2014 Wisconsin Badgers football team

The 2014 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were led by second-year head coach Gary Andersen, were members of the new West Division of the Big Ten Conference, and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium. They finished the season 11–3, 7–1 in Big Ten play to be champions of the West Division. As champions of the West Division, they played East Division champions Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game where they lost 59-0.

2014 Wisconsin Badgers football
Big Ten West Division champion
Outback Bowl champion
Outback Bowl, W 34–31 OT vs. Auburn
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionWest Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 13
APNo. 13
2014 record11–3 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorAndy Ludwig (2nd season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorDave Aranda (2nd season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumCamp Randall Stadium
(Capacity: 80,321)
2014 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf  Overall
Team W L    W L 
East Division
No. 1 Ohio State x$#^  8 –0     14 –1  
No. T–5 Michigan State  7 –1     11 –2  
Maryland  4 –4     7 –6  
Rutgers  3 –5     8 –5  
Michigan  3 –5     5 –7  
Penn State  2 –6     7 –6  
Indiana  1 –7     4 –8  
West Division
No. 13 Wisconsin x  7 –1     11 –3  
Minnesota  5 –3     8 –5  
Nebraska  5 –3     9 –4  
Iowa  4 –4     7 –6  
Illinois  3 –5     6 –7  
Northwestern  3 –5     5 –7  
Purdue  1 –7     3 –9  
Championship: Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0
    1. – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

Several days after the Big Ten Championship game in early December, head coach Gary Andersen stepped down to become the head coach at Oregon State of the Pac-12 Conference. Athletic director and former Badger head coach Barry Alvarez was the interim head coach for the Outback Bowl against Auburn, a 34–31 overtime victory on New Year's Day in Tampa, Florida.

Recruiting

Watchlists and preseason awards
Heisman Trophy[1]
Maxwell Award[2]
Doak Walker Award[3]
Walter Camp Award[3]
  • Dan Voltz
Rimington Trophy[4]
Outland Trophy[5]
Lombardi Award[5]
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team nominee[6]

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 308:00 p.m.vs. No. 13 LSU*No. 14
ESPNL 24–2871,599
September 611:00 a.m.Western Illinois*No. 18
BTNW 37–377,125
September 2011:00 a.m.Bowling Green*No. 19
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
ESPN2W 68–1779,849
September 2711:00 a.m.South Florida*No. 19
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
ESPNUW 27–1078,111
October 42:30 p.m.at NorthwesternNo. 17
ESPN2L 14–2042,013
October 1111:00 a.m.Illinois
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
ESPN2W 38–2880,341
October 2511:00 a.m.Maryland
  • Camp Randall Stadium
  • Madison, WI
BTNW 52–780,336
November 111:00 a.m.at Rutgers
ESPNW 37–052,797
November 811:00 a.m.at PurdueNo. 25
ESPNUW 34–1635,068
November 152:30 p.m.No. 11 NebraskaNo. 22
ABCW 59–2480,539
November 222:30 p.m.at IowaNo. 14
ABC/ESPN2W 26–2468,610
November 292:30 p.m.No. 22 MinnesotaNo. 14
BTNW 34–2480,341
December 67:18 p.m.vs. No. 5 Ohio StateNo. 13
FOXL 0–5960,229
January 1, 201511:00 a.m.vs. No. 19 Auburn*No. 17
ESPN2W 34–31 OT44,023
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time
Schedule Source: [7]

Rankings
Camp Randall Stadium
before Western Illinois game
on September 6
Further information: 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final 
AP 14 18 18 19 19 17 RV RV NR RV 25 22 14 14 11 17 13 
Coaches 14 19 17 17 17 16 RV RV RV RV 24 22 15 14 11 17 13 
CFP Not released NR 25 20 16 14 13 18 Not released

Regular season games

#13 LSU
#13 LSU at #14 Wisconsin
1 234Total
• #13 Tigers 7 0615 28
#14 Badgers 10 770 24
See also: 2014 LSU Tigers football team


The Badgers started off the regular season with a neutral site game against the LSU Tigers in Houston, Texas.

