Wisconsin started the second half with the ball, and one play later, started it with a touchdown. The Badger rushing attack that was shut down in the first half came to life with an 80-yard touchdown run by sophomore Melvin Gordon. It gave Wisconsin a 21-13 lead a mere 18 seconds into the third quarter.
After a three-and-out, ASU got the ball back on a muffed punt by Wisconsin. The Sun Devils took over at their own 33-yard line, and on the first play, redshirt junior Taylor Kelly threw an interception, giving the Badgers the ball at the Wisconsin 9-yard line.
Wisconsin moved downfield on the ensuing drive, but punted it from ASU territory, pinning the Sun Devils on their own 9-yard line. From there, ASU found some offense it had not seen in the second half.
The drive started with a Wisconsin pass interference call, and from there senior Marion Grice coupled a rush and a pass for a first down. Kelly hit redshirt senior Kevin Ozier for 34 yards, and four plays later, Grice ran in the 1-yard touchdown. A failed two-point conversion brought the Wisconsin lead down to 21-19.
After the kickoff, the Badgers moved the ball with ease, including a 35-yard rush by Gordon, and an 18-yard completion from sophomore quarterback Joel Stave to senior receiver Jared Abbrederis. The drive ended in a 34-yard field goal by Kyle French, giving the Badgers a 24-19 lead with 13:30 remaining in the game.
When ASU got the ball back, it moved downfield because of redshirt sophomore Jaelen Strong. Two consecutive receptions, one for 19 yards, the other for 24. Sophomore DJ Foster also hauled in a 20-pass. Another Badger pass interference brought ASU to a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line.
Grice ran his third touchdown of the day, giving ASU its first lead since the second quarter. After the second consecutive touchdown, ASU went for two by means of the pass, and failed to convert. ASU then led 25-24 with 11:40 to go.
After a three-and-out by the Badgers, ASU wasted no time in moving down the field again. Strong caught a huge third-down conversion, and from there, Grice ran in his fourth touchdown of the day. After kicking the extra point, ASU had a 32-24 lead.
From there, a little trickery aided the Badgers. A 23-yard fake punt extended the drive, and a 31-yard pass to Abbrederis put them within striking range. Gordon finished the job with a 1-yard touchdown run. A failed pass attempt denied Wisconsin the two-point conversion, and ASU held onto a 32-30 lead.
Stave hit redshirt senior Jeff Duckworth on the next drive. That put Wisconsin in field goal range down by only two. Wisconsin tried to set up its kicker, but Stave kneed the ball and time expired on the Badgers.
ASU held on to win, 32-30.
Be sure to check back later for reactions and analysis.
First half
In front of a raucous crowd, which included a packed and blacked-out student section, ASU went 72 yards in 13 plays in just under five minutes in its first drive of the game.
However, a fourth and goal attempt at the end of the drive failed as redshirt junior quarterback Taylor Kelly tried to hit redshirt sophomore wide receiver Kevin Ozier as he fell out of bounds juggling the ball.
Though the Sun Devils did not score, the risk didn’t prove too costly as the Badgers went three-and-out and had a near interception on third down, when sophomore quarterback Joel Stave threw the ball up for grabs while getting hit by redshirt senior defensive tackle Will Sutton.
Several three-and-outs later, the Sun Devils put together an eight-play, 34-yard drive that lasted almost three minutes and ended in a 34 yard field goal from freshman kicker Zane Gonzalez putting the Sun Devils up 3-0.
The Sun Devil defense proved early on that they could stop the Badger running game, so Wisconsin was forced to turn to the pass. It worked in their favor as Stave ended up moving the chains on several short passes, including an impressive shovel pass on third down and eight to senior running back James White.
The second quarter was a different story as Wisconsin came out and ran two rushing plays for 19-yards each. The rushes set up a 2-yard Stave touchdown pass to senior tight end Jacob Pederson, putting the Badgers on top 7-3 less than two minutes in to the quarter.
After another three-and-out, ASU was forced to punt, but junior punter Dom Vizzare could not handle a bad snap by sophomore long snapper Easton Wahlstrom.
The ball went over Vizzare’s head and he failed to cover it on the goal line so Wisconsin senior defensive lineman Beau Allen fell on it in the end zone putting the Badger’s ahead 14-3 with just over 12 minutes left in the quarter.
The Sun Devils countered with a lightning fast 3:32, 75-yard, 10-play drive that culminated in a 1-yard touchdown run by senior running back Marion Grice. Kelly went 5-for-5 passing and had 60 yards on the drive.
Wisconsin came right back with a 30-yard first down run by sophomore running back Melvin Gordon, but could not capitalize and ended up punting after Stave was drilled by redshirt spur linebacker Anthony Jones on third down.
Both defenses buckled down and forced back-to-back punts, but with 5:25 left in the half, ASU started a drive on its own 5-yard line that would prove to cut the deficit at halftime.
Kelly passed for 40 yards on the 13-play, 94-yard drive, while sophomore running back D.J. Foster had a 15- yard run, but it was two pass interference penalties called on Wisconsin that put ASU on the 5-yard line.
The Sun Devils were forced to settle for a 19-yard Gonzalez field goal, though, and the score at halftime is 14-13 in favor of Wisconsin.
Reach the sports editors at npmendo@asu.edu and justin.emerson@asu.edu and follow @NPMendoza and @J15Emerson on Twitter
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