Dec. 30 (UPI) — Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz accidentally shattered the trophy that Wisconsin received after beating Wake Forest on Wednesday in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
While dancing around in celebration of the Badgers’ 42-28 win over the Demon Deacons, Mertz dropped the championship trophy, which is shaped like a football and made of Lenox crystal. The crystal football fell off its base and immediately shattered on the floor of the locker room.
“We just wanted everybody to have a piece of that trophy,” Wisconsin head football coach Paul Chryst joked.
Mertz, a redshirt freshman, threw for 130 yards and recorded three touchdowns — including two rushing scores — in the victory over Wake Forest. Five players scored touchdowns for the Badgers.
“Yeah, I dropped it,” said Mertz, who showed off an updated trophy that featured a mayonnaise bottle instead of the football-shaped crystal. “That’s on me. It happened.”
Wisconsin finished with a 4-3 record this season. The Badgers ended their 2020 campaign with two consecutive wins over Minnesota and Wake Forest.
