5 takeaways from the Badgers' blowout win over Rutgers

The defense was dominant and Tawee Walker shined in the backfield.

Wisconsin running back Tawee Walker scores a rushing touchdown as Rutgers defensive back Flip Dixon defends during the first half at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J., on Oct. 12, 2024. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Make it two blowouts in a row.

The Badgers football team crushed Rutgers 42-7 Saturday afternoon at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J., a perfect encore to last week's 52-6 dismantling of Purdue. The Badgers improved to 4-2 on the season and 2-1 in the Big Ten.

There wasn't much to dislike in Saturday's victory, and of course, there were no shortage of highlight moments and things that stood out. Here are five of those things that stood out from the Badgers' dominant victory on Saturday:

Braedyn Locke continues to impress

Braedyn Locke has looked really good two weeks in a row. Sure, he has to clean up his game a bit because his interceptions (three in the last eight quarters) could bite him against better competition. But he has a strong arm, and he’s developing great rhythm with his receivers, namely Vinny Anthony II and Trech Kekahuna. Maybe it wasn’t coach speak when Luke Fickell said all summer that Locke was competing with Tyler Van Dyke for the starting job.

On Saturday, Locke went 20 for 28 for 240 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Tawee Walker is a dominant force

Put Tawee Walker up there with any running back in college football.

Walker ran 24 times for 198 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout victory. That included a 55-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter after the Scarlet Knights brought themselves a little life with a touchdown drive late in the game.

Walker has eight touchdown runs in the last three games and has nine on the season. He was clearly ready for a full load following Chez Mellusi's departure from the program. It's clear now the Badgers offense runs through Walker.

Receiver depth is a strength

Will Pauling leaving the game with an upper-body injury after hauling in four passes for 49 yards and a touchdown is a concern for future weeks, but the fact that Locke kept cruising without his No. 1 receiver is a testament to the depth. Even with Bryson Green ruled out with an injury, the Badgers proved to be four deep with Anthony and Kekahuna stepping up. What’s more is that Anthony has blossomed into a weekly big play waiting to happen. He had a 63-yard touchdown against USC, a 52-yard score against Purdue and he beat Rutgers for a 47-yard gain to set up third-quarter touchdown.

Controlling the line of scrimmage

When Barry Alvarez said Wisconsin had to go into Piscataway and “knuckle-up” for a “street fight,” he wasn’t expecting a blowout. But the Badgers knuckled-up and limited the nation’s sixth-leading rusher, Kyle Monangai, to 72 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries (he also had one reception for five yards).

Overall, the Badgers held Rutgers to 168 rushing yards while racking up 309 rushing yards of their own. Walker of course led the way with his 198 rushing yards and three scores. Cade Yacamelli broke off a 45-yard run in the fourth quarter to finish with 72 yards on just four carries. Darrion Dupree had 10 carries for 26 yards and a touchdown, too.

Gaining momentum ahead of a gauntlet

Wisconsin can’t overlook Northwestern next week, but there’s a good chance they will leave Evanston, Ill., with a 5-2 record before entering a gauntlet that will see them face No. 4 Penn State on Oct. 26; Iowa on Nov. 2; and then No. 3 Oregon on Nov. 16. It’s a brutal stretch, but the Badgers are showing enough offensive balance to be considered a worthy candidate to upset Penn State or Oregon, and it’ll undoubtedly be a dog fight at Iowa in between those battles against national title contenders. If the Badgers can even split those and also knock off Iowa, they could be a 7-3 entering the final two weeks against Nebraska and Minnesota. That's a tough task, but the Badgers certainly have momentum.