPs7">This was a special group of Wisconsin seniors</h4>
<p id="xGtrGk">The 41st victory in a four-year period for Wisconsin is the most in school history. For a team to succeed, its seniors need to be in position to contribute heavily and often. Despite this Badgers iteration only having 13 seniors, many made an impact in a season where six or seven wins was a widespread outside prediction.</p>
<p id="u3WGwT">Running backs Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale helped rejuvenate UW’s rushing attack (the latter doing his best a season prior as the lead back), outside linebacker Vince Biegel was the heart of the defense and harassed quarterbacks all year and defensive backs Leo Musso and Sojourn Shelton solidified a secondary that was a major question mark heading into the 2016 season.</p>
<p id="coVxi1">Wide receiver Robert Wheelwright combined with junior Jazz Peavy to provide a potent duo at that position, and tight end Eric Steffes was a major influence on those jet sweeps and helping the run game improve from 2015.</p>
<p id="r3RkSG">You can’t forget about the specialists, either. Long snapper Connor Udelhoven has been solid in that position since 2013, and kicker Andrew Endicott, despite some struggles midway through the year, performed admirably (13-of-19) in place of the injured Rafael Gaglianone.</p>
<p id="A2UKoS">The last one I want to mention is Houston. A once-heralded prospect, the California native endured coaching changes, a stint as a rugby-style punter and being a back-up for most of his career.</p>
<p id="2aj9WS">At the beginning of the 2016 season, he was named starter for the LSU game. He lost the starting gig after the Georgia State game, but worked his way back into the rotation for the Iowa game then on. He’s looked better since then, outside of the Nebraska game, and honestly has looked like the better quarterback in the UW platoon.</p>
<p id="zGFx8q">Houston finished his career going a nearly-perfect 11-of-12 for 159 yards against Western Michigan and, more importantly, as a winner. </p>
<p id="QXfRGQ">Wisconsin will have a potent team on both sides of the ball next year, but the contributions of those that will exhaust their eligibility after this game cannot be overstated.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148850/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-3-thingsJake Kocorowski2017-01-02T20:49:26-06:002017-01-02T20:49:26-06:00Former, current, future Badgers react to win
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Cotton Bowl-Wisconsin vs Western Michigan" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3yPM06cYA9nLvtlKhfkHyBQnhcM=/0x1144:2735x2967/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52563273/usa_today_9784419.1483411766.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Lots of love on social media from Badgers old and new.</p> <p id="FAUFSb">The No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers defeated the No. 15 Western Michigan Broncos <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14146834/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-score-recap">24-16 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic</a> at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Monday.</p>
<p id="F5XSPn">It was a team win for UW, with an offense churning out explosive plays on the ground and through the air while having exceptional quarterback and tight end play. </p>
<p id="caovY6">Defensively, Wisconsin (11-3) stymied the Western Michigan (13-1) offense into season lows for points (16) and yards gained (280). The Badgers came up with one critical takeaway against a program among the best in the nation in turnover margin, one that P.J. Fleck’s squad couldn’t overcome.</p>
<aside id="lUO9XB"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"3 things we learned from Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148850/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-3-things"},{"title":"Grading Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win vs. Western Michigan","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14145990/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-grades"},{"title":"Troy Fumagalli’s breakout performances bookend 2016 season","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148612/troy-fumagalli-wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan"}]}'></div></aside><p id="lQ1Zcd">Here are some of the reactions from current, former and future Badgers:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a senior class. Congrats to these <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Badgers?src=hash">#Badgers</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnWisconsin?src=hash">#OnWisconsin</a> <a href="https://t.co/jgotXAM8iO">pic.twitter.com/jgotXAM8iO</a></p>— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball/status/816033509785694208">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congrats <a href="https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball">@BadgerFootball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CottonBowlChamps?src=hash">#CottonBowlChamps</a></p>— Derek Watt (@DerekWatt34) <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekWatt34/status/816028176115593219">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you for everything Wisconsin! </p>— Corey Clement (@CoreyClement_6) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoreyClement_6/status/816055110367412225">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">My brothers <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CottonBowlChamps?src=hash">#CottonBowlChamps</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BurntheBoat?src=hash">#BurntheBoat</a> @ AT&T Stadium <a href="https://t.co/bcMZe1TO3s">https://t.co/bcMZe1TO3s</a></p>— Chikwe Obasih (@Big_Cheeks34) <a href="https://twitter.com/Big_Cheeks34/status/816067361010749440">January 2, 2017</a>
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</div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOx-VYegPEN/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">My brothers #CottonBowlChamps #BurntheBoat</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Chikwe Obasih (@bigcheeks34) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-01-02T23:43:14+00:00">Jan 2, 2017 at 3:43pm PST</time></p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I got it from here bro. Thank you! <a href="https://t.co/0Vn1K1L6Cb">pic.twitter.com/0Vn1K1L6Cb</a></p>— Dontye C. Williams (@D1c_era) <a href="https://twitter.com/D1c_era/status/816036888133980161">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Great way to start 2017 with the boys! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CottonBowlChamps?src=hash">#CottonBowlChamps</a> @ Cotton Bowl Classic <a href="https://t.co/VXZ9SQ4c9I">https://t.co/VXZ9SQ4c9I</a></p>— KP (@kyle_penniston) <a href="https://twitter.com/kyle_penniston/status/816051435238326272">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Did it for The Court <a href="https://t.co/Bnj2lgDDzP">pic.twitter.com/Bnj2lgDDzP</a></p>— KP (@kyle_penniston) <a href="https://twitter.com/kyle_penniston/status/816049904564969473">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Your boys are Champions <a href="https://t.co/3N9FaG1rDm">pic.twitter.com/3N9FaG1rDm</a></p>— Maverick (@AnthonyLotti15) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnthonyLotti15/status/816075303479025664">January 3, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Let's goooooo <a href="https://t.co/JSirzHoVs6">https://t.co/JSirzHoVs6</a></p>— Adam Bay (@LongSnapper42) <a href="https://twitter.com/LongSnapper42/status/816029491520618496">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="und" dir="ltr"> ⚪️ <a href="https://t.co/lf1gvYhX1m">https://t.co/lf1gvYhX1m</a></p>— Madison Cone (@_the_future21) <a href="https://twitter.com/_the_future21/status/816059742686679041">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Enough said!!!! <a href="https://t.co/pTLUGRAexP">pic.twitter.com/pTLUGRAexP</a></p>— Reggie (@reggiepearson21) <a href="https://twitter.com/reggiepearson21/status/816033712844525568">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Great way to end the season can't believe I will be a senior next year <a href="https://t.co/ddjQryFssE">pic.twitter.com/ddjQryFssE</a></p>— George Rushing (@trerush87) <a href="https://twitter.com/trerush87/status/816039694102396929">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="cy" dir="ltr">Cotton bowl champs!!!!!!</p>— Tyler Beach (@venomt57) <a href="https://twitter.com/venomt57/status/816027501382209537">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congrats to <a href="https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball">@BadgerFootball</a> and the group of seniors!! Big <a href="https://twitter.com/CottonBowlGame">@CottonBowlGame</a> win!</p>— Bradie Ewing (@bewing34) <a href="https://twitter.com/bewing34/status/816027645829910528">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Way to go <a href="https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball">@BadgerFootball</a>! Proud of this team and Coach Chryst. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cottonbowl?src=hash">#cottonbowl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnWisconsin?src=hash">#OnWisconsin</a></p>— Kevin Zeitler (@kzeit70) <a href="https://twitter.com/kzeit70/status/816027655237763073">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Congrats to the <a href="https://twitter.com/BadgerFootball">@BadgerFootball</a> Seniors. Way to FINISH Strong. