That went about as expected.

No. 14 Michigan went into Camp Randall Stadium to face Wisconsin Saturday afternoon, and it was all Wolverines in a 38-17 victory over the Badgers. It’s the first time Michigan has won in Madison since 2001.

The first half was a rough go for Wisconsin, which had -2 yards on its first 4 drives. But the Badgers appeared to find a groove as the first half came to a close, scoring 10 points on their last 2 drives — including an impressive touchdown pass from Graham Mertz to Chimere Dike.

But the second half was all Michigan, which outscored Wisconsin 25-7 in the last 2 quarters. The Wolverines scored on 4 of their first 5 drives after halftime, proving why they’re the No. 14 team in the country.

The Wolverines’ offense was firing on all cylinders, especially in the air. Cade McNamara completed 17 of 28 passes for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns, while JJ McCarthy had a 56-yard passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. They were facing a tough Wisconsin run defense that kept Blake Corum and Hassan Haskins out of the end zone, which put more pressure on the QBs.

Michigan’s defense also rose to the occasion and rattled an already shaky Badgers offense. They got right to Mertz, sacking him 3 times and holding him to 8-of-15 passing for 115 yards. Mertz left the game in the second half with a chest injury and didn’t return, which meant Chase Wolf had to take over at QB. He completed just 3 of 8 passes for 52 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked 3 times.

It’s not at all how Paul Chryst’s team wanted to respond after last week’s disappointing showing against Notre Dame. Now, Chryst will likely have to answer even more questions, especially about the offense after Mertz’s injury.

As for Michigan, Jim Harbaugh’s team continues to prove it’s the real deal this year. The Wolverines are now 5-0 for the first time since 2016 and don’t show many signs of slowing down.

Michigan could easily make some noise in the B1G East — but we won’t bring up Ohio State just yet. One step at a time.