Wisconsin 34, Miami 24: Badgers bounce back to win the Orange Bowl, finish 13-1

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Quarterback Alex Hornibrook, coming off a subpar performance in the Big Ten title game, was on fire.

Tailback Jonathan Taylor, a non-factor in the Big Ten title game, set the FBS mark for rushing yards by a freshman. 

Wisconsin’s defense gave up a handful of big plays and quick strikes but rose up when it mattered most. 

The result for No. 6 UW was an exhilarating 34-24 victory over No. 11 Miami in the Orange Bowl in front of a crowd of 65,032 Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Badgers (13-1) capped off the most successful season in program history by becoming the first UW team to win 13 games.

The lone loss came against Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, a defeat that knocked UW out of the College Football Playoff.

"It’s awesome," left tackle Michael Deiter said. "It’s a record. No one has done that. That’s something we all have to be proud of because winning 13 games in a season is not easy. 

"And there is a ton that went into it, a ton of different ways to win games. It just makes it that much more sweet, because there was stuff that didn’t go well and we battled through it. So you’ve just got to be proud."

Miami, which was 10-0 and No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, suffered its third consecutive loss to finish 10-3.

Hornibrook hit 23 of 34 attempts for 258 yards for four touchdowns. He did not throw an interception against a defense that entered the night with 17. He was named the Most Outstanding Player.

"He was throwing darts," Miami coach Mark Richt said. "He threw it right on the money, a lot of tight coverage, threw a lot of back shoulder balls. His line had to give him time obviously to do that.

"But we played a lot of man coverage, and they exploited it. Every time we seemed to get in press (coverage), they ran some type of fade or inside lane receiver running the fade, he'd put it on him. And it wasn't just those. Those are most of the touchdowns he threw.

"But he obviously was on the mark. He was on the money. Good route running, good concepts, good protection, good throws, and good catches."

Taylor entered the night needing 79 yards to break Adrian Peterson’s record of 1,925 yards. He rushed 26 times for 130 yards to finish the season with 1,977 yards.

"It is pretty impressive," UW coach Paul Chryst said. "For him, I hope he takes the time to look back and appreciate what happened. Certainly, he had a big part of it, but there were so many people around him that did."

Freshman Danny Davis caught three of Hornibrook’s touchdown passes – for 19, 5 and 6 yards. He finished with five catches for 56 yards. A.J. Taylor led the receiving corps with eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.

UW’s defense surrendered 148 yards and 14 points in the opening quarter but forced three turnovers and frustrated the Miami offense for much of the night. 

BOX SCORE: UW 34, Miami 24

RELATED: Taylor breaks mark set by Adrian Peterson

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Linebacker Alex Van Ginkel, cornerback Derrick Tindal and linebacker Ryan Connelly had the interceptions for UW, which limited Miami to 229 yards and 10 points over the final three quarters. 

"They were a huge reason why we had the success we had," Chryst said of the defense. "What I saw tonight – Miami is a good team and they got some plays. But they certainly didn’t question themselves and came up big."

Hornibrook overcame a slow start with an impressive three-series performance to help UW turn a 14-3 deficit into a 24-14 halftime lead.

The redshirt sophomore was 3 of 8 for 16 yards on UW’s first four possessions. He hit 10 of 12 attempts for 115 yards and three touchdowns on the next three possessions as UW put together drives of 23, 71 and 62 yards. 

"He is always level-headed," Davis said of Hornibrook. "Just like coach Chryst. He made throws. He made it easy on me, on any receiver." 

Van Ginkel’s interception, with Miami holding a 14-3 lead, sparked the turnaround. That gave UW the ball at the Miami 23 with 14 minutes 56 seconds left in the second quarter, and Hornibrook hit Davis for a 19-yard touchdown to start the rally.

"It is football," Deiter said. "Sometimes it is going the wrong way and you need a momentum switch. And Van Ginkel was the kid to get it started for us today. We needed it. And we just never looked back.

"The momentum swings in football are huge. And when you have it you have to run with it. And when you lose, you need a play that gets it back. I think we’ve done a good job of that all season."

Miami recorded its 31st takeaway of the season on UW’s opening drive when Jonathan Taylor fumbled at the end of a 17-yard run. The call on the field was that Taylor was down but the replay official overturned the call and the Hurricanes took over at their 33 with 13:11 left in the quarter.

The Hurricanes drove to the UW 36 but failed convert on third and 9 and Michael Badgley missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt with 11:16 left in the quarter. 

UW took advantage of the excellent field position and drove to the Miami 17. But Miami blew up a screen play on second and 8 and Hornibrook and A.J. Taylor could not connect on a throw into the end zone on third down.

Rafael Gaglianone salvaged three points with a 35-yard field goal with 7:58 left in the quarter. 

