Quick takeaways from Wisconsin football's 27-10 win over Illinois
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MADISON – For the second time in three weeks, the Wisconsin football team played spoiler.
The Badgers upset Illinois, 27-10, Saturday, Nov. 22, at Camp Randall Stadium to raise their record to 4-7 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten.
Illinois, which is ranked No. 21 in the College Football Playoff rankings, dropped to 7-4 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten. The win was Wisconsin’s second over a team in the CFP top 25. It beat then-No. 23 Washington, 13-10, on Nov. 8.
The win came with help from all three facets of the game.
Wisconsin’s offense, sparked by a 131-yard performance by sophomore Darrion Dupree, gained 301 yards, its highest total since of the Big Ten season. Freshman quarterback Carter Smith made his second start and completed nine of 11 passes for 75 yards, zero touchdowns and no interceptions.
Wisconsin’s defense finished with five sacks and six tackles for a loss. Illinois, which entered play averaging 32.2 points and 386.1 yards per game, equaled its second low for points and finished with 298 yards. Senior cornerback D’Yoni Hill led the Badgers with eight tackles. Graduate outside linebacker Darryl Peterson finished with six tackles, three sacks, two quarterback hurries, two pass deflections and one forced fumble.
And on special teams, senior Nathanial Vakos hit field goals of 47 and 32 yards and redshirt junior Charlie Jarvis dropped Illinois punter Keelan Crimmins for a 14-yard loss after he mishandled a low snap in the fourth quarter. That play led to a 4-yard touchdown run by Dupree that gave Wisconsin a 24-10 lead with 8 minutes 16 seconds left to play.
Here are five takeaways from the win.
Wisconsin makes most of Illinois special teams mistake
When the opponent makes a special teams mistake deep in Badgers territory as Illinois did in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin has to take advantage.
That was the case midway through the fourth quarter when Crimmins couldn’t handle a low snap and Jarvis, the Catholic Memorial graduate, drilled him for a 14-yard loss that gave the Badgers a first down at the Illini 14. The play helped seal the win.
Six plays later, Dupree took a direct snap behind the right side of the line for a 4-yard touchdown that gave Wisconsin a 24-10 edge with 8:16 to play.
Consider that a definition of complementary football.
Wisconsin wins battle in the red zone
We all know about the Badgers’ struggles offensively. That put added importance to Wisconsin’s ability to hold the Illini to field goal attempts on two of their first three trips to the red zone.
The first field goal attempt resulted in a 37-yard miss by junior David Olano. The second, which stalled an Illinois drive at the 6, resulted in a 24-yard field goal by Olano with 1:23 left in the third quarter. The points cut Wisconsin’s lead to 17-10.
Darrion Dupree brings big-play element to run game
Dupree’s 100-yard performance snapped a 15-game drought in that category. UW’s last 100-yard rusher was Tawee Walker (23 carries, 126 yards) at Northwestern last season.
Dupree’s 84-yard touchdown run was UW’s longest since Chez Mellusi’s 89-yard touchdown run against Buffalo on Sept. 2, 2023.
Dupree’s run boosted his average per carry, but he was already off to a solid start. He had an average of 4.8 yards per carry in the first half but had just four attempts. His touchdown came on his seventh attempt of the night.
Badgers’ opening drive arguably their best of the season
Wisconsin has been far from a fast starting team this season. Its touchdown on first drive of the day was just its second-game opening touchdown drive of the season.
The possession was one of the Badgers’ most impressive of the season. It moved 80 yards and took 9 ½ minutes off the clock. The possession included three third-down conversions. Forty-nine of those yards were gained on the ground discounting the two times Smith was sacked.
Smith completed 4 of 4 passes for 40 yards, while Dupree started fast, gaining 19 yards in his first four carries.
It was the Badgers’ 14th touchdown of the season. It equaled the second-longest drive in terms of yards and the longest scoring drive of the year in terms of time of possession.
Outside of perhaps their opening drive at Michigan, when did the Badgers have a better possession?
No turnovers in first half, but UW’s defense continues to disrupt
The Badgers defense didn’t help their cause in the first half with a turnover, but the unit put some heat on Illinois QB Luke Altmyer.
Wisconsin had two sacks in the half and broke up two passes at the line of scrimmage courtesy of Ben Barten and Peterson. Peterson’s pressure almost led to an interception.
Both of the sacks led to punts by Illinois that Wisconsin turned into its two first half scoring drives.
Even when UW wasn’t statistically generating any pressure, it was being disruptive. Outside linebacker Mason Reiger created such fits that late in the first half that he drew a holding penalty that nullified a third-down conversion.
The next play Reiger sacked Altmyer for a 9-yard loss to set up the punt that the Badgers converted into a 47-yard field goal by Vakos with 14 seconds to go before the half.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Quick takeaways from Wisconsin football’s 27-10 win over Illinois
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