Wisconsin Football: 3 takeaways from shutout win over Minnesota in Week 13

3. The Wisconsin ground game is more than just Jonathan Taylor

All season long, true freshman Jonathan Taylor has been a revelation for the Badgers. Wisconsin’s feature back was kept in check through the first half, but he finished the day with 149 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. In the process, Taylor might have done enough to earn a trip to Manhattan in a few weeks for the Heisman ceremony.

But we also learned on Saturday that Wisconsin’s running game is more than just the exploits of Taylor. The Badgers finished with 287 yards on 39 carries, as they averaged nearly 7.5 yards per run as a team.

In addition to the ninth triple-digit running game of the season for Taylor, there were some other big games on the ground in limited action for the other runners in the Wisconsin backfield. Chris James, the transfer from Pittsburgh, racked up 51 yards on seven handoffs. Garrett Groshek had 40 yards on five carries.

Even fullback Austin Ramesh got in on the action, busting off a 41-yard run in the first half and finishing with 43 yards on two carries. While Taylor will be the linchpin of Wisconsin’s backfield when the Badgers face Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game, they will also need solid performances from a deep backfield moving forward to stay in the title hunt.