Graham Mertz threw for 130 yards and ran for two short touchdowns as the Badgers finished a rocky season on a high note.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Graham Mertz accounted for three touchdowns and Wisconsin turned four second-half interceptions into 21 points to beat Wake Forest 42-28 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Wednesday. Mertz, a redshirt freshman, threw for 130 yards and ran for two short touchdowns as Wisconsin (4-3) finished a rocky season on a high note. “I’m truly proud of this group and what they have had to endure and how they did it together,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. With the game tied at 21 late in the third quarter, Noah Burks intercepted Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman on a pass in the flat when the intended receiver failed to turn his head. Burks returned the ball 41 yards to set up a 14-yard scoring strike from Mertz to Mason Stokke on a wheel route, giving the Badgers their first lead. Hartman, who had thrown only one interception all season, was picked off on the next three possessions as well.