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Badgers?src=hash">#Badgers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnceABadgerAlwaysABadger?src=hash">#OnceABadgerAlwaysABadger</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MadeAlumniProud?src=hash">#MadeAlumniProud</a></p>— Bill Ferrario (@Bill_Ferrario) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bill_Ferrario/status/816036346888392704">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The 2016 ILBs one last time. We'll see you next season <a href="https://t.co/jjCfXvlA2n">pic.twitter.com/jjCfXvlA2n</a></p>— Jack Cichy (@jackCICHY) <a href="https://twitter.com/jackCICHY/status/816053577634430976">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Whelp... took my first W of 2017 </p>— NEO (@JazzPeavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JazzPeavy/status/816036332531318784">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A pic under the confetti with my "left" hand man <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CottonBowlChamps?src=hash">#CottonBowlChamps</a> <a href="https://t.co/QylxYPkxuk">pic.twitter.com/QylxYPkxuk</a></p>— NEO (@JazzPeavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/JazzPeavy/status/816055033712279552">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">I swear this is more than a game I met one of the realist men out here <a href="https://twitter.com/KFlipBrookins8">@KFlipBrookins8</a> This my blood for life man. Good Luck in everything! <a href="https://t.co/uwaOv6bZFt">pic.twitter.com/uwaOv6bZFt</a></p>— Patrick Johnson II (@PjohnsonII) <a href="https://twitter.com/PjohnsonII/status/816055305532362752">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p id="hF3Mix">About that late touchdown by Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis...</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">lol I give up 1 play and all of a sudden I'm the worst DB to ever play & he had to earn that !</p>— Sojourn Shelton II (@_SDS8) <a href="https://twitter.com/_SDS8/status/816036686526345216">January 2, 2017</a>
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<p id="QUdYxj">And some breaking news, like literally...</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Now that the game is over, I want everyone to know I broke a chair at halftime when I sat down</p>— Dietzen (@DietzenJon) <a href="https://twitter.com/DietzenJon/status/816060757309816832">January 2, 2017</a>
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https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14149046/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-reactions-corey-clementJake Kocorowski2017-01-02T16:33:02-06:002017-01-02T16:33:02-06:00Grading Wisconsin’s win vs. Western Michigan
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<img alt="81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Western Michigan v Wisconsin" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9AaIiu6iEFEsRYYVMWX-t-m4ffQ=/184x128:2992x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52560779/630807356.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Troy Fumagalli came through big against the Broncos. </p> <p id="x8mOhW">For those of us <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/13/13930042/wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan-pj-fleck">hyped</a> coming into the Cotton Bowl, this game was a fun matchup. The MAC-champion Western Michigan Broncos entered the game with a 15-game winning streak, second-most in the FBS, while the 10-win Wisconsin Badgers looked to avenge <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/4/13831094/wisconsin-football-penn-state-big-ten-championship-grades">losing a 21-point lead</a> in the Big Ten championship game to Penn State.</p>
<p id="ygqSoc">The game lived up to the hype, with the <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14146834/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-score-recap">Badgers nabbing the high-profile win 24-16</a>. Let’s take a look at the unit grades.</p>
<aside id="pzAGlJ"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"3 things we learned from Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148850/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-3-things"},{"title":"Former, current, future Badgers react to Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14149046/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-reactions-corey-clement"},{"title":"Troy Fumagalli’s breakout performances bookend 2016 season","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148612/troy-fumagalli-wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="fweMPk">Offense: B</h3>
<p id="zK8Hgv">With redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook coming off of a <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/11/28/13765686/wisconsin-football-injuries-alex-hornibrook-head-concussion-penn-state">head injury suffered against Minnesota</a> in the final regular-season game, redshirt senior Bart Houston closed out his Wisconsin career with the start.</p>