The game was McEvoy's debut as a Wisconsin quarterback. His 34.16 passer rating was the worst for a Wisconsin quarterback since 1977 when Mike Kalasmiki's debut passer rating was 5.20.[8] After the game McEvoy stated that he was "disgusted" with his performance and that he "obviously had a bad game".[8] Wisconsin's new starting kicker, freshman Rafael Gaglianone, made his first career field goal with a 51-yarder in the first quarter; his celebratory dance after making the kick was covered by some sporting news sites such as Bleacher Report.[9]

During the game Wisconsin's defensive tackle Konrad Zagzebski and defensive end Warren Herring sustained injuries. Zagzebski was taken off the field in the 1st quarter in a stretcher and taken to memorial hospital. Herring injured his knee in the 3rd quarter.[10]

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 16 Carries, 147 Yards, 1 Touchdown
  • Passing: Tanner McEvoy – 8 Completions/24 Attempts for 50 Yards, 0 Touchdowns, 2 Interceptions
  • Receiving: Alex Erickson – 3 Receptions, 33 Yards
  • Defense: Michael Caputo – 10 Solo & 10 Assist Tackles, 0 TFL 0 Sacks

Postgame injuries and miscommunications

After the game, it was announced that three players would be out for weeks due to injuries. Defensive end Warren Herring had surgery on his right knee and is projected to be out for up to six weeks. Fullback Derek Watt had surgery on his right foot and is project to be out for eight weeks.[11]

Joel Stave

After the LSU game a press release by Wisconsin's head coach, Gary Andersen announced that Joel Stave didn't play due to what was initially called a shoulder injury and that Stave was out indefinitely.[12] Stave's shoulder injury stems from the 2014 Capital One Bowl where Stave sustained an AC-joint injury.[13] After Stave claimed he wasn't injured but was dealing with "yips" as he called them[14] Andersen retracted his statement that Stave was injured but still said Stave was "out indefinitely".[14] Stave summed up the situation with "Right now, my arm is just not working the way I'd like it to, I don't know what it is. ... I've thrown how many thousands of balls in my life. I know when it hurts and when it doesn't. It just isn't right."[15] With Stave out sophomore Bart Houston moved up to the #2 quarterback position with true freshman DJ Gillins the #3 quarterback.[8]

Melvin Gordon

Andersen was criticized for Gordon only having three carries in the second half; when asked why he didn't play Gordon more in the second half Andersen stated that he "didn't know why Gordon had limited carries".[16] Gordon stated to the media after the game that he wasn't injured.[17] However, two days later Andersen stated that Gordon strained his hip-flexor on the last play in the 2nd quarter of the game against LSU and "we were trying to be smart with him as the rest of the game went on".[16] He cited the hip-flexor injury as the reason why Gordon "pulled up" on his 63-yard run early in the 3rd quarter. Gordon stated that it was a "miscommunication" with the coaching staff and that "maybe I should have really let them know, let coach A know and stepped up and told them, 'Look, I need to be in there.' I kind of just sat back, and I put that on myself. I wasn't really forceful with it. I really wasn't demanding with it, and I probably should have been."[18]

After the game, it was announced that fullback Derek Watt, defensive end Warren Herring would be out for weeks.

Western Illinois
Western Illinois at #18 Wisconsin
1 234Total
Leathernecks 0 300 3
• #18 Badgers 2 71414 37
See also: 2014 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team
Quickest football score

The Badgers made the quickest score in the history of college football. In the opening kickoff, the Leathernecks kick returner stepped out of the end zone before returning and taking a knee the end zone for a safety. One second had elapsed off the clock.[19]

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Tanner McEvoy – 9 Carries, 55 Yards, 1 Touchdown
  • Passing: Tanner McEvoy – 23 Completions/28 Attempts for 283 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 1 Interceptions
  • Receiving: Alex Erickson – 10 Receptions, 122 Yards, 1 Touchdown
  • Defense: Marcus Trotter - 6 Solo Tackles

Bowling Green
Bowling Green at #19 Wisconsin
1 234Total
Falcons 10 007 17
• #19 Badgers 14 27216 68
  • Date: September 20
  • Location: Camp Randall Stadium
    Madison, WI
  • Game start: 11:00 AM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:29
  • Game attendance: 79,849
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), Wind: SSW 8 mph, Weather: Mostly Cloudy
  • Referee: Michael Cannon
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (Play-by-play), Joey Galloway (Color) & Paul Carcaterra (Sideline)
See also: 2014 Bowling Green Falcons football team

Melvin Gordon set a personal best against Bowling Green, rushing 253 yards on 13 carries for five touchdowns. Gordon also recorded his first career fumble as the ball was stripped by a Bowling Green defender after 322 career carries. Gordon was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for his performance against Bowling Green; he shared the honor with Nebraska Halfback Ameer Abdullah.[20]

