Wisconsin Proves They Have a Long Way to Go After Error-Filled Day Against Northwestern

After last week's surprising thrashing of the Michigan Wolverines, it seemed the Wisconsin Badgers took a big step toward true Big Ten Championship contention. But they have raised expectations a little too much, at least for now.

Though they did seize a victory from the Northwestern Wildcats Saturday, they made it far from easy.

The Badgers probably did not expect to eek out just a nine-point win over the now 1-3 Wildcats, but a comedy of errors kept the game close.

The Badgers committed a personal foul with Northwestern due to punt on fourth and 11. Instead of Wisconsin taking over near midfield, Northwestern continued their drive, which resulted in a field goal.

Badgers quarterback Jack Coan had an off day, going 15 of 24 for 113 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. For some reason, the team didn't lean on the running game for most of the first half, which ended up costing them.

Fortunately for the offense, Wisconsin's defense scored two touchdowns.

The Badgers led only 7-3 at the half, but those defensive TDs staked them to a 24-3 lead with under 12 minutes left in the game. The offense should be especially grateful for the defense because even the special teams made a crucial error in muffing a punt, leading to a Northwestern touchdown (before they scored another to make it 24-15).

The Wildcats, early on, have looked like one of the worst teams in the Power 5, so this should have been a beatdown from start to finish.

Wisconsin improved to 4-0 and will face Kent State next week, but it's clear work needs to be done in Madison because lackluster performances like this won't cut it against the Big Ten's best.