Besides a few injuries, this past Saturday couldn’t have went any better for the #18 Wisconsin Badgers (8-2, 4-2) who took home Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the 8th consecutive year with a 42-13 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The Badgers now control their own destiny in the Big Ten Leaders division due to Purdue’s upset of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Nebraska’s courageous win over the Nittany Lions. All Wisconsin has to do is win out and their headed to Indianapolis for the first-ever Big Ten Championship game.
On top of all that, Badgers players were busy making a dent in the record book this weekend.
As expected, RB Montee Ball continued his torrid run of touchdowns with three against the Gophers. The third score gave Ball 27 touchdowns for the season, a single-season Big Ten record. He also broke a school record with 23 rushing touchdowns and has now scored two or more touchdowns in every game this season.
QB Russell Wilson is on a run like no Badgers signal caller has ever been on before. He threw four touchdowns versus the Golden Gophers and in the process became the UW single-season record holder for TD passes with 25 on the season. Additionally, Wilson became just the fifth quarterback ever from a BCS conference to amass 100 touchdown passes over his career.
13-for-13 for 162 yards and 3 touchdowns was what Wilson did in the first half of yesterday’s game, equating to a pass efficiency rating of 280.8 and a streak of 21 straight pass completions dating back to the Purdue game.
Wilson’s most impressive stat is his consecutive games with a touchdown as the senior now sits with 34 straight games with a score, two shy of Graham Harrell’s NCAA record. Wilson projects to break that record in the Big Ten Championship if the Badgers are strong enough to find their way there.
Next up for the Badgers is a trip to Champaign to take on a reeling Illinois Fighting Illini team who have lost their last four games after winning their first six.
What did you think of the Badgers record setting day? Will they make it to the Big Ten Championship Game for sure now that they control their own destiny? Let me know by commenting below!
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best.