The first quarter unfolded like a typical Michigan/Wisconsin game would be expected to.
The Badgers possessed the ball only twice (both resulting in punts), and Michigan held it only once.
The Wolverines ran a 13-play drive that took 7:24 off the clock, but it resulted in a missed 41-yard field goal by redshirt sophomore kicker Quinn Nordin at the 4:28 mark of the quarter.
The frame as a whole lasted just 33 minutes.
The action really picked up in the second quarter, however.
The stanza began with a bang, when junior quarterback Shea Patterson kept the ball on a zone read play and ran 81 yards down the sideline, getting pushed out by Wisconsin freshman cornerback Rachad Wildgoose just before he reached the end zone.
Senior running back Karan Higdon cashed it in from two yards out, though, to give Michigan a 7-0 lead at the 13:33 mark of the second quarter.
The Badgers answered immediately, cashing off their ensuing drive with a 33-yard touchdown run by redshirt sophomore wideout Kendric Pryor to knot the score at the 11:26 mark.
Both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, before Nordin converted a 42-yard field goal at the 4:12 juncture, putting Michigan up 10-7.
Wisconsin redshirt junior quarterback Alex Hornibrook was picked off by junior safety Josh Metellus on the Badgers' next possession, and returned it 31 yards to the Wisconsin 15-yard line.
U-M wasn't able to find the end zone, though, once again settling for a Nordin field goal, this one from 33 yards out, and the Maize and Blue held a 13-7 lead with 3:11 to go in the half.
Wisconsin punted on its ensuing drive, and Nordin missed a field goal from 54 yards out to end the half.
Takeaways
U-M controlled the first half, evidenced by its 203-127 advantage in yardage, but the story of the game has been its inability to find the end zone to cap off drives.
Metellus' pick to the Wisconsin 15-yard line was perhaps the best example, but the Wolverines were only able to settle for a field goal.
Patterson, meanwhile, has been his usual outstanding self, connecting on 12 of 15 passes for 120 yards, while also tallying 71 on the ground.
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