Wisconsin Badgers football team looked ready to shock the world on Saturday night. They went into halftime of the Big Ten Championship up 21-7 on the unbeaten Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State had not trailed at halftime all this season, and Wisconsin put their backs against the wall. We should not be surprised that one of the best teams in the country turned this game around in the second half with a massive third quarter. After that, it was all Buckeyes and the Badgers dropped their fourth Big Ten Championship game.

Player of the Game: Jack Coan – I loved what Coan did on Saturday night. He has become a legit good quarterback for Wisconsin. Coan is not the typical Badgers quarterback. I know people want to start the Graham Mertz era, but Coan is a baller at the position. Paul Chryst trusts him and worked almost a reinvented Badgers offense over the last few weeks. Coan had 232 passing yards through the air and added 27 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns. The future is bright at the quarterback position.

Honorable Mention: Jonathan Taylor – After a couple of rough games against Ohio State in his career, Jonathan Taylor dominated this game. He rushed for 148 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown. Taylor averaged 7.4 yards per carry with a touchdown. This is a good resume-building performance for Taylor. He will likely be a first-round pick when April rolls on.

The Thing I Liked: Badgers showed they belonged in this game – There have been matchups against Ohio State, Penn State or others where Wisconsin does not look like they belong against these teams. That wasn’t the case on Saturday night. Wisconsin hung with Ohio State for most of the night, and sadly, they did not play perfect which you have to do against this version of the Buckeyes.

The Thing To Ponder: What if the Special Teams were mistake-free? – Special teams were easily the worst part of the game for Wisconsin. Badgers gave up a quick touchdown to start the second-half then after a three-and-out, Anthony Lotti fumbled the football on a punt leading to a field goal for the Buckeyes. And Zach Hintze missed a field goal from 44 yards out that would have tied the game.

Next up: Wisconsin will get ready for the Rose Bowl against Oregon. This is a great, great matchup. The showdown between these two teams in 2012 was an absolute classic. Justin Herbert and Jonathan Taylor’s swan song should be special.