Final: Wisconsin 31, Maryland 24

Key play: Maryland offsides on onside kick

Maryland sent Byrd Stadium into a frenzy in the final minute after it appeared to not only have the onside kick, but it took off for what would’ve been a game-tying touchdown. Instead, Maryland was ruled offsides and the Terps never touched the ball again. What could’ve been their play of the season turned out to be a late punch to the gut.

Telling stat: The leading rusher of the game was…Joe Schobert?

If you bet that the Wisconsin linebacker would lead the game in rushing, congratulations. You just became a millionaire. The Badgers called a fake punt to Schobert in the first quarter, which led to the biggest play of the day. With one run, Schobert did more damage than anyone in the running game. Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal were both limited while Wes Brown only got 10 touches. Fittingly, Maryland defensive back Will Likely led the Terps in rushing. It was that kind of day.

Worth noting:

-Corey Clement didn’t even make the trip

It was that kind of day because Wisconsin’s best offensive weapon didn’t even travel to College Park. A week after he returned and scored three touchdowns, the pregame announcement of Clement’s absence was a concerning surprise. It’d be one thing if Clement went through pregame warmups and couldn’t give it a go. But the fact that he was so sore after last week’s game and he couldn’t practice or travel with the team was not good news. It’ll be interesting if we hear about a potential setback he suffered at the end of last week’s game.

-Caleb Rowe replaced Perry Hills 

Maryland’s never-ending revolving door at quarterback surfaced again on Saturday. With Hills stifled by Jack Cichy and Tanner McEvoy, who picked off two Maryland passes, Mike Locksley brought in Rowe to try and spark the Terps down the stretch. Like Hills, he threw one too many passes to McEvoy. But credit Rowe for delivering a touchdown pass to Levern Jacobs on the final drive to at least give the Terps a sliver of hope. Unfortunately for Maryland, it was once again too little, too late. Maryland passers were a combined 13-of-34 on Saturday, which won’t exactly be a ringing endorsement for either quarterback to earn the start next week.

What it means: Wisconsin continues to find a way, Maryland continues slide

Likely predicted a Maryland win before the news of Clement surfaced. If there was ever a time to catch Wisconsin off-guard, that was it. Instead, the Badgers did what they’ve been doing all year. They found a way to move the ball without looking like well-oiled offensive machine. The Badgers didn’t even need to rely on turnovers like most do against the Terps. That had to be frustrating for Maryland. The Terps do things well in stretches, but they can’t continue them for the course of the game. They contained Wisconsin No. 1 receiver Alex Erickson for the first half, but he torched the Terps in the second half. They stopped the Badger running game, but allowed a 57-yard scamper from a linebacker on a trick play. For the Terps to win a B1G game — as Likely guaranteed — they have to show consistency within a game. Until that happens, it’ll be a bumpy ride to the end.