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 13 Carries, 253 Yards (19.5 avg, 69 long), 5 Touchdowns
  • Passing: Tanner McEvoy – 9 Completions/16 Attempts for 112 Yards, 1 Touchdowns, 1 Interceptions
  • Receiving: Sam Arneson – 3 Receptions, 63 Yards, 1 Touchdown
  • Defense: Derek Landisch – 6 Total Tackles (3 Solo, 3 Assist), 3.5 Tackles for Loss (20 yds), 1 Pass breakup, 2 Sacks (18 yds)

South Florida
USF at #19 Wisconsin
1 234Total
Bulls 3 070 10
• #19 Badgers 3 0177 27
  • Date: September 27
  • Location: Camp Randall Stadium
    Madison, WI
  • Game start: 11:00 AM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:03
  • Game attendance: 78,111
  • Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C), Wind: S 5 mph, Weather: Mostly Cloudy
  • Referee: John McDaid
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Adam Amin (Play-by-play) & John Congemi (Color)
See also: 2014 South Florida Bulls football team

The game was the first time USF and Wisconsin had played one another. After a slow first half ending in USF and Wisconsin trading field goals Wisconsin exploded in the second half, scoring 24 points to USF's 7 resulting in a win for the Badgers.

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 32 Carries, 181 Yards (5.7 avg, 43 long), 2 Touchdowns
  • Passing: Tanner McEvoy – 11 Completions/18 Attempts for 160 Yards, 1 Touchdown
  • Receiving: Alex Erickson – 6 Receptions, 91 Yards
  • Defense: Sojourn Shelton – 5 Total Tackles (3 solo, 2 assist), 1 Pass Breakup

at Northwestern
#17 Wisconsin at Northwestern
1 234Total
#17 Badgers 0 077 14
• Wildcats 3 773 20
  • Date: October 4
  • Location: Ryan Field
    Evanston, IL
  • Game start: 2:30 PM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:16
  • Game attendance: 42,013
  • Game weather: Temperature: 44 °F (7 °C), Wind: W 14 mph, Weather: Rain Showers
  • Referee: Ron Snodgrass
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Eamon McAnaney (Play-by-play), David Diaz-Infante (Color) & Dawn Davenport (Sideline)
See also: 2014 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 27 Carries, 259 Yards (9.6 avg, 61 long), 1 Touchdown
  • Passing: Tanner McEvoy – 8 Completions/19 Attempts for 114 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 3 Interceptions
  • Receiving: Alex Erickson – 4 Receptions, 45 Yards
  • Defense: Michael Caputo – 11 Total tackles (8 Solo, 3 Assist), 1 Tackles for Loss (3 yds)

Illinois
Illinois at Wisconsin
1 234Total
Illini 14 0014 28
• Badgers 7 1777 38
  • Date: October 11
  • Location: Camp Randall Stadium
    Madison, WI
  • Game start: 11:00 AM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:17
  • Game attendance: 80,341
  • Game weather: Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C), Wind: NNE 5 mph, Weather: Sunny
  • Referee: John O'Neill
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (Play-by-play), Joey Galloway (Color) & Paul Carcaterra (Sideline)
See also: 2014 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 27 Carries, 175 Yards (6.5 avg, 46 long), 4 Touchdowns
  • Passing: Joel Stave – 7 Completions/14 Attempts for 73 Yards
  • Receiving: Sam Arneson – 4 Receptions, 48 Yards
  • Defense: Leon Jacobs – 12 Total Tackles (8 Solo, 4 Assist), 2 Tackles for Loss (11 yds), 1.5 Sacks (10 yds)

Maryland
Maryland at Wisconsin
1 234Total
Terrapins 0 007 7
• Badgers 10 141414 52
  • Date: October 25
  • Location: Camp Randall Stadium
    Madison, WI
  • Game start: 11:00 AM CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3:11
  • Game attendance: 80,336
  • Game weather: Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C), Wind: WNW 8 mph, Weather: Sunny
  • Referee: Todd Geerlings
  • TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler (Play-by-play), Glen Mason (Color) & Lisa Byington (Sideline)
See also: 2014 Maryland Terrapins football team

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 22 Carries, 123 Yards (5.5 avg, 22 long), 3 Touchdowns
  • Passing: Joel Stave – 9 Completions/15 Attempts for 155 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
  • Receiving: Alex Erickson – 5 Receptions, 121 Yards, 1 Touchdown
  • Defense: Derek Landisch – 8 Total Tackles (7 Solo, 1 Assist), 2 Tackles for Loss (6 yds)

at Rutgers
Wisconsin at Rutgers
1 234Total
• Badgers 7 13107 37
Scarlet Knights 0 000 0
See also: 2014 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Wisconsin recorded its first road shutout since 1998 against the Scarlet Knights.[21] Wisconsin's Defensive Coordinator, Dave Aranda was named Coordinator of the Week by Athlon Sports[22] Wisconsin's runningback Corey Clement, a New Jersey native, was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.[23]