The 3-0 lead lasted just 2:37, which is how long it took Miami to drive from its 25 to the end zone.

Quarterback Malik Rosier hit one pass for 22 yards and ran twice for 25 yards, and Travis Homer had runs of 11 and 5 yards, with the second going for a touchdown with 5:21 left in the quarter. Badgley hit the extra-point attempt for a 7-3 lead. Miami rushed six times for 53 yards on the drive. 

After UW went three and out and Anthony Lotti got off a 39-yard punt, Miami needed just two plays to drive 45 yards for a touchdown.

Wide receiver DeeJay Dallas came in to run the wildcat formation and gained 6 yards on first down and then avoided three defenders on a 39-yard run to help the Hurricanes take a 14-3 lead.

Connelly, safety Natrell Jamerson and cornerback Dontye Carriere-Williams missed tackles on the play.

UW punted after five plays on its next possession but Lotti hit a 45 yarder and the Hurricanes started at their 33.

Two plays later, Ginkel intercepted a pass by Rosier to give UW the ball at the Miami 23.

The offense turned the turnover into a touchdown when Hornibrook hit Davis for a 19-yard score to help cut the deficit to 14-10 with 13:37 left in the half. 

UW wasn’t finished.

The defense forced a three-and-out and Hornibrook directed a 12-play, 71-yard touchdown drive.

Hornibrook hit 4 of 4 attempts for 46 yards on the drive, with the final 16 coming on a strike to A.J. Taylor with 5:49 left in the half. That helped UW take the lead back, 17-14.

UW’s defense continued to frustrate Miami and Hornibrook continued to make big throws.

After Miami went three-and-out again, UW took over at its 38.

Hornibrook hit 4 of 6 passes for 48 yards on the 62-yard drive, which he capped with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Davis to help UW take a 24-14 lead with 28 seconds left in the half.

Beginning with Van Ginkel’s interception, UW put together touchdown drives of 23, 71 and 62 yards to take the 24-14 lead.

Hornibrook hit 10 of 12 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns on those drives. 

Miami, by contrast, did nothing after Dallas’ 39-yard touchdown run. 

The Hurricanes had the ball four more times and managed a total of 2 yards and no first downs on nine plays. 

Miami struck first in the third quarter to get back within one score. 

The Hurricanes took over at the UW 46 after a 32-yard punt and needed just two plays to score. Rosier found wide receiver Lawrence Cager behind cornerback Nick Nelson for a 38-yard touchdown to help cut the deficit to 24-21 with 10:52 left in the quarter.

After UW went three-and-out, the Hurricanes took over at their 39 and moved to the UW 24.

But on second and 10, Rosier tried to hit Cager over the middle. Tindal undercut the route and intercepted the pass in the end zone for a touchback with 8:48 left in the quarter. 

UW moved the ball to the Miami 29 before Gaglianone drilled a 47-yard field goal to push the lead to 27-21 with 3:39 left in the quarter. 

After the teams traded empty possessions, Miami put together 10-play drive that ended with a 41-yard field goal by Badgley to cut UW’s lead to 27-24.

How would UW’s offense, which had generated one field goal on four series, respond?

With a vengeance.

Hornibrook hit 6 of 6 passes for 76 yards to help UW take a 34-24 lead with 7:44 remaining in the game. Tight end Troy Fumagalli, who hadn't had a catch, made  three for 32 yards on the drive. Hornibrook capped the drive with a 6-yard strike to Davis for the freshmen’s third score of the night. 

Miami came right back and moved from its 25 to the UW 10 in four plays, with Rosier hitting wide receiver Jeff Thomas for 48 yards to the 10.

UW’s defense held when Van Ginkel pulled Rosier down after a 1-yard gain to the 6 on third and goal.

Badgley, who entered the night 16 of 20 on field-goal attempts, missed from 24 yards this time. The ball hit the right upright and bounced away and UW had a 10-point lead and the ball with 4:34 left. 

UW, which held the ball for 39:52, didn't give the ball back until just 1:37 remained. Connelly's interception with 1:19 left secured the victory.

"It feels great," Fumagalli said. "Our goal this year was to set the new standard. Don’t just be the normal 10-win team. And in the end we did. It has been a hell of a ride. It has been special."

The Badgers won their fourth consecutive bowl game, and their 13 victories sent the senior class out with a record 45 wins.

"This was a tribute to the seniors," redshirt junior safety D'Cota Dixon said. "Those guys have led us. They’ve done a tremendous job all year. It hasn’t been a one-guy show. Everyone has been playing together. Everyone has been playing for one another. I think that is our edge. 

"Like I said … for the seniors. I don’t care how I feel. It is about the guys who have been here and paved the way for myself and for all the other guys as well."