Bouncing back from a tough week against Iowa, redshirt senior Joel Stave earned the title of MVP this week by leading the Badgers on not one, but two game-winning drives. When Nebraska took the lead with 3:38 left on the game clock, there appeared to be little hope for the Wisconsin faithful. Stave responded by taking the Badgers down the field in quick and decisive fashion, utilizing multiple targets. It seemed the Badgers were a short field goal away from a road victory when sophomore kicker Rafael Gaglianone’s kick clanged off the upright on a failed 39-yard game-winning attempt with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter. The Badger defense responded with a quick three-and-out and got Stave the ball back with 1:03 left on the clock. Stave marched the Badgers back into field goal range, which ultimately led to a game-winning 46-yard redemption kick by Gaglianone.
Stave finished 24-of-50 for 322 yards passing. It was just the fourth time in school history a quarterback had attempted as many passes. The key to this week’s victory, in contrast to the previous week’s loss to Iowa, was Stave’s ability to protect the football. Despite dropping back to pass as many times as the Wisconsin quarterback was asked to, Stave and the Wisconsin offense didn’t commit a single turnover. Stave also did an excellent job of spreading the ball out, finding six separate receivers and completing passes to three different targets on three straight plays on the game-winning drive.