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Corey Clement – 14 Carries, 134 Yards (9.4 avg, 43 long), 2 Touchdowns
  • Passing: Joel Stave – 7 Completions/16 Attempts for 81 Yards
  • Receiving: George Rushing – 2 Receptions, 32 Yards
  • Defense: Michael Caputo – 7 Total Tackles (3 Solo, 4 Assist), 1 Tackle for Loss (1 yd)

at Purdue
#25 Wisconsin at Purdue
1 234Total
• #25 Badgers 7 1773 34
Boilermakers 3 3100 16
See also: 2014 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Badgers Sophomore linebacker Vince Biegel was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week as a result of his performance against the Boilermakers.[24]

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 25 Carries, 209 Yards (8.2 avg, 47 long), 1 Touchdown
  • Passing: Joel Stave – 19 Completions/29 Attempts for 219 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
  • Receiving: Jordan Frederick – 5 Receptions, 64 Yards
  • Defense: Vince Biegel – 7 Total Tackles (6 Solo, 1 Assist), 4 Tackles for Loss (22 yd), 3 Sacks (19 yds), 1 Pass Breakup

#11 Nebraska
#11 Nebraska at #22 Wisconsin
1 234Total
#11 Cornhuskers 10 707 24
• #22 Badgers 3 21287 59
  • Date: November 15
  • Location: Camp Randall Stadium
    Madison, WI
  • Game start: 2:30 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:34
  • Game attendance: 80,539
  • Game weather: Temperature: 26 °F (−3 °C), Wind: West 5 mph, Weather: Overcast
  • Referee: John O'Neill
  • TV announcers (ABC/ESPN3): Sean McDonough (Play-by-play), Chris Spielman (Color) & Todd McShay (Sideline)
See also: 2014 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and Nebraska–Wisconsin football rivalry

Prior to the game it was announced by both the Nebraska and Wisconsin athletic departments that the two teams would now play for the Freedom Trophy.[25] The game was referred to as a showdown between two Big Ten runningback Heisman Trophy candidates; Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon.[26][27]

Through the 2014 season Nebraska was only allowing an average of 117.0 yards rushing per game against FBS opponents, ranked 15th in the nation; the Cornhuskers rushing offense was tenth in the country averaging 280.7 rushing yards per game. Wisconsin's defense was only allowing an average of 99.5 yards rushing per game, ranked 5th in the nation; the Badgers rushing offense were fifth in the country averaging 325.7 rushing yards per game.[28]

The game started off with three costly turnovers for the Badgers quickly leading to the Cornhuskers being up 17–3 at the start of the second quarter, two of the turnovers were fumbles by Melvin Gordon. The Badgers then scored 56 unanswered points before Nebraska answered with a final touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter. The Badgers defense held Nebraska to just 180 total yards of offense for the game and managed to contain Ameer Abdullah to just 69 rushing yards on 18 attempts; meanwhile the Badgers offense totaled 627 yards of offense, 591 rushing and 46 passing. As a result, Wisconsin moved into first place in the Big Ten's West Division.[29]

During the game Melvin Gordon set the FBS single game rushing record with 408 rushing yards. Gordon accomplished this, as well as scoring four rushing touchdowns, in only three quarters of play. The previous mark of 406 yards was set by LaDainian Tomlinson and had stood as a record since 1999.[30] Along the way he also broke the Wisconsin Badgers single game rushing record of 339 yards, formerly held by Ron Dayne; the Big Ten single game rushing record of 377 yards by Indiana's Anthony Thompson.[29] Gordon rushed for more than 39 yards on six plays.[31] Prior to the matchup Nebraska's defense had only allowed three runs of more than 35 yards.[31]

Two Badgers players were named Big Ten Player of the Week with Melvin Gordon being named offensive Player of the Week and Joe Schobert defensive Player of the Week.

