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Who might blame Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz for being just a little excited Wednesday after his workforce defeated Wake Forest within the Duke’s Mayo Bowl?
Mertz threw for 130 yards and no interceptions within the 42-28 win — however whereas celebrating contained in the Badgers’ locker room after the sport, he was captured on video dropping the workforce’s football-shaped crystal trophy, shattering it on the ground.
“We simply wished all people to have a bit of that trophy,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst joked after Mertz’s post-game fumble.
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Wisconsin gamers have been initially tight-lipped as to who shattered it, together with Jack Sanborn, named Most Useful Participant within the contest, who exclaimed “no remark.” However movies quickly emerged on-line.
“There’s video proof on the market who broke the trophy, and I am not going to say anything concerning that,” added Badgers linebacker Noah Burks, who intercepted Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman late within the third quarter. “Though we didn’t know the trophy got here off.”
Mertz later confessed to breaking the trophy throughout a post-game digital information convention.
“I dropped it. That is on me,” he stated.
“My mama would name it a boo-boo, but it surely’s all proper, we’ll bounce again,” he continued. “It will be the final trophy I ever drop, I assure you that.”
Gamers tried to salvage their prize by taping an precise jar of Duke’s Actual Mayonnaise to the bottom of the trophy — an unexpected victory for the sponsor of the bowl recreation, which was performed in Charlotte, N.C.
Regardless of the mishap, Mertz accounted for 3 touchdowns and Wisconsin turned 4 second-half interceptions — all by completely different gamers — into 21 factors to show a detailed recreation right into a near-rout of the Demon Deacons. 5 gamers scored touchdowns for the Badgers.
The sport was tied 21-21 late within the third quarter, till Burks intercepted Hartman and returned the ball 41 yards to arrange a 14-yard scoring strike from Mertz to fullback Mason Stokke, giving the Badgers their first lead.
Hartman was picked off on the following three possessions regardless of throwing one interception all season.
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“It felt like one led to the opposite,” stated Sanborn, including that the Badgers picked up on a few of Hartman’s tendencies.
“All through the sport, comparable ideas arising,” Sanborn continued. “We form of knew the place he wished to throw the ball. He was making throws early within the recreation. However we received a inform on the place he wished to go along with the ball.”
Wisconsin gamers hoist the trophy following victory over Wake Forest within the Duke’s Mayo Bowl NCAA faculty soccer recreation at Financial institution of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (Related Press)
After the sport, customers on Twitter famous an earlier publish from the Duke’s Mayo Bowl Twitter account, that did not seem to age properly.
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“A fast reminder that we now have the most effective trophy in soccer,” the account wrote.
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