It took nearly an entire 45 minutes, but Wisconsin finally held a lead in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

The Badgers dug themselves into an early 14-0 hole to Wake Forest on Wednesday afternoon, but some big plays on both sides of the football allowed Wisconsin to crawl out of that two-touchdown deficit. And in the 3rd quarter, Paul Chryst’s squad was finally able to take its first lead of the contest.

Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman threw an ill-advised pass and Wisconsin linebacker Noah Burks was in the right place at the right time, intercepting the pass and taking it the other direction. In a 21-21 game, it provided the spark the Badgers needed to take the lead.

Just a few plays later, Graham Mertz hit Mason Stokke for a 14-yard touchdown catch, putting the Badgers ahead 28-21.

Wisconsin struggled mightily in the 1st quarter of this game, but Chryst’s team has been playing well since a sluggish opening period. Will it be enough to get the win?