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 25 Carries, 408 Yards (16.3 avg, 68 long), 4 Touchdowns
  • Passing: Joel Stave – 7 Completions/11 Attempts for 46 Yards, 1 Touchdown
  • Receiving: Kenzel Doe – 2 Receptions, 16 Yards
  • Defense: Joe Schobert - 11 Tackles, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 Sack, 1 Fumble recovery and Marcus Trotter - 12 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 Fumble recovery

at Iowa
Melvin Gordon running against the Iowa Hawkeyes defense in 2014 at Kinnick Stadium
#14 Wisconsin at Iowa
1 234Total
• #14 Badgers 3 1337 26
Hawkeyes 3 0813 24
See also: 2014 Iowa Hawkeyes football team and Iowa–Wisconsin football rivalry

At the end of the game Melvin Gordon tied the Big Ten and Wisconsin records for most rushing yards in a season (2,109) which was set by Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne in 1996. Also during the game Gordon became the fastest player to reach 2,000 yards rushing in FBS history, on 241 carries. The previous holder for fastest 2,000 yards was Penn State running back Larry Johnson who accomplished the feat on 251 carries in 2002.[32] Gordon received his third Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week in the season.[33]

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 30 Carries, 200 Yards (6.5 avg, 88 long), 2 Touchdowns
  • Passing: Joel Stave – 7 Completions/14 Attempts for 139 Yards
  • Receiving: Melvin Gordon – 4 Receptions, 64 Yards (34 long)
  • Defense: Michael Caputo - 11 Tackles, .5 TFL, 1 Forced fumble, 1 Fumble recovery, 1 Pass breakup

#22 Minnesota
#22 Golden Gophers at #14 Badgers
1 234Total
#22 Golden Gophers 14 307 24
• #14 Badgers 3 10714 34
  • Date: November 29
  • Location: Camp Randall Stadium
    Madison, WI
  • Game start: 2:30 PM CST
  • Elapsed time: 3:28
  • Game attendance: 80,341
  • Game weather: Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C), Wind: S 13 mph, Weather: Scattered Clouds
  • Referee: David Witvoet
  • TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler (Play-by-play), Glen Mason (Color) & Lisa Byington (Sideline)
See also: 2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team and Minnesota–Wisconsin football rivalry

The Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe would decide the Big Ten's Western division representative to the 2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game. The last time the rivalry determined a Big Ten Conference champion was in 1962 when #3 Wisconsin defeated #5 Minnesota for a berth to the 1963 Rose Bowl.[34]

Wisconsin would trail in this game 17–3 about halfway through the second quarter but 24 unanswered points by the Badgers put Wisconsin up 27–17 early in the fourth quarter. The Gophers would score a few minutes later to pull within three points but Wisconsin would answer on their ensuing drive and pull out a 34–24 come from behind victory. The victory gave Wisconsin the Big Ten West Division title and a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State. On Melvin Gordon's first carry of the game, he broke a tie with Ron Dayne for the Big Ten Conference and team single season rushing record. Gordon finished the game with 151 yards rushing and 2,260 yards on the season. Gordon now ranks fourth in FBS history for single season rushing yards behind only Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders (2,628 in 1988), UCF's Kevin Smith (2,567 in 2007) and USC's Marcus Allen (2,342 in 1981). Gordon needs to rush for a total of 369 yards in the final two games to break Barry Sanders' single season FBS rushing record.

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 29 Carries, 151 Yards (5.2 avg, 24 long), 1 Touchdown
  • Passing: Joel Stave – 11 Completions/18 Attempts for 215 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
  • Receiving: Alex Erickson – 5 Receptions, 160 Yards
  • Defense: Michael Caputo - 12 Tackles, 1 Forced fumble, 1 Fumble recovery

Big Ten Conference Championship
Big Ten Conference Championship
1 234Total
#11 Badgers 0 000 0
• #6 Buckeyes 14 24714 59
See also: 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

Wisconsin lost the 2014 Big Ten Championship to Ohio State 59–0 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the first time since 1997 that the Badgers were shutout and the worst loss since 1979 when Ohio State defeated the Badgers 59–0.[35]

Statistical Leaders

  • Rushing: Melvin Gordon – 26 carries, 76 yards (2.9 average, 13 longest)
  • Passing: Joel Stave – 17 completions/43 attempts for 187 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT
  • Receiving: Alex Erickson – 7 Receptions, 83 Yards
  • Defense: Marcus Trotter – 10 tackles, 1 Tackle for loss

Outback Bowl
Outback Bowl
1 234OTTotal
#19 Tigers 7 73140 31
• #17 Badgers 7 014103 34
See also: 2014 Auburn Tigers football team and 2015 Outback Bowl

On December 7, it was announced that #19 Auburn and #18 Wisconsin would meet in the Outback Bowl. Auburn fired defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson prior to the game and it was announced that Charlie Harbison would be the interim defensive coordinator. Wisconsin's coach Gary Andersen left for Oregon State so the Badgers' athletic director Barry Alvarez coached the Badgers for the game. Prior to the game, the all-time series between the two schools was tied 1-1-1 and Wisconsin won the last meeting 28–14 in the 2006 Capital One Bowl.

