GREEN BAY, Wis. _ For months, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and his players jousted with college football pundits.
A daunting schedule that includes five teams ranked in the top 15 of the coaches' poll?
The players were told it was a death march.
The unranked Badgers countered by saying they saw opportunities, not a path toward oblivion.
Opportunity No. 1 of the 2016 season came Saturday at Lambeau Field and Chryst's players seized it on a national stage with a stunning 16-14 victory against No. 5 LSU in front of an announced crowd of 77,823.
Give game balls to junior kicker Rafael Gaglianone, linebacker Vince Biegel and safety D'Cota Dixon, each of whom made huge plays in the final 3 minutes, 47 seconds to overcome a 14-13 deficit.
Gaglianone, wearing No. 27 to honor former Nebraska punter Sam Foltz, who died in a car accident in Waukesha County in July, drilled a 47-yard field goal to give UW the lead with 3:47 left.
LSU took the ensuing kickoff and drove from its 25 to the UW 35 but on first-and-15 the Tigers turned the ball over for the third and final time.
Biegel came through unblocked and nearly sacked quarterback Brandon Harris.
Harris regained his balance and tried to hit wide receiver D.J. Chark. The ball sailed directly into the arms of Dixon with 57 seconds left.
A personal foul on LSU lineman Josh Boutte put the ball at the UW 47. The Tigers, down to just one timeout, could do nothing but watch the Badgers run out the final seconds and then head to the southwest corner of the stadium to engage in the Lambeau Leap.
UW overcame three turnovers, including two interceptions by Bart Houston (19-of-31, 205 yards), largely because its defense under new coordinator Justin Wilcox was magnificent.
LSU was held to 64 yards on 21 plays in the first half, which ended with UW holding a 6-0 lead.
The Tigers stunned UW with two touchdowns in a span of 1:07 in the third quarter, the first a 21-yard interception return by cornerback Tre'Davious White, to take a 14-13 lead.
UW didn't buckle.
With his team trailing, 14-13, Houston hit 3 of 3 passes for 48 yards on the game-winning drive.
Gaglianone, who hit from 30 and 48 yards earlier, was money on his final kick.
Including the victory Saturday, UW has won four of its last seven meetings against teams ranked in The Associated Press top five.
However, the previous three victories came against Big Ten teams. The last time UW defeated an AP top-five team in a nonconference game was in 1974, when the Badgers stunned No. 4 Nebraska, 21-20.
Corey Clement ran hard all game and finished with 86 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
UW held Leonard Fournette to 35 yards on 11 carries in the first half. The Heisman hopeful finished with 138 yards on 23 carries but didn't dominate the game and didn't reach the end zone.
UW gained two first downs on its first possession but was forced to punt from its 48 after Houston was sacked for a 2-yard loss on third down.
P.J. Rosowski got the ball instead of freshman Anthony Lotti and the walk-on from Stoughton shanked a 22-yarder to give LSU the ball at its 30.
UW's defense held the Tigers to a total of 7 yards on three running plays, however, and after a 23-yard punt the Badgers took over at their 40 with 8:57 left in the quarter.
The Badgers drove to the LSU 23 but Clement lost a yard on fourth and 1 and the Tigers took over with 5:46 left.
After UW's defense recorded another three-and out, the Badgers drove from their 34 to the LSU 5.
Left tackle Ryan Ramczyk moved early on third and 4, however, and Houston forced a pass into coverage on third and 9. His throw was intercepted in the end zone by free safety Ricky Jefferson with 13:55 left in the half.
UW's defense returned the favor when safeties Leo Musso and Arrington Farrar combined to force a fumble by reserve tailback Derrius Guice.
UW's Chikwe Obasih recovered the ball at the LSU 36 with 8:25 left in the half and the Badgers moved to the 6 before stalling.
Gaglianone, who had a fabulous camp, drilled a 30-yard field goal with 4:13 left in the half to give UW a 3-0 lead.
UW's defense, which allowed just 64 total yards on 21 plays in the half, stymied LSU once more to set up the Badgers' second score.
LSU faced fourth and 1 at its 45 when Les Miles called a timeout with 1:53 left in the half.
His call was to give Fournette the ball, but linebackers Jack Cichy and T.J. Watt combined to hold the Heisman Trophy candidate to no gain.
That led to a 48-yard field goal by Gagliaone and a 6-0 lead with 54 seconds left.
UW opened the second half in impressive fashion.
The defense recorded a three-and-out, with its fifth third-down stop on five tries, and the offense did what it failed to do in the first half _ reach the end zone.
Houston found tight end Troy Fumagalli (7 catches, 100 yards) for 27 yards on the first play of the drive, to the LSU 31.
Clement took over from there with runs of 12, 10, 4 and 5 yards to help UW take a 13-0 lead with 10:55 left.
UW's defense continued to shine by holding on third down for the sixth time in six tries but Houston got the Tigers back into the game with a huge mistake.
The Badgers faced third and 4 from their 10 when Houston forced a ball to Robert Wheelwright along the left sideline.
White jumped the route, weaved his way across the field and scored from 21 yards to help the Tigers pull within 13-7 with 5:28 left in the third quarter.
UW's momentum was gone.
LSU's defense kept the party going a few plays later.
Houston hit wide receiver George Rushing for 11 yards on third-and-9 but cornerback Donte Jackson forced a fumble and White recovered at the UW 41.
Harris hit Fournettte for 31 yards on the next play and wide receiver Travin Dural, who broke the attempted tackle of Dixon, for a 10-yard score on the next play. Colby Delahoussaye added the extra point to give LSU a 14-13 lead with 4:21 left in the quarter.
UW didn't turn the ball over on its next possession but a promising drive ended when Houston and Wheelwright were unable to connect on third and 11 from their 49.
The throw was behind Wheelwright, who was unable to reach back and make the catch.
LSU took over at its 2 after a 49-yard punt with 1:55 left in the quarter and moved to its 28 before the drive stalled.
A 31-yard punt by Josh Growden gave UW the ball at its 41 with 14:06 left.
LSU's rejuvenated defense held, however, and the Tigers got the ball back at their 12 with 11:06 left.
Fournette ripped off a 19-yard gain on first down but the drive stalled when reserve linebacker Ryan Connelly, subbing for the injured Chris Orr, dropped Fournette short on third down on a screen.
UW drove from its 23 to the LSU 29 and Gaglianone drilled a 47-yard field goal for a 16-14 lead with 3:47 left.
Would UW's defense be able to hold on?
An emphatic yes.
