Photos: Wisconsin downs Illinois in Big Ten West clash

The Badgers defense allowed just three first downs in the first half, and UW leads 10-0 at the break.

The senior broke Lee Evans' record of 38 straight games with at least one catch early in the second half.

The Badgers are still alive to win the Big Ten’s West Division after tallying its first division win.

The Badgers finished with 391 yards rushing and the defense dominated in a 24-0 victory over the Illini.

Columnist Jim Polzin gives the Wisconsin football offense its best mark of the season. It was nothing fancy, but it was smashmouth football at its finest.

There was little time for reflection. Bielema is focused on the Illini's future.

Most importantly for Wisconsin, Mertz, who had to wear extra protective gear under his normal pads Saturday after being knocked out a week ago in the loss to Michigan, got out of the game healthy.

What’s behind the Badgers can’t change, but they’re trying to punish those in front of them the rest of the way. A dominant performance from their running game in a win against Illinois was a good place to start.

The Wisconsin football team had a choice before facing Illinois. It could dwell on an awful start to the season or try to fix what’s broken. They chose Option B.

Assessing quarterback Graham Mertz's play, an unsung hero on defense, and a perplexing strategy from the Illini defense.

The Hawkeyes (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten Conference) took control of the West Division with their 12th straight victory and thrust themselves into the College Football Playoff conversation.

Jalen Berger, a four-star recruit out of Newark, N.J. who was one of the top recruits in UW's 2020 class, is the third running back to leave the team this season. Here's what we know. 

The last time the No. 1 team in the country lost to an unranked team was 2008, and the last time Alabama lost to an unranked team was 2007. Texas A&M snapped both those streaks Saturday and brought true chaos to this college football season.

Before Georgia took over the top spot in the AP poll on Sunday, Alabama (63 times), Clemson (23), Ohio State (10) and LSU (eight) were the only teams to reach No. 1 since 2015.

UW has won the past 14 meetings with Purdue, but both the 2017 (17-9) and 2018 (47-44, 3OT) matchups came down to the wire.

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst did not offer details on Jalen Berger's dismissal, but multiple sources said Berger missed meetings and workouts before being removed from the team.

Saturday marks just the fourth meeting between UW and a service academy program and the first since 1979, but all three previous matchups were notable for their own reasons.

Senior left tackle Tyler Beach and his teammates gathered on Oct. 3, the day after a 21-point home loss to Michigan. "You could tell there was a lack of confidence sometimes in the huddle," Beach said. Here's how the meeting changed that. 

UW's secondary must deal with another stud receiver in Purdue's David Bell if the Badgers want to stay in the race for the wide-open Big Ten West title.

Braelon Allen's maturity and willingness to seek guidance helped make him an integral piece of the Badgers offense by the midway point of his freshman season. 

When UW has the ball against the Boilermakers, attention must be paid to defensive end George Karlaftis. 

ESPN's SP+ system places the UW football team at No. 7. That's No. 7 in the nation, not in the Big Ten. What is it seeing that fans aren't?