Coaching staff
NamePosition
Gary AndersenHead Coach
Dave ArandaDefensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
Andy LudwigOffensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Chris BeattyWide Receivers Coach
Thomas BrownRunning Backs Coach
Bill BuschSafeties Coach
Ben StricklandCornerbacks Coach
Jeff GenykTight Ends Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
Chad Kauha'aha'aDefensive Line Coach
T.J. WoodsOffensive Line Coach
Luke SwanOffensive Graduate Assistant

Roster
2014 Wisconsin Badgers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
QB 2 Joel Stave  Jr
WR 3 Kenzel Doe Sr
QB 5 Tanner McEvoy  Jr
RB 6 Corey Clement So
QB 7 D. J. Gillins Fr
WR 9 Jordan Fredrick  Jr
WR 10 Krenwick Sanders Fr
WR 11 Jazz Peavy  Fr
QB 12 Thad Armstrong  So
WR 12 Natrell Jamerson Fr
QB 13 Bart Houston  So
QB 14 Connor Senger  Fr
WR 15 Robert Wheelwright So
WR 16 Reggie Love  So
WR 17 George Rushing Fr
WR 18 Lance Baretz Sr
RB 20 Austin Ramesh  Fr
RB 22 Caleb Kinlaw Fr
RB 23 Dare Ogunbowale  So
RB 25 Melvin Gordon  Jr
FB 26 Derek Straus  Jr
RB 28 Taiwan Deal Fr
WR 31 Connor Cummins  Sr
FB 34 Derek Watt  Jr
FB 36 D. J. Spurling  Fr
TE 42 T. J. Watt  Fr
TE 44 Eric Steffes  So
TE 46 Austin Traylor  Jr
TE 48 Troy Fumagalli  Fr
TE 49 Sam Arneson Sr
OL 52 Jacob Maxwell Fr
OL 54 Kyle Costigan  Sr
OL 55 Trent Denlinger  So
OL 58 George Panos Fr
OL 61 Tyler Marz  Jr
OL 62 Walker Williams  So
OL 63 Michael Deiter Fr
OL 64 Brett Connors Fr
OL 66 Beau Benzschawel Fr
OL 68 Jaden Gault Fr
OL 69 Aidan McNamara  Fr
OL 70 Dan Voltz  So
OL 71 Ray Ball  Jr
OL 72 Ben Hemer  Fr
OL 73 Dallas Lewallen  Sr
OL 74 Hayden Biegel  Fr
OL 75 Micah Kapoi Fr
OL 76 Logan Schmidt  So
OL 78 Rob Havenstein  Sr
WR 82 Jake Stengel  Jr
TE 84 Austin Maly  Jr
WR 86 Alex Erickson  So
TE 89 Sam Eckert Fr
 Defense
Pos.#NameClass
CB 1 A.J. Jordan  Jr
CB 4 Devin Gaulden  Jr
CB 5 Darius Hillary  Jr
DE 6 Alec James  Fr
S 7 Michael Caputo  Jr
CB 8 Sojourn Shelton So
CB 11 T. J. Reynard Jr
S 13 Evan Bondoc Fr
ILB 16 D'Cota Dixon Fr
OLB 17 Sherard Cadogan  Sr
OLB 19 Ryan Connelly Fr
S 19 Leo Musso  So
CB 21 Peniel Jean  Sr
ILB 22 Chasen Andersen Fr
S 23 Austin Hudson Fr
S 24 Keelon Brookins  Fr
CB 25 Derrick Tindal Fr
S 27 Vonte Jackson  So
CB 29 Terrance Floyd  Jr
ILB 30 Derek Landisch Sr
S 31 Lubern Figaro Fr
OLB 32 Leon Jacobs So
DE 34 Chikwe Obasih  Fr
S 36 Joe Ferguson  Fr
OLB 38 Zander Neuville Fr
OLB 41 Jesse Hayes  Jr
ILB 43 Michael Trotter  Sr
NG 45 Warren Herring   Sr
ILB 46 Matt Austin Fr
OLB 47 Vince Biegel  So
ILB 48 Jack Cichy So
OLB 49 Justin Schweitzer Fr
OLB 50 Josh Harrison  Sr
OLB 53 T. J. Edwards Fr
DE 55 Garret Dooley  Fr
ILB 56 Ben Fischer Fr
ILB 57 Ben Ruechel  Sr
ILB 58 Joe Schobert Jr
ILB 59 Marcus Trotter  Sr
DE 91 Konrad Zagzebski   Sr
NG 92 Jeremy Patterson Fr
DE 93 Jake Keefer  Jr
DE 94 Conor Sheehy Fr
NG 95 Arthur Goldberg  So
DE 96 Billy Hirschfeld Fr
DE 99 James Adeyanju  Jr
 Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 10 Rafael Gaglianone Fr
K 37 Andrew Endicott So
P 38 P.J. Rosowski Fr
LS 39 Brady Kelliher  Fr
LS 56 James McGuire  Sr
LS 60 Connor Udelhoven  So
P 90 Drew Meyer  Jr
K 97 Jack Russell Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster
Last update: September 1, 2014

