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Wisconsin embarrassed 34-10 by Illinois inside Camp Randall

The Wisconsin Badgers get blown out at home by Bret Bielema and the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Matt Belz

In this story:

The Wisconsin Badgers (2-3 overall, 0-2 B1G) came into Saturday's home matchup with Big Ten West foe Illinois as 7-point favorites. 

Desperately in need of a win after a rocky start to the season, the Badgers continued their downward trajectory this season, falling by 24 points to Illinois. 

Here is an overview of Wisconsin's 34-10 loss inside Camp Randall Stadium. 

Contents

  1. Game Recap
  2. Instant Analysis
  3. Photos of the Game
  4. Up next

Game Recap

After a slow start the past few games, the Badgers opted to receive the kickoff to start with the football. Wisconsin return man Isaac Guerendo would set the team with good field position after a 38-yard kickoff return. 

From there, the Badgers would come out throwing the football, as Graham Mertz found Skyler Bell for a 19-yard completion and proceeded to connect with Chimere Dike for a 12-yard gain. Mertz then delivered a 21-yard toss to running back Isaac Guerendo, who made a beautiful diving catch to give the Badgers a 7-0 lead. Mertz was a perfect 4-for-4 on the drive, leading the offense down the field with 54 yards passing. 

Illinois would also find early success through the air on their initial drive, as Tommy Devito landed a 35-yard completion to Brian Hightower. However, the Wisconsin defense would stop the Fighting Illini thereafter, and force a punt. Hugh Robertson pinned the Badgers' offense at the three on a pooch punt. 

Deep near their own end zone, Mertz would force a deep throw to Keontez Lewis down the sideline, but Illinois would intercept the ball to get the ball back inside the red zone. 

Illinois would proceed to pick up a first down and get down to the one yard line. The Badgers would get it to fourth and short, but a questionable pass interference penalty on Jay Shaw would give the Illini another chance at the end zone. From there, quarterback Tommy Devito would sneak the ball in for a touchdown to tie the game up at seven points apiece. 

After another solid kickoff return by Isaac Guerendo, Graham Mertz would move the chains with a pair of completions. The first to Chimere Dike and then another to tight end Jack Eschenbach. Mertz would then hit Dike on a corner route to pick up a big first down on third and 16 to move the offense down into the red zone. 

Following an injury to tight end Hayden Rucci the Badgers would continue to struggle to run the football (one rushing yard on 10 attempts in the first quarter), the Badgers would settle for a 39-yard field goal by Nate Van Zelst to take a 10-7 lead. 

Illinois would manage to move the ball for a first down on their next drive, but Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton would end the drive with a crucial sack, his first of the season. Nick Herbig was also in the backfield to apply pressure. The Badgers would take over at their own 22-yard line. 

A holding penalty on senior left guard Tyler Beach would back the Wisconsin offense up further, but Mertz would pick the first down up on the next play, delivering a 22-yard strike to Keontez Lewis, who made a pretty catch on the sideline. 

Mertz would proceed to throw another interception though moments later, as Tahveon Nicholson created the takeaway near midfield. 

Illinois would take advantage of the short field once again and a pair of pass interference penalties called on the Badgers, to take a 14-10 lead. Quarterback Tommy Devito found the end zone on another quarterback sneak.

Neither team could muster points from that point forward, as penalties dominated the second quarter. Ilinois would retain their 14-10 lead into halftime, while Wisconsin had seven penalties for 51 yards and two turnovers in the first half. 

Illinois began the second half with the football, and quarterback Tommy Devito helped lead a 10 play, 75-yard touchdown drive. He found the end zone on another QB keeper up the middle to give the Fighting Illini a 21-10 advantage early in the third quarter. The Badgers had no answer for the Illinois offense on the drive. 

Things would get worse for Wisconsin. Isaac Guerendo muffed the proceeding kickoff to give Illinois the ball in good field position once again. Keeanu Benton would end the drive with a third-down sack, but Illinois would still manage to tack on another three points with a 44-yard field goal.

Following that disaster, Wisconsin wide receiver Chimere Dike dropped an open opportunity over the middle of the field that could have been a big play, and then wide receiver Keontez Lewis dropped a third down pass, and came down hurt on the play. Lewis left the game on a cart with an apparent leg injury, and the Badgers had to punt the ball back to Illinois. 

The Illinois offense did not need much time to put more points on the scoreboard, as running back Chase Brown found the end zone four plays later with a 49-yard touchdown run, knifing through the Wisconsin defense like butter to make it a 31-10 lead in favor of Illinois. 

On the next drive for Wisconsin, Graham Mertz threw the ball too far towards the sideline on an easy pitch and catch for a first down, giving the ball back Illinois near midfield. 

While Illinois did could not get much going on the next drive, they would add another field goal to make it a 34-10 game. The Fighting Illini then shut down the Wisconsin offense for another three-and-out, as Mertz had three straight incompletions under pressure. 

It was more of the same from that point forward. Illinois continued to impressively dominate the Badgers in all phases of the game. The Fighting Illini would continue to bring pressure on Mertz and in the end, finished the game with a resounding 34-10 win. 

Instant Analysis

It was another uninspiring performance by Wisconsin. Penalties, turnovers, and mistakes killed the Badgers all day long, and the team once again appeared lifeless at times. 

The team had several injuries on offense, and Wisconsin could not generate anything on the ground. Overall, the Badgers only had two rushing yards and were outplayed in the trenches all game long. 

Following the initial touchdown drive for Wisconsin, everything was downhill. Illinois was the more physical team and beat the Badgers in every way. While there were definitely penalties that fans can argue about, Wisconsin did not play well enough to beat anyone in the Big Ten on Saturday and further displayed their regression this season.

At this point, it is clear that the team will not meet expectations, and head coach Paul Chryst does not have this team playing at a level consistent with Wisconsin football. His job status is rightfully under question by a large subsection of the fanbase, as this was an embarrassing loss that comes on the heels of the blowout loss in Columbus. 

Fans and boosters have come to expect a much better product on the football field in Madison, and athletic director Chris McIntosh will need to make some difficult decisions with the way things are trending. 

Illinois had not won in Madison in 20 years before this game, and Wisconsin is just vying for bowl eligibility at this juncture based on their 2-3 start to the season. Not a great look, considering the Badgers were the preseason pick to win the Big Ten West. 

Change is needed in Madison. 

Photos of the Game

Wisconsin RB Isaac Guerendo / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo makes a diving touchdown catch in the first quarter. 

Paul Chryst & Bret Bielema / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Head coaches Paul Chryst and Bret Bielema talk before their Big Ten West matchup at Camp Randall Stadium. 

Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz throwing the football down the field against Illinois. 

Wisconsin vs. Illinois lines / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Wisconsin offensive line and the Illinois defensive line match up against one another in the trenches. 

Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz & RB Chez Mellusi / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz hands the ball off to running back Chez Mellusi.

Wisconsin TE Jack Eschenbach / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin tight end Jack Eschenbach is tackled in the open field against Illinois. 

Illinois DB Kendall Smith / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois defensive back Kendall Smith intercepts a pass against Wisconsin. 

Up next

The Wisconsin Badgers hit the road next weekend for another Big Ten West matchup, playing in Evanston against Northwestern. Kickoff time is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST and the game will be aired on Big Ten Network. 

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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