Wisconsin is starting to look like its old self again.
After going 9-8 in their first 17 games with second-year coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers have crushed their last three opponents by a total score of 117-16. They are benefiting from a strong defense and a tough rushing game, which are key traits of Wisconsin’s best teams.
“Obviously Wisconsin’s always had a great tradition of defense, offensive line play and everything,” said center Jake Renfro. “I feel like we’re definitely bringing that back to life now.”
It’s hard to gauge how much progress Wisconsin has made because those three easy wins were against Purdue, Rutgers, and Northwestern, which together have a 2-10 record in Big Ten play.
The real challenge comes Saturday night when Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) faces No. 3 Penn State (6-0, 3-0). The Badgers have lost their last five games against Penn State and are 2-13 in their last 15 games against ranked teams.
Wisconsin is 0-4 against Top 25 teams under Fickell, including a 42-10 loss to then-No. 4 Alabama and a 38-21 defeat to then-No. 13 Southern California in consecutive games earlier this season.
Renfro sees the USC game as a turning point.
“It was just like an internal something that clicked within us,” Renfro said. “Hey, we’re not playing to what we need to do. We took it personally as an offensive line. We blamed that game on us.”
It may be too early to say Wisconsin has fully regained its identity based on three big wins over weaker Big Ten teams, but it is important to remember that the Badgers had struggled in similar games not long ago.
Wisconsin was a 2 1/2-point underdog going into its 42-7 win at Rutgers. The Badgers also just won 23-3 at Northwestern, a team that beat them 24-10 last year. Part of the team’s improvement is thanks to a strong defense.
Wisconsin ranked 11th or better in total defense among all Football Bowl Subdivision teams seven times in eight years from 2015 to 2022. However, they dropped to 39th last season and struggled against Alabama and USC last month.
During this three-game winning streak, Wisconsin has allowed only one touchdown. Safety Hunter Wohler says the defense has learned how to respond well when faced with challenges.
“The way our defense has responded to an offensive turnover, bad field position, just anything that can go wrong, our defense has just answered in a great way,” Wohler said. Wisconsin’s offense has helped by keeping its defense out of tough situations.
Last year, the Badgers averaged only 23.5 points per game while finishing 7-6, which was their lowest scoring average since 2004. They had 24 points per game while starting this season 2-2.
But now they are averaging 39 points per game during this winning streak. They have achieved this despite losing starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a torn ACL against Alabama. Wisconsin is running the ball more frequently behind its experienced offensive line.
Offensive coordinator Phil Longo came from an Air Raid background, and Wisconsin passed on 50.8% of its plays. This was the first time the Badgers had thrown more passes than runs since at least 1946, which is the earliest record Wisconsin has on this topic.
This season, Wisconsin is running the ball 58.2% of the time. In their last three games, they built big leads and ran the ball over 60% of the time.
At the start of the season, Tawee Walker shared carries with Chez Mellusi, who left the program three weeks ago. Since then, Walker has become the clear No. 1 running back and has rushed for 418 yards and six touchdowns on 66 carries in his last three games.
“We’re starting to recognize that Tawee in particular is a guy who’s much better with more than 18-20 carries,” Fickell said.
Walker credits his success to Wisconsin’s skilled offensive line. Jack Nelson, Joe Huber, Renfro, Joe Brunner, and Riley Mahlman have combined for 138 career starts. They have allowed quarterback Braedyn Locke to be sacked only three times in the last three games.
“They’re playing aggressive and going at the defense 100% of the time,” Walker said. “I’m just following behind them and matching their energy.”
This mix of a strong offense and solid defense has Wisconsin feeling confident again. As their schedule becomes tougher, the Badgers have a chance to show how much they’ve improved.
“It was definitely a little rough ride last year,” Renfro said. “It didn’t go the way we wanted it to. But I think we’re showing the world that we’re back, we’re improved. And we’re not even to our ceiling yet. There’s still so much room for improvement.”
