The Wisconsin Badgers had a dominant 27-10 win over the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday in a game that they never trailed in from start to finish.
It was a much different performance than the
ones we saw during Wisconsin’s six-game losing streak, as the defense was superb while the offense did just enough to sustain a couple of drives for scores.
Wisconsin’s defensive growth has especially been seen over the past few weeks after they were humiliated on the ground against Iowa in a 37-10 loss.
Over the past four weeks, facing the No. 6, No. 23, No. 2, and No. 21 teams in the country, the Badgers have allowed only 18 points a game, squeaking away with victories over the Washington Huskies and now Illinois.
A big part of that success has been the Badgers’ defensive line, which has seen some serious growth from early in the season. Wisconsin has been stout against the run in its last three games, and has come out with some good game plans to limit opposing offenses.
But, the biggest improvement has come in the pass-rush department, where the Badgers have had five sacks in three straight games. It’s the first time since 2005 that they’ve reached the feat, which is quite impressive considering some of the pass-rushers that have come through Madison over the years.
Against Washington, the Badgers got to Demond Williams Jr. five times. Mason Posa had 2.5 sacks, Cooper Catalano had a sack, Sebastian Cheeks had a sack, and Mason Reiger had a half-sack in the win.
Against Indiana, Wisconsin’s pass-rush made things competitive for the first half, as they sacked Fernando Mendoza five times. It was Darryl Peterson who shone with 2.5 sacks, while Posa and Catalano each had another sack, and Reiger had a half-sack as well.
On Saturday against Illinois, the Badgers dominated the line of scrimmage. Peterson was on a tear, going for three sacks, while Reiger and Christian Alliegro each had a sack.
Peterson became the first He’s the first Badger to have multiple sacks in back-to-back games since Nick Herbig in 2022, according to UW.
It’s impressive that all three performances have come against ranked opponents, as Wisconsin hadn’t reached the five-sack mark against a Top 25 team since 2021 before this year.
Next up, Wisconsin will face a Minnesota Gophers team that has lost two in a row and sits at 6-5 with a 4-4 record in the Big Ten. Let’s see if they can carry their recent pass-rush prowess over to that game in a battle for the Axe.
