Gophers at Wisconsin, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Camp Randall Stadium, ESPN, 100.3-FM

The skinny: Wisconsin rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Nebraska 15-14 in Lincoln as quarterback Graham Mertz scored on a 1-yard sneak with 35 seconds left. The Badgers (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) achieved bowl eligibility with the victory, the fourth in six games for interim coach Jim Leonhard.

Mertz, who finished 8-for-18 for 83 yards, hit Skyler Bell for a 10-yard touchdown with 10:07 left in the fourth quarter to cut Nebraska's lead to 14-9. The Badgers outgained the Cornhuskers 318-171 as Chez Mellusi rushed for 98 yards and Braelon Allen for 92. Allen left the game late in the fourth quarter because of a leg injury.

"It was ugly for a long time, and the guys just continued to battle and find ways to make plays," Leonard said.

The Badgers must play without linebacker Nick Herbig, whose 11 sacks rank third in the nation, for the first half against the Gophers. Herbig was called for targeting on a second-half hit against Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson and was ejected from the game.