Wisconsin wins bowl in Luke Fickell’s debut, Jim Leonhard’s sendoff

Braelon Allen ran for 116 yards and a touchdown and Wisconsin withstood Oklahoma State’s second-half push in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl for a 24-17 victory Tuesday night.

The Badgers (7-6) dominated the first half with stifling defense, building a 17-point lead as new coach Luke Fickell stalked the sideline and interim coach Jim Leonhard called the shots.

Wisconsin got stuck in the slippery turf at Chase Field in the second half, unable to generate much of anything on offense while the Cowboys (7-6) found a rhythm when they had the ball.

Cedrick Dort ended Oklahoma State’s momentum by intercepting Garret Rangel’s pass with three minutes left, preserving the Badgers’ eighth win in their past nine bowl games.

Allen scored on a 20-yard run after an Oklahoma State turnover in the third quarter, Chez Mellusi scored on a 1-yard run and Chase Wolf threw a 15-yard TD pass to Hayden Rucci.

The Cowboys lost four of five to close out the regular season and struggled offensively while falling into a 24-7 hole midway through the third quarter.

Rangel led Oklahoma State back, throwing for 229 yards and two touchdowns.

The freshman improvised on a fourth-and-goal by shoveling a pass to Ollie Gordon while in the grasp of a defender to open the fourth quarter and set up Tanner Brown’s 24-yard field goal to pull the Cowboys to 24-17.

Rangel tried to make a big play downfield after another Oklahoma State second-half defensive stop but threw his second interception when Dort cut inside the intended receiver.

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma State: the Cowboys revved up their offense a little too late to mount the comeback, leaving coach Mike Gundy at nine bowl wins, tied for seventh place on the career list.

Wisconsin: the Badgers had a new coach on the sideline and several new players a key positions, including quarterback. Wisconsin grinded out the win after its offense stalled, sending Leonhard off with a win.

UP NEXT

Wisconsin: Fickell will continue to fill out his staff and roster after losing several players who declared for the NFL draft or went into the transfer portal. Wolf will be back and have momentum on his side after winning a bowl game.

Oklahoma State: The bowl experience should help Rangel headed into next season when he will be the frontrunner to be the starting quarterback. Most of the Cowboys’ skill players should be back, too.

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