Wisconsin wins Duke's Mayo Bowl, promptly shatters trophy in celebration
Wisconsin beat Wake Forest in Wednesday’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl, news that is perhaps of moderate interest to Wisconsin football fans.
Much more interesting is what happened after the Badgers’ 42-28 victory. Wisconsin took the celebration to the locker room at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. And that’s where tragedy struck.
Shortly after the conclusion of the game, images of shattered glass on the floor emerged thanks to reporters on the scene.
#Badgess might come home a tad empty handed... it appears Duke’s Mayo Bowl trophy is shattered 😂🤣😭 2020 man.. pic.twitter.com/S8XEv9D4Tg
— George Balekji (@GeorgeBalekji) December 30, 2020
Yes, that appears to be the Duke’s Mayo Bowl Trophy broken into countless pieces. Here’s what it looks like when it’s not scattered in shards on the carpet.
This is the trophy the Badgers will play for in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on December 30th. #PrettyCool pic.twitter.com/LKP64s8eFP
— Rookie1075 (@Rookieon1075) December 21, 2020
Whodunnit?
Details were initially sparse. Who was responsible for the calamity, and how did it occur?
Was senior linebacker Noah Burks — seen above looking forlornly at the base of the once-grand mayonnaise trophy — responsible for the deed?
The initial round of video evidence only documented the aftermath.
Adam Krumholz is all of us when there wasn’t any Mayo at the @DukesMayoBowl pic.twitter.com/RcIhwC2oCJ
— George Balekji (@GeorgeBalekji) December 30, 2020
But around 30 minutes later, the culprit emerged. The responsible party is none other than freshman starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who threw for 130 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in Wednesday’s win.
He took considerably better care of the football in game than he did the trophy after it.
How the trophy got broken. (Via @juliusdavis32) pic.twitter.com/0485w8G2YN
— Zach Heilprin (@ZachHeilprin) December 30, 2020
But wait. Was this an act of sloppy trophy security or poor craftsmanship?
Another angle suggests that maybe the trophy wasn’t put together so well and broke apart in Mertz’s hand — as opposed to an outright fumble.
😩 it was an accident @DukesMayoBowl pic.twitter.com/ZZcnQ9G49T
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 30, 2020
Or, perhaps, the trophy is designed that way so the crystal football can be removed from its base.
Either way, Mertz and Wisconsin were forced to improvise to salvage their coveted prize.
This is every third-rate bowl sponsor’s dream scenario.
cc: @OldTakesExposed https://t.co/k5eDgYOpAI
— Duke's Mayo Bowl (@DukesMayoBowl) December 30, 2020
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