Big Ten Players of the Week

Awards

Team statistics

(as of November 30, 2014)

Passing

Note: G = Games played; COMP = Completions; ATT = Attempts; COMP % = Completion percentage; YDS = Passing yards; TD = Passing touchdowns; INT = Interceptions; EFF = Passing efficiency

Pos. Player G COMP ATT COMP % YDS TD INT EFF
QB Bart Houston 6 1 3 33.3 6 1 0 160.1
QB Tanner McEvoy 12 65 112 58.0 709 5 6 115.2
P Drew Meyer 12 1 1 100.0 17 0 0 242.8
QB Joel Stave 8 79 136 58.1 1,042 8 4 136.0

Rushing

Note: G = Games played; ATT = Attempts; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average yard per carry; LG = Longest run; TD = Rushing touchdowns

Pos. Player G ATT YDS AVG LG TD
RB Corey Clement 12 127 830 6.5 72 9
WR Kenzel Doe 12 13 104 8.0 34 0
WR Alex Erickson 12 2 -3 -3.0 0 0
RB Melvin Gordon 12 283 2,260 8.0 88 26
QB Bart Houston 6 2 8 4.0 4 0
WR Natrell Jamerson 11 1 23 23.0 23 0
WR Reggie Love 12 1 45 45.0 45 1
QB Tanner McEvoy 12 64 572 8.9 62 6
RB Dare Ogunbowale 12 34 193 5.7 21 1
WR George Rushing 12 4 17 4.2 8 0
FB D.J. Spurling 1 2 8 4.0 5 0
QB Joel Stave 8 9 −26 −2.9 12 0

Receiving

Note: G = Games played; REC = Receptions; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average yard per catch; LG = Longest catch; TD = Receiving touchdowns

Pos. Player G REC YDS AVG LG TD
TE Sam Arneson 12 25 331 13.2 37 4
RB Corey Clement 12 10 96 9.6 28 1
G Kyle Costigan 12 1 -5 -5.0 0 0
WR Kenzel Doe 12 13 146 11.2 25 1
WR Alex Erickson 12 44 651 14.8 70 3
WR Jordan Fredrick 12 12 117 9.8 17 0
TE Troy Fumagalli 12 10 145 14.5 28 0
RB Melvin Gordon 12 17 151 8.9 35 3
WR Reggie Love 12 2 15 7.5 13 0
RB Austin Ramesh 5 3 18 6.0 9 1
WR George Rushing 12 5 62 12.4 24 0
WR Krenwick Sanders 8 1 10 10.0 10 0
TE Austin Traylor 12 2 20 10.0 11 0
WR Robert Wheelwright 10 1 17 17.0 17 1

Kick and punt returning

Note: G = Games played; PR = Punt returns; PYDS = Punt return yards; PLG = Punt return long; KR = Kick returns; KYDS = Kick return yards; KLG = Kick return long; TD = Total return touchdowns

Pos. Player G PR PYDS PLG KR KYDS KLG Total Return TDs
WR Kenzel Doe 12 23 253 40 21 485 38 0
CB A.J. Jordan 12 1 24 24 0 0 0 0
WR Natrell Jamerson 13 0 0 0 1 21 21 0

Kicking

Note: G = Games played; FGM = Field goals made; FGA = Field goals attempted; LG = Field goal long; XPT = Extra points made; XPT ATT = XPT attempted; TP = Total points

Pos. Player G FGM FGA LG XPT XPT ATT TP
K Rafael Gaglianone 12 17 20 51 55 57 106

