BYU shocks No. 6 Wisconsin 24-21
Wisconsin’s College Football Playoff hopes might have been squandered in Week 3.
The sixth-ranked Badgers were upset at home Saturday by BYU, 24-21. The two teams played an evenly-matched first half and went into the break tied at 14, but an Alex Hornibrook interception set Wisconsin back early in the second half.
The Badgers forced BYU to punt to open the third quarter, but Hornibrook gave it right back by trying to force one to tight end Jake Ferguson on a third-down play. BYU’s Zayne Anderson stepped in front of the ill-advised pass and returned it to the UW 27-yard line.
Six plays later, BYU took a 21-14 lead on a Squally Canada touchdown run.
Wisconsin would tie things up early in the fourth quarter, but the vaunted Badgers defense gave the lead right back to the Cougars. On the first play of the ensuing possession, Canada reeled off a 46-yard run to put BYU into UW territory. That set up what proved to be the winning points, a 45-yard field goal by Skyler Southam with 9:58 to go.
The teams traded punts from there, but Wisconsin had one more shot. UW regained possession inside its own 10-yard line with 3:55 to go and Hornibrook, with his arm and legs, drove the Badgers deep into BYU territory. But things stalled at the BYU 24, and Wisconsin’s Rafael Gaglianone, a reliable fifth-year senior, came on for a tying 42-yard field goal try.
The kick sailed left, and BYU pulled off a huge upset.
What does this mean for the Badgers?
Well, Wisconsin’s going to fall out of the top 10 in Sunday’s AP poll. That’s small potatoes compared to the potential College Football Playoff implications of the game.
Wisconsin was considered a favorite for the playoff because of its favorable Big Ten West division. The Badgers do have to play Michigan and Penn State from the East, but splitting those games isn’t bad … if Wisconsin had gone 3-0 in the non-conference portion of its schedule.
Now that the Badgers are at 2-1, wins over both Michigan and Penn State may be necessary for playoff purposes. Plus a win in the Big Ten championship game. That’s a huge ask for a team that couldn’t dispose of a BYU team that lost at home to Cal in Week 2 and was 4-9 in 2017.
Remember: a two-loss team has never made the playoff.
The loss is also an indictment of Wisconsin’s offensive attack. Running back Jonathan Taylor is great and should be a Heisman contender throughout the season. The passing game has a hard time keeping up sometimes. Alex Hornibrook shined in Wisconsin’s Orange Bowl win over Miami at the end of the 2017 season but was a pedestrian 18-of-28 for 190 yards and an interception on Saturday. That interception is in the GIF above.
Concerns that a less-than-explosive pass game could hinder the Badgers in 2018 seem to be very valid. Wisconsin travels to Iowa in Week 4 to kick off Big Ten play. BYU, meanwhile, plays McNeese State in Week 4 before heading to Washington in Week 5.
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