Report card for Wisconsin's 23-3 win over Northwestern
Grading the Badgers offense, defense, and special teams from a strong win over the Northwestern Wildcats
Don't look now, but the Wisconsin football team is in a groove. The Badgers traveled to Evanston, a place where they've historically struggled, and took home a 23-3 win over the Northwestern Wildcats.
UW are now winners of three straight, allowing just one touchdown across the last three matchups. It was good to see the Badgers keep the momentum rolling, even if there were some hiccups along the way. This team is taking care of business and showing improvements at the right time before a gauntlet of a stretch.
Before we turn the page to a massive home showdown against Penn State, here are my grades for Wisconsin's 23-3 win over Northwestern.
Offensive Grade: B
After putting up 42 and 52 points the last two weeks, Wisconsin was due to have a quieter day on the scoreboard against a formidable Northwestern defense. Still, the Badgers found a rhythm through the air and on the ground.
Braedyn Locke had some good decision-making against the Wildcats, but he had a bad interception and lost a fumble in the pocket. Locke completed 14 of his 24 passes for 160 yards through the air while also showcasing his scrambling ability, recording an 8-yard touchdown for the first score of the game. The redshirt sophomore took a slight step back after a strong two weeks, but it wasn't a bad game by any means.
Tawee Walker kept his foot on the pedal, following up a career-high 198-yard performance against Rutgers with a 126-yard effort on 23 carries against the Wildcats. True freshman Darrion Dupree logged the most touches of his early Badgers career with 11 carries for 40 yards while also bringing in a 26-yard pass from Locke. Cade Yacamelli also got into the mix, scoring on a three-yard touchdown shortly after a Northwestern fumble.
It was a relatively quiet day for the receivers, but Locke got several guys involved. Will Pauling (51), Vinny Anthony (28), and CJ Williams (27) all logged over 25 receiving yards while Tucker Ashcraft hauled in a three-yard touchdown pass from Ashcraft. The Badgers have a lot of options on the offense, and the win over Northwestern proved it.
Defensive Grade: A-
Mike Tressel's unit had a wake-up call after allowing 28 unanswered points against USC a few weeks ago. This group just keeps getting better.
This is one of the first games that we saw the Badgers generate some consistent pressure. They were able to capitalize on that pressure multiple times, recording two sacks, a safety, and forcing a huge fumble inside the Wildcats' five-yard line, which gave the offense a chance to extend the lead going into halftime.
Wisconsin had a couple of ugly moments against Northwestern's rushing attack of RB Cam Porter and QB Jack Lausch. Lausch led the team in rushing with 55 yards, while Porter tacked on 48 yards of his own on 14 carries. Despite a couple of hiccups, UW was able to keep the Wildcat rushers at bay for the majority of the game.
Sebastian Cheeks and Elijah Hills have been solid additions to the Wisconsin defense, and they both came up big. Hills recovered a forced fumble from John Pius inside the five-yard line, and Cheeks and Hills both met Jack Lausch in the endzone for a safety.
Wisconsin's defense has become its identity once again, and it's been incredibly refreshing to see good performance after good performance from this squad.
Special Teams Grade: B+
It was a block party in Evanston. Wisconsin had a blocked punt and a blocked field goal against the Wildcats, though Northwestern did return the favor by blocking a 40-yard attempt from Nathanial Vakos.
Atticus Bertrams is an absolute weapon. He had a punt land at the one-yard line (though I'm not sure why UW punted in that situation). Bertrams has been a mark of consistency for the Badgers all season long, and the sophomore still has two years left.
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