Badger Football Wins “Duke’s Mayo Bowl” Over Wake Forest

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: 

Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28

–Graham Mertz ran for two scores and threw for another, and the Badgers defense forced four second-half turnovers as Wisconsin downed Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina Wednesday afternoon. 

The Badgers fell behind early – as Wake quarterback Sam Hartman tossed two touchdown passes on their first two possessions to give the Deacons a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Touchdown runs from Leo Chenal and Mertz in the second quarter would even the score at 14 at halftime. 

Wake Forest would take the lead on the first drive of the second half – as Howell threw his third touchdown pass of the afternoon for a 21-14 lead. Mertz’ second touchdown run of the day would tie the score at 21, with 8:45 left in the third, and it quickly turned into a lopsided affair after that. The Badgers defense intercepted Hartman on four consecutive drives – with three of them turning into touchdowns, as the Badgers took a 42-21 lead with 9:24 left in the game. Wake would find the end zone one last time in the closing seconds of the game to create the final margin. 

The Badgers finish the 2020 season with a 4-3 record, and are scheduled to open the 2021 season against Penn State at Camp Randall Stadium on September 4th.