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<p id="4Ta2Y1">Wisconsin had a huge first quarter, putting up 166 yards and two touchdowns. The Badgers led off the game with a 75-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by gashing runs and a superb catch over the middle by tight end Troy Fumagalli. After a stop, the Badgers followed with an 88-yard drive capped by a one-yard Dare Ogunbowale touchdown run. The offense bogged down to start the second half as the Broncos held onto the ball for large swaths of the third quarter, but they did just enough in the fourth quarter to win.</p>
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<p id="FG0G2U">Fumagalli (six receptions, 83 yards, one touchdown) was the story in the air. He caught a critical touchdown early in the fourth after the Badgers intercepted Broncos quarterback Zach Terrell, making up for a dropped touchdown late in the first half. His first-down catch with two minutes left in the fourth iced the game for the Badgers.</p>
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<h3 id="5YqeYe">Defense: B</h3>
<p id="mGRign">Coming into the game, we knew that something had to give as the Broncos were ranked sixth nationally in scoring offense, averaging 43.5 points per game, and the Badgers were fourth in scoring defense, giving up only 15.5 points per game. The challenge for Wisconsin was clearly 6’3, 213-pound receiver Corey Davis, a legitimate NFL prospect averaging over 1,400 yards receiving yards per season across the past three years.</p>
<p id="RD0gpm">Even though the Badgers were on their heels much of the game and Davis had 73 receiving yards and a touchdown, the defense came through against the high-octane Broncos.</p>
<p id="TQ2U48">After several stops to start the game, Western Michigan scored midway through the second quarter on a Terrell naked bootleg, capping a 16-play, 65-yard drive that ran a whopping 8:45 off the clock and featured both a fourth-down conversion and an overturned turnover call. The Broncos managed long scoring drives in the third and fourth quarters as well, the latter capped by a desperation touchdown heave by Terrell that was pulled in by Davis.</p>
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<p id="WwDuiG">Wisconsin missed out on a number of turnovers as Western Michigan put the ball on the ground a staggering five times without a Badgers recovery. The one turnover mattered, though, as T.J. Edwards had a huge interception at the start of the four quarter deep in the Western Michigan zone that led to Fumagalli’s touchdown catch. </p>
<p id="QSzKW6">The defensive line did a good job of getting into the Western Michigan backfield and tipping passes, but struggled to bring Terrell down, particularly in space when he broke containment. Surprisingly, the Broncos had success with runs up the middle, as WMU backs moved the pile and had several big gains.</p>
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<h3 id="OwHu5N">Special Teams: A-</h3>
<p id="5yxjiT">Kicker Andrew Endicott made a 30-yard field goal at the end of the first to keep the game at two scores. Kickoff specialist P.J. Rosowski landed four of five kickoffs in the end zone for touchbacks. Anthony Lotti stuck a huge punt inside the five-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter after the Badgers had a Fumgalli first-down catch overturned by an offensive-pass interference penalty. The Badgers covered up an onside kick with three minutes left; otherwise, the return game was silent.</p>
<h3 id="r0kgM3">Coaching: B+</h3>
<p id="7KhYfP">Wisconsin came out strong to start the game. There were large swaths of time where the offense bogged down or the defense was on its heels. The offensive play-calling was strong, though Wisconsin could have done more to open up the inside run in the second and third quarters. The defense looked uncharacteristically battered at times, but it limited Western Michigan to only 16 points. The Badgers were penalized five times for 35 yards, uncommonly high for them, but did not turn the ball over. </p>
<h3 id="T171Tj">Overall: B+</h3>
<p id="0eaZr3">You can’t grade for luck. In any other game, the Badgers would have recovered at least one of the fumbles, any one of which could have changed the complexion of the game.</p>
<p id="79l4tt">Wisconsin was clearly the better team and never got rattled when Western Michigan played it tough. The Badgers won the turnover battle and out-gained the Broncos both on the ground (184 yards to 123) and in the air (178 yards to 157). If Fumagalli catches the touchdown he dropped in the first half and the Badgers recover at least one of the fumbles, then the result is likely a blowout instead of a one-score game. All in all, it was a fitting end to a pretty darned good season.</p>
