Wisconsin football report card from 27-10 win over No. 21 Illinois
Handing out grades for the Wisconsin Badgers offense, defense, and special teams from the 27-10 win over No. 21 Illinois in Week 13.
The University of Wisconsin football team could’ve gone down the same road it did a year ago — the one Luke Fickell admitted included finger-pointing and frustration behind closed doors. But instead, the Badgers are playing like a team that still believes there’s something worth fighting for.
A season that looked dead in the water three weeks ago suddenly has a pulse. On Saturday night, inside Camp Randall Stadium on Senior Day, the Badgers delivered their most complete performance of the Fickell era. They didn’t luck their way into a win. They earned it on the ground, at the line of scrimmage, and in the red zone.
The result was a 27–10 win over No. 21 Illinois, their second upset of a top-25 team in three weeks and their first season with multiple ranked wins since 2021. Seniors made plays. Freshmen made plays. And Wisconsin, a team that had every reason to fold after a brutal month of October, instead stored the field for the second time this month.
Afterward, Fickell made it clear how he felt about the way his team responded.
“That’s what complementary football looks like, to be honest with you, and that’s what I’m most proud of right now,” Fickell said. “There’s nothing better than sending these seniors out of here the right way. It’s been a rough year, but you’ve got to play your best ball at the end of the year if you’re going to move in the right direction, and that’s what we’re starting to do in different ways.“
It was the closest thing Wisconsin has shown to that elusive complete game, and it came at a moment when the program needed another reminder of what progress can actually look like moving forward.
With that as the backdrop, let’s hand out some grades.