The Wisconsin Badgers are on the winning track for the first time in Big Ten play this season after Saturday’s 24-0 road victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini.

But Badgers fans might not be too enthusiastic about this one, and rightfully so because of the high expectations and standards this program has. Still, Saturday’s game was one the Badgers had to win to keep the 2021 season from going completely off the rails. A loss to former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema certainly could’ve sent this version’s team in that direction.

The Badgers’ offense still needs plenty of work for the rest of the season, but the defense continues to be extremely impressive. Wisconsin dominated Illinois, outgaining the Illini 491-93 in total yardage, with a 30-9 first down edge, and dominating time of possession with 42:43. Before Wisconsin (2-3overall, 1-2 B1G) turns the page and looks forward to next week’s game against Army, let’s take a closer look at how Wisconsin performed in all three phases of the game.

Offense: C

If we graded Wisconsin’s offense separately, it would have an A in rushing and pretty close to an F in passing, so we’ll settle in with a C grade. The staple of the Badgers offense is their rushing attack as it has been for the past few decades, and Wisconsin performed exceptionally well at the line of scrimmage.

The Badgers’ offensive line is among the many reasons Wisconsin was off to such a poor start, but this unit came to play on Saturday. Illinois’ defensive front has not been horrible this season, but Wisconsin was able to push defenders back and create holes for running backs Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen.

Mellusi finished the game with 145 rushing yards on 21 attempts with one touchdown, and Allen carried the ball 18 times for 131 yards and a score, though he lost a fumble. This appears to be the top duo of backs moving forward for Wisconsin. Isaac Guerendo was not available to play in this game with an unspecified injury, but the absence of Jalen Berger remains a head scratcher.

Berger led Wisconsin in rushing as a true freshman in 2020, but he did not receive a single carry for the second time this season. Even walk-on Brady Schipper passed Berger on the depth chart Saturday, gaining 36 yards on six carries.

Wisconsin’s offensive line cleared the way for a big day on the ground, did not allow a single sack, and allowed Graham Mertz plenty of time to throw. Unfortunately, the passing game was unable to take advantage in another poor performance.

Saturday marked the first time Wisconsin won despite Mertz throwing an interception. While he looked fantastic in his final two drives of the first half in last week’s game against Michigan, completing 8 of 10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown before getting knocked out of the game on his next series, that success did not carry into Saturday’s game.

Mertz threw for just 15 yards in the first half and finished the game 10-of-19 for 100 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. He floated a deep ball in the Badgers’ second drive of the game for his seventh pick of the season. Another notable throw came on the first drive in the third quarter when he had a wide open Jake Ferguson for what should’ve been a 38-yard touchdown but significantly underthrew him for an incompletion. The Badgers scored on that drive, but it’s a throw quarterbacks should make at the college level as Mertz continues to search for consistency.

Defense: A+

While Badgers fans are probably going to complain about the offense’s ineffectiveness all season, at least they can be happy when the defense is on the field. This group is fantastic and played another huge game on Saturday. This is the second time this season Wisconsin’s defense did not allow a single point as the seven points that Eastern Michigan scored came on a Chase Wolf pick-six.

Wisconsin’s front seven continues to be one of the best in the country.  The Badgers are getting to the quarterback quickly and stuffing opposing running games. Illinois only had 67 yards passing and 26 on the ground. The Badgers finished the game with four tackles for loss and a sack.

Wisconsin lost the turnover battle 2-0 on Saturday. If there are any flaws on defense, outside of giving up a few big plays over the top, it’s a lack of turnovers forced. Illinois quarterbacks gave Badgers defenders plenty of chances for interceptions, but they couldn’t make plays on the ball. UW needs to start stealing possessions especially as the Badgers get ready for a turnover-creating machine with Iowa later this month.

Special Teams: B

There wasn’t a whole lot of activity in special teams, which is a positive sign considering what we saw in the losses to Notre Dame and Michigan where this unit allowed game-changing plays for the worst.

Collin Larsh knocked in all three extra points along with a 25-yard field goal and handled the kickoff duties with Jack Van Dyke out with an injury. Andy Vujnovich continues to have a fantastic season as a punter; his lone boot went 56 yards on Saturday. Nothing in the return game is worth noting, so an average performance gives this group a B as it looks ahead to next week’s game.