<aside id="LOkcqB"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Roundtable: Where does Wisconsin fit in the college football landscape?","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/5/13842442/wisconsin-football-penn-state-western-michigan-corey-clement-bart-houston"}]}'></div></aside>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14145990/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-gradesJon Beidelschies2017-01-02T15:46:47-06:002017-01-02T15:46:47-06:00Sink the boat: Wisconsin defeats Western Michigan in Cotton Bowl
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<img alt="81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Western Michigan v Wisconsin" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4e_L_XbTpTSaSDhDCVblXbbqAXs=/127x319:2649x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52560167/630807568.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Wisconsin caps a successful season with yet another bowl win.</p> <p id="Lhx5Bj">Wisconsin sunk the boat.</p>
<p id="eYtm2U">The No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers defeated the No. 15 Western Michigan Broncos 24-16 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Monday. </p>
<p id="vGKe1z">Tight end Troy Fumagalli caught six passes for 83 yards and one touchdown in a standout performance — earning the Cotton Bowl’s offensive most valuable player — with redshirt senior quarterback Bart Houston ending his collegiate career on top, completing 11 of 12 passes for 159 yards and guiding Wisconsin (11-3) to three of its four scoring drives.</p>
<aside id="2j58vV"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"3 things we learned from Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148850/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-3-things"},{"title":"Grading Wisconsin’s Cotton Bowl win vs. Western Michigan","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14145990/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-grades"},{"title":"Former, current, future Badgers react to Cotton Bowl win","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14149046/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-reactions-corey-clement"},{"title":"Troy Fumagalli’s breakout performances bookend 2016 season","url":"http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/3/14148612/troy-fumagalli-wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan"}]}'></div></aside><p id="10v7U0">The Badgers gained 362 yards altogether (184 rushing, 178 receiving), averaged seven yards per play and converted seven of 11 third downs while holding Western Michigan (13-1) to only 4.7 yards per whistle.</p>
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<p id="Fb6QyN">A Broncos offense gaining nearly 497 yards each contest was held to only 280 yards (123 rushing, 157 passing) by defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox’s squad. WMU came in eighth in the nation in scoring offense at 43.5 points per game, and UW held them to their lowest output this season in that category.</p>
<p id="hLrBTm">Inside linebacker T.J. Edwards, once a Western Michigan commit, led the team in tackles with 10 and intercepted a key pass early in the fourth quarter. He was named the game’s most valuable player on defense. Redshirt senior safety Leo Musso recorded nine tackles, with fellow safety D’Cota Dixon registering seven.</p>
<p id="COCfp8">Western Michigan stayed in the game throughout despite an early lead for Wisconsin, but an onside kick attempt and two first downs on the Badgers’ final offensive drive sealed the eight-point win.</p>
<p id="VoYn5f">Wisconsin took a 17-7 lead into halftime, with its offense rolling in three of its four series with Houston at the helm. The Badgers out-gained the Broncos 245-114, picking up 156 on the ground (WMU came into the game allowing 151.2).</p>
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<p id="5ENXmo">Wisconsin started off hot on its first drive, with nine of its 11 plays being runs. Seventy-five plays later—and with the help of a spectacular one-handed catch by tight end Troy Fumagalli—Corey Clement scored from two yards out to give the Badgers a 7-0 lead. Clement gained 42 yards on 11 carries through two quarters and finished the game with 71 on 22 attempts.</p>
<p id="8XXr4P">After stopping Western Michigan on its first series, Wisconsin continued its early dominance. Running back Dare Ogunbowale accounted for 45 all-purpose offensive yards on a seven-play, 88-yard drive that ended with the senior’s one-yard run to give the Badgers a two-touchdown advantage.</p>
<p id="lFxSR4">Western Michigan fought back in the second quarter, taking 8:46 off the clock with a 16-play, 65-yard drive culminating in a Zach Terrell two-yard bootleg for a touchdown. That cut the lead to 14-7. Terrell finished the game 16-of-28 for 157 yards with one touchdown and one interception.</p>
