That’s one way to wrap up the season on Lake Michigan.
Doesn’t Northwestern’s win over Maryland already feel like a month ago?
In the 23-3 loss against Wisconsin, the Wildcats couldn’t get anything going on offense, while a few costly mistakes gave the Badgers opportunities to put points on the board.
Northwestern’s offense mustered just 209 total yards of offense compared to Wisconsin’s 359 yards. The ‘Cats won the turnover battle two to one, which felt like a recipe for success going in, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the lackluster offensive performance.
Jack Lausch threw for just 82 yards on 9-of-24 passing, although he did run for 55 yards. Thomas Gordon led the team in receiving with 49 yards. On the ground, Cam Porter had a frustrating day, rumbling for 48 total yards on 14 carries for an average of 3.4 yards per attempt.
For the Badgers, Braedyn Locke was solid enough to win, throwing for 160 yards on 14-of-24 passing. Tawee Walker was the real star of the show, rushing for 126 yards on 5.5 yards per carry. The senior carried the load for Wisconsin in this one, leading the Badgers to victory.
Northwestern got the ball first, starting on its own 16-yard line after Wisconsin won the toss and deferred. On the first play from scrimmage, Lausch escaped a collapsing pocket out to the right, throwing a 26-yard strike to Thomas Gordon. The drive stalled there after a couple fruitless runs and a Hunter Wohler PBU forced the ‘Cats to punt it away.
The punt set the Badgers up on their own 15-yard line to start their first offensive possession. Similarly to Northwestern, Wisconsin got one first down but failed to build from there, punting it right back to the ‘Cats.
Northwestern started its next drive on its own 21-yard line. A short completion followed by a Lausch scamper to the boundary set the ‘Cats up with a third-and-1, which Porter converted on a run right up the gut. That would be all once again, though, as three straight incompletions from Lausch led to another punt. After a deflection, Luke Akers sent it just 30 yards downfield, giving the Badgers the ball on their own 35-yard line.
The Northwestern defense was forcing turnovers like it was going out of style last week against Maryland, and Coco Azema continued the trend in this one, picking off Locke on an ill-advised pass over the middle. Staying ahead of the chains continued to be an issue, though, as the ‘Cats went three-and-out following the interception.
This time, the punt was a good one, pinning Wisconsin at its own 7-yard line. The ‘Cats stuffed a couple of runs and forced yet another punt, which Bryce Kirtz returned 23 yards to the Wisconsin 42-yard line. Despite the field position edge, Lausch and the offense remained stagnant. Luke Akers, kicking field goals in the absence of Jack Olsen, was forced to attempt a 52-yarder which he missed well short.
In the final minute of the first quarter, Wisconsin started to move the ball down the field. A Tawee Walker 24-yard burst and a subsequent facemask penalty had the Badgers at the NU 23-yard line entering the second quarter. Two plays later, Locke took off for an 8-yard touchdown run as the Badgers took a 7-0 lead.
Attempting to respond, Northwestern was able to string some first downs together, playing bully-ball on the ground to drive into enemy territory. Lausch’s first completion of the drive was an 18-yard throw to Gordon down to the Wisconsin 18-yard line. Things stalled, forcing NU to send Luke Akers out for a 28-yard attempt. The kick was blocked, and the Badgers took over on their own 21-yard line.
The ‘Cats returned the favor, though. After Locke and Co. drove all the way down to the NU 23-yard line, Jaiden Cameron blocked a kick attempt for Northwestern leaving the Badgers with nothing to show for it. With 5:30 left in the half, the ‘Cats took over. They didn’t move the ball at all, punting it right back within a minute of game time.
Northwestern forced another punt, but started its drive from its own one-yard line. With 43 seconds left in the half, disaster struck. Pressured heavily in the end zone, Lausch tried to take it up the middle to avoid a safety. He coughed it up and the Badgers recovered. On the next play, Cade Yacamelli ran it in for a touchdown, giving Wisconsin a 14-0 lead at the half.
Northwestern’s defense held strong on the opening possession of the second half, forcing the fourth Badger punt of the game. Fresh out of the break, the ‘Cats offense started to move the ball a little bit. Behind a few Porter rushes and a 15-yard play to Kirtz, NU found itself near the Wisconsin 40-yard line. On a fourth-and-three, Lausch darted out of the pocket to the Wisconsin 5-yard line for a 29-yard gain. But a false start helped stymie the drive right there, forcing Northwestern to settle for three to get on the board.
The ‘Cats caught a break on the ensuing drive when Locke fumbled the football as Greyson Metz racked up a sack. Northwestern took over at about mid-field but punted immediately as the massive offensive struggles continued. The Badgers promptly executed a methodical, eight-play drive all the way down the field capped off by a Tucker Ashcraft touchdown reception. The ‘Cats trailed 21-3 with seconds remaining in the third quarter.
At the start of the fourth frame, Lausch was sacked in the end zone for a safety, tacking two more points to Wisconsin’s lead. It was the nail in the coffin. Northwestern got the ball back pretty quickly, but trailed by 20 with just over 12 minutes remaining. Home fans were streaming towards the exits as the ‘Cats started their drive inside their own five-yard line.
Northwestern went three-and-out. Again. The aesthetic of the stadium was becoming even more red. On Wisconsin’s next drive, Walker successfully chewed some clock and had the Badgers down in the red zone. But Northwestern stuffed him on fourth-and-1 to get the ball back in what officially felt like garbage time. It was, as Walker and the Badgers salted away the rest of the clock and secured the win.
The ‘Cats will be back in action next Saturday, taking on Iowa in Iowa City at 2:30 p.m. CST.