Punting

Note: G = Games played; P = Punts; YDS = Yards; AVG = Average per punt; LG = Punt long; In20 = Punts inside the 20; TB = Touchbacks

Pos. Player G P YDS AVG LG In20 TB
QB Bart Houston 12 7 243 34.7 52 1 0
P Drew Meyer 12 43 1,612 37.5 57 16 3

Defensive

Note: G = Games played; Solo = Solo tackles; Ast = Assisted tackles; Total = Total tackles; TFL-Yds = Tackles for loss-yards lost; Sack–Yds = Sack(s)–yards lost; INT = Interceptions; PDef = Passes defended ; FF = Forced fumbles; FR = Forced recoveries

Pos. Player G Solo Ast Total TFL-Yds Sack–Yds INT PDef FF FR
S Michael Caputo 12 57 36 93 5.0–15 0.0–0 1 5 2 4
LB Marcus Trotter 11 43 32 75 10.0–33 3.5–22 1 2 0 1
LB Derek Landisch 12 41 29 70 14.5–90 8.0–74 1 4 0 0
LB Joe Schobert 12 38 23 61 9.5–43 3.0–29 0 7 2 1
LB Vince Biegel 12 37 17 54 15.5–66 7.5–43 0 2 2 2
CB Peniel Jean 12 23 22 45 2.0–7 1.0–6 2 2 0 1
CB Darius Hillary 12 15 17 32 3.0–11 0.0–0 0 5 0 0
LB Leon Jacobs 12 18 8 26 2.0–11 1.5–5 0 0 0 0
CB Sojourn Shelton 12 19 7 26 1.0–1 0.0–0 0 5 0 0
NG Arthur Goldberg 12 10 11 21 0.5–5 0.5–5 0 0 0 0
S Lubern Figaro 11 8 11 19 1.5–2 0.0–0 1 1 1 0
S Austin Hudson 12 14 5 19 1.0–6 1.0–6 0 0 1 0
DE Chikwe Obasih 12 6 12 18 2.0–10 1.5–8 0 1 0 0
DE Konrad Zagezebski 12 11 6 17 2.0–9 1.0–4 0 1 0 0
S Michael Trotter 12 9 4 13 1.0–2 1.0–2 0 0 0 0
S Joe Ferguson 12 4 9 13 0.5–0 0.0–0 0 1 0 0
NG Warren Herring 7 6 6 12 1.0–1 0.0–0 0 1 1 0
S Leo Musso 10 4 6 10 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
CB Derrick Tindal 10 9 0 10 1.0–6 1.0–6 0 1 0 0
RB Dare Ogunbowale 12 6 3 9 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
CB Devin Gaulden 12 6 2 8 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 2 0 0
DE Alec James 12 5 3 8 1.5–2 0.0–0 0 1 0 1
DE James Adeyanju 10 4 4 8 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 1
CB A.J. Jordan 12 3 4 7 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
LB Ben Ruechel 11 7 0 7 1.0–8 1.0–8 0 0 0 0
CB Terrance Floyd 9 4 0 4 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
DE Jake Keefer 11 1 3 4 1.0–4 1.0–4 0 0 0 0
WR Kenzel Doe 12 3 1 4 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
WR Natrell Jamerson 11 3 1 4 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
K Andrew Endicott 12 2 2 4 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
LB D'Cota Dixon 3 0 3 3 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
LB Jesse Hayes 10 1 2 3 1.5–9 1.5–9 0 0 1 0
TE Troy Fumagalli 12 2 1 3 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
TE Sam Arneson 12 3 0 3 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
LB Sherard Cadogan 4 3 0 3 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
DE Conor Sheehy 12 1 1 2 1.0–1 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
FB Derek Watt 6 0 2 2 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
S Keelon Brookins 7 2 0 2 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
LB Josh Harrison 1 1 0 1 1.0–3 1.0–3 0 0 0 0
WR Krenwick Sanders 8 1 0 1 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
LS James McGuire 12 0 1 1 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
WR Jordan Fredrick 12 1 0 1 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
WR Alex Erickson 11 1 0 1 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0
RB Melvin Gordon 11 1 0 1 0.0–0 0.0–0 0 0 0 0

2015 NFL Draft

2015 NFL Draft class
2015 NFL Draft selections
Round Pick # Team Player Position
115San Diego ChargersMelvin GordonRunningback
257St. Louis RamsRob HavensteinOffensive lineman

Signed undrafted free agents

References
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