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<p id="U8IKbD">The Badgers answered back with a nine-play, 63-yard series with the help of a 51-yard jet sweep from redshirt junior Jazz Peavy. Houston completed five of six passes for 78 yards in the first two quarters and led the offense on all three of its scoring drives, and threaded the needle to Fumagalli in the back of the end zone, but the former walk-on dropped it. Andrew Endicott tacked on a 30-yard field goal to put Wisconsin up 10 points.</p>
<p id="Gv5gVY">The Broncos’ 11-play, 65-yard drive to start the second half ended with a Butch Hampton 27-yard field goal to close the gap to a 17-10 Badgers lead, but a key turnover in the Badgers’ favor early in the fourth quarter led to a much-needed touchdown.</p>
<p id="5ze9hD">Edwards intercepted a Terrell pass at the Western Michigan 12-yard line. Three plays later, redshirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook found Fumagalli for a leaping eight-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone. This time, the former walk-on held on to give the Badgers a 24-10 lead with over 12 minutes left in the game. Hornibrook and Houston ended the afternoon 13-of-14 for 178 yards, the model of efficiency and turnover-free football the Badgers needed to play against a Broncos program that came into the game leading the country in turnover margin (plus-19).</p>
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<p id="pT1sHY">P.J. Fleck’s squad wouldn’t give up without a fight, however. A nearly nine-minute drive ended with a prayer of throw from a pressured Terrell to NFL-bound Corey Davis for an 11-yard touchdown pass over cornerback Sojourn Shelton. Davis, the FBS all-time leader in receiving yards, ended the afternoon with six catches for 73 yards and the one score, but was mostly contained by the Wisconsin secondary. The extra point was no good, which kept the Badgers’ lead at eight points.</p>
<p id="JGS57O">With the onside kick heading out of bounds, the Badgers held the ball the last 3:27 with two critical first downs to ultimately run out the clock and secure the Cotton Bowl win. On a third-and-eight, Houston found Fumagalli once again for a 26-yard gain. Will 1:11 remaining, fullback Austin Ramesh ran for 10 yards on a third-and-six thereafter to put the game out of reach.</p>
<p id="i1LRQ5">Wisconsin now has won its third consecutive bowl game, with this senior class winning its 41st game, the most for a class in program history.</p>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14146834/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-score-recapJake Kocorowski2017-01-02T11:30:01-06:002017-01-02T11:30:01-06:00GAME THREAD: Cotton Bowl
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jBx41Zfc4oVAz1PociT9iwpTXVo=/4x0:4924x3280/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52557313/usa-today-9783994.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Gameday!</p>
<p>After several weeks off, Wisconsin is eager to redeem itself following the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/big-ten-championship-game" class="sbn-auto-link">Big Ten championship</a> debacle. The Badgers get their shot in the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/cotton-bowl" class="sbn-auto-link">Cotton Bowl</a> against Western Michigan, the undefeated MAC champion led by the coaching carousel's favorite coach, P.J. Fleck.</p>
<p>We've previewed the game from every angle—check our <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/13/13950016/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-pj-fleck">Cotton Bowl hub</a> for every article, and enjoy some of the highlights below. <a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14140898/cotton-bowl-wisconsin-western-michigan-tv-schedule-streaming-watch-live-online-odds">Viewing information for the game is right here</a>.</p>
<p>Otherwise, sit back, relax and enjoy what's hopefully a Badgers win to close out the season! On Wisconsin.</p>
<p> </p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/29/14112544/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-corey-davis-zach-terrell-corey-clement/in/13714057">Q&A: What to expect from Western Michigan</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/13/13930042/wisconsin-football-cotton-bowl-western-michigan-pj-fleck/in/13714057">4 reasons to be hyped for the Cotton Bowl</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2016/12/31/14122356/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-corey-davis-zach-terrell/in/13714057">Keys to a Cotton Bowl win: Containing WMU on third down</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/1/14135132/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-corey-clement-dare-ogunbowale/in/13714057">Keys to a Cotton Bowl win: Run the dang ball</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/1/14138686/cotton-bowl-2017-wisconsin-western-michigan-turnovers-special-teams/in/13714057">Keys to a Cotton Bowl win: Win the turnover battle, avoid special teams blunders</a></li>
</ul>
https://www.buckys5thquarter.com/2017/1/2/14144710/cotton-bowl-game-thread-wisconsin-vs-western-michiganMike Fiammetta