MADISON, Wis. — For long-suffering conference rivals looking to throw some grief back at the once-dominant Michigan Wolverines, now's the time.

Have at it, Badgers.

No. 21 Wisconsin became the latest Big Ten team to get the best of the reeling Wolverines and coach Rich Rodriguez, winning 45-24 Saturday behind four touchdown passes and a TD sneak from quarterback Scott Tolzien.

"Scotty had a big grin on his face walking off the field," Badgers coach Bret Bielema said. "To beat Michigan is a big deal."

It was sweet redemption on Senior Day for the Badgers (8-2, 5-2), who watched last year's promising season unravel after blowing a big lead in the Big House last year. Wisconsin has regained momentum in what is shaping up to be a better-than-expected 2009 campaign, winning three straight after consecutive losses to Ohio State and Iowa.

It was the sixth straight conference setback for the Wolverines (5-6, 1-6), whose miserable Big Ten season just keeps getting worse — and with a potential bowl bid slipping away, Ohio State awaits next Saturday.

"There's no question we've got one more chance," Rodriguez said. "I've asked the team to be extra focused. We've been focused all year, but this is the biggest game of the year. Our guys know that."

Wisconsin's 45 points were the most the Badgers have ever scored against Michigan.

After the Badgers blew a 19-point lead in a loss to Michigan last year, Badgers defensive end O'Brien Schofield said he wasn't comfortable celebrating the win until the clock hit zero.

"I didn't want to think about that," Schofield said. "Because last year, I was like, 'We are killing these guys, these guys are terrible.' ... That was bad. I had to eat my words."

Tolzien was 16 of 24 for 240 yards with an interception despite spending much of the game under pressure from defensive end Brandon Graham, who had a pair of sacks and forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown to give the Wolverines a 17-14 lead just before halftime.

But this time, the second-half letdown that has become this Michigan team's dubious trademark actually began just before halftime, when it allowed the Badgers to drive for a 1-yard touchdown by John Clay.

"We've got to stay focused on what we need to do," Graham said. "Most of the games we were out of our gaps and let big plays happen. It's been killing us."

Nick Toon caught two of Tolzien's touchdown throws for the Badgers, who went to the air early on after putting together monster rushing performances in their previous two games.