I don’t care what the official stats say, Saturday was a shutout for Wisconsin’s defense. While Northwestern might have finished with seven points, it came via a scoop and score from their defense in the fourth quarter while trailing 35-0.
It was the second time this season that UW’s offense gave away points to break up a shutout, with the other coming against Eastern Michigan in week two. Unofficially, that makes Saturday the third shutout of the season, including a 24-0 win over Illinois in October.
UW’s offense and special teams are responsible for five of the 17 touchdowns allowed by the Badgers this season.
The Wildcats had just 239 yards of total offense. NU was 4-of-16 on third and fourth down combined, turned the ball over four times, and held the ball for just 25:38. NU also had just one drive last longer than six plays the entire game, their opening series of the game.
Inside linebackers Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal put together another monster performance. Chenal led the way with a game-high 14 tackles, including three for loss. Sanborn added 10 stops as well as three tackles for loss.
The Badgers had three sacks coming from Chenal, Matt Henningsen, and Hunter Wohler. Williams, Torchio, Dean Engram, and Jordan Turner each had interceptions to account for UW’s four takeaways.
Over the last four games, the Badgers have forced a whopping 16 turnovers. That’s far more than their total (4) in the first six games of the 2021 season.
“We’re kind of in a phase where it’s just contagious,” said Torchio. “Everyone wants to get in on the fun. One turnover, boom. Who’s gonna get the next one?”
