The Sports Xchange
Nov 7, 2015
Senior quarterback Joel Stave came alive in the second half and helped spark Wisconsin to a fifth straight victory, the Badgers winning 31-24 at Maryland in a Big Ten clash.
Stave got 12 of his completions and 168 of his yards in the second half in a 15-of-24, 188-yard performance that moved the Badgers to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten. Maryland (2-7, 0-5) lost for the sixth straight time, its longest losing streak since 2012 and it was the third straight loss under interim head coach Mike Locksley.
Running back Alec Ingold scored from a yard out at?5:17?of the third quarter, putting Wisconsin up 24-17 and then Stave was 5-for-5 for 66 yards on a 71-yard drive that culminated with his 6-yard touchdown toss to Dare Ogunbowale with 14:01 remaining.
Maryland couldn't do much offensively against the nation's stingiest defense during the second half. Backup quarterback Caleb Rowe engineered a late drive, culminating with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Levern Jacobs with 2:39 remaining to put the final score on the board. The Badgers recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
The Terrapins had tied the game just before the half as Perry Hills hit D.J. Moore for a 40-yard touchdown with 49 seconds left, making it 17-17. Moore's touchdown was set up by a blocked punt.
Wisconsin had made the big plays in the kicking game prior to that sequence. Natrell Jamerson's 98-yard kickoff return had tied the game at 7-7, after Maryland took an early lead on Wes Brown's 7-yard run. Then the Badgers went ahead on linebacker Joe Schobert's 57-yard run on a fake punt, that set up Ogunbowale's 21-yard touchdown run.