Badgers news: 3 quick takeaways from 23-3 win over Northwestern

The Wisconsin Badgers earned their third straight double-digit win by defeating the Northwestern Wildcats 23-3 on Saturday to improve to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play.

After amassing 94 points in their last two games, the Badgers still had some issues to overcome on Sunday, but relied on a strong offense and outstanding defense to pull off another big win on Saturday.

Quarterback Braedyn Locke didn't have his strongest game of the year, throwing for just 160 yards and committing two turnovers, but running back Tawee Walker went off the field again while the defense held Northwestern without a touchdown for the first time all season.

Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin's 23-3 win over Northwestern.

Tawee Walker is the answer

Tawee Walker played a key role Saturday as he posted his second straight three-touchdown game since taking over as the No. 1 running back in Wisconsin's 42-7 win over Rutgers last weekend.

Well, Walker didn't have three touchdowns in this game, but he was the answer offensively for Wisconsin, leading with 126 yards on 23 carries.

While the passing game struggled some early, Walker consistently managed five yards per carry and powered the team's first touchdown drive with a big 24-yard run thanks to a big hole created by the offensive line.

Wisconsin's front five has done its job at a high level, and the senior back has performed well behind them in recent weeks, leading to another productive performance on Saturday.

When Wisconsin needed some offense in the second half, Walker was the catalyst as his consistency allowed the team to thrive, leading to the team's third touchdown drive of the game.

The Badgers would have had more chances to score, but they had a blocked field goal that they hit in Northwest territory and converted on downs inside the red zone.

Nonetheless, they needed another big Walker performance on Saturday, and he delivered with another 100-yard game against Northwestern.

Secondary shines

It was an absolute disaster for the Badgers defensively as they held Northwestern to just three points.

It was clear from the jump that the secondary was at one on Saturday, as the Badgers had a pass breakup by Hunter Wohler in the first third of the game that forced a quick punt.

On drive #2, true freshman Xavier Lucas had a great coverage play on third down, getting in step with top receiver Bryce Kirtz and fending off a 1-on-1 ball down the sideline.

The pass breakups didn't stop there, as the Badgers secondary held Jack Lausch to just 82 yards on September 24th. It seemed like the defensive backs were getting their hands on at least one play-per-drive, and the Wildcats converted on 2/14 of their third downs as a result.

Wohler, Lucas, Preston Zachman, Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean all had at least one pass breakup on the day, bringing the team's total to seven, as the secondary set the tone for Wisconsin's defense with its most dominant performance of the season.

Trench game

Heading into Saturday, head coach Luke Fickell called the trenches the key to the game, as Wisconsin struggled on both sides of the line in last year's embarrassing 24-10 loss to Northwestern.

Well, the Badgers dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides, outscoring their opponents.

Offensively, Wisconsin's line set the tone, constantly creating holes in the running game for Tawee Walker to work with. In the passing game, Braedyn Locke mostly operated from clean pockets, although it wasn't his cleanest game overall.

Defensively, the Badgers defense played a very productive game and controlled the running game, which was crucial on first and second downs. As the Wildcats struggled to generate yards on the ground with running back Cam Porter, they averaged 7.4 yards on third downs, making them difficult to convert.

There were plays from the defensive line everywhere as Ben Barten, Curt Neal and Elijah Hills all had run stops while the outside linebackers were able to generate some pressure.

Darryl Peterson had another solid game, making some plays on the ground and feeling some pressure. John Pius had a big play, forcing a strip-sack fumble deep in Northwestern territory that ended in a touchdown for the Badgers to end the first half. And Sebastian Cheeks continued his hot stretch, forcing a safety when he also sacked Lausch.

Overall, it was a productive day for Wisconsin on both fronts, much different from last year's loss, as the Badgers found a good balance offensively while Northwestern struggled defensively to pull off a big win.