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Wisconsin football: 3 takeaways from 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl win

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 27, 2022; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen (0) runs the ball into the end zone against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the Guaranteed Rate Bowl Game at Chase Field on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gould/The RepublicNcaa Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Dec 27, 2022; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen (0) runs the ball into the end zone against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the Guaranteed Rate Bowl Game at Chase Field on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gould/The RepublicNcaa Guaranteed Rate Bowl /
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After starting the season 3-4 and moving on from head coach Paul Chryst, it felt like Wisconsin football was destined for a losing season and no bowl berth.

Jim Leonhard went 4-3 as head coach and led the Badgers to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl where they’d face an Oklahoma State team that spent a lot of the season in the AP Top 25. It would be quite the test for a Badger team without a starting quarterback as Graham Mertz hit the transfer portal, but Wisconsin passed with flying colors.

Luke Fickell’s team dominated in his first game with the program and Wisconsin raced out to a 24-7 lead before finishing with a seven-point victory to finish the season with a winning record.

Let’s dive into some takeaways.

3. Jim Leonhard pieced together one final masterpiece

Jim Leonhard is going to be missed in Madison and there are a majority of fans who would have supported Wisconsin’s decision had the athletic department named him the next head coach.

Heck, I think everyone was shocked that he didn’t get the job.

But in his final game as the Badgers’ defensive coordinator, he pieced together another masterpiece, holding Oklahoma State’s offense in check for most of the game. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Cowboys pieced together a couple of solid drives and even then, it felt like Wisconsin’s defense just controlled the game.

The Badgers finished by holding Oklahoma State quarterback Garret Rangel to under 50 percent on his completions with two picks and the run game had a total of 52 yards on 26 carries.

Leonhard is going to be a really good coach elsewhere.

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