Wisconsin had to wait until the second month of the season, but it finally added another tally to the win column.

The Badgers defense showed up in a big way in Champaign, holding Illinois to just 93 total yards and 26 yards on the ground in a 24-0 victory. The Illini picked up just 9 first downs on Saturday.

It was another outstanding effort from Jim Leonhard’s unit, which has played well through 5 games, despite the 2-3 start.

Running backs Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen also posted 100-yard performances in Champaign, becoming the first Wisconsin duo to hit the century mark in a single game since 2018. Mellusi led the way with 145 yards on 21 carries while Allen totaled 131 yards on 18 touches. Both scored a touchdown.

Both offenses struggled through the first 15 minutes. A 25-yard field goal from Collin Larsh gave the Badgers a 3-0 lead, an advantage they maintained through most of the half. Late in the second quarter, John Chenal scored the first touchdown on a 1-yard run to make the score 10-0 heading into the locker room.

Touchdowns for Mellusi and Allen came in the third quarter, scoring from 15 and 23 yards out, respectively. The Badgers didn’t put any points on the board in the final period.

Leading the way on the ground for Illinois was Chase Brown, who had 35 yards on 8 carries. No other running back had more than 1 rushing yard for the contest.

Quarterbacks Brandon Peters and Art Sitkowski both struggled throughout the course of the contest. Peters left the game with an injury after completing just 3-of-7 passes for 12 yards. Sitkowski ended the game with 8-of-27 for 67 yards.

Graham Mertz didn’t play particularly well for Wisconsin, either. He was 10-of-19 for 100 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. His play was good enough to get the Badgers the win, though.

As ugly as it was, Wisconsin finally notches its first B1G win and improves to 2-3 on the season. With the Badgers struggling so much through the first month of the season, getting back on the right side of the scoreboard was important for Paul Chryst’s squad.

Will it finally generate some sort of momentum for Wisconsin?

Next week, the Badgers will play a talented Army team with a chance to get back to .500 before the final 6-game stretch of the B1G season.

Mertz still needs to show improvement, but if Mellusi and Allen can carry the ball as well as they did in Champaign, the Badgers’ offense might find some form of an identity.