Wisconsin Badgers beat No. 21 Illinois, second ranked win of season
Wisconsin tight end Lance Mason driven out of bounds by an Illinois defender. (Photo by Dan Sanger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MADISON, Wis. - Darrion Dupree had 131 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 17 carries to lead Wisconsin to a 27-10 win over No. 21 Illinois on Saturday night.
By the numbers:
Dupree became Wisconsin’s first 100-yard rusher this season.
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Dupree scored on an 84-yard run, the Badgers’ longest play from scrimmage this season, to push Wisconsin's lead to 17-7 in the third quarter — Dupree's first touchdown of the season and second of his career.
Darryl Peterson had three of Wisconsin's five sacks of Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer. Illinois finished with 298 total yards.
Altmyer went 21 of 35 for 248 yards, and added 20 yards rushing and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Charlie Jarvis tackled the Illinois punter following a bad snap, Wisconsin took over at the 14.
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Four plays later, Dupree took a direct snap and ran 4 yards for a TD run that increased Wisconsin's lead to 24-10.
The Badgers (4-7, 2-6 Big Ten) got on the scoreboard first as Vinny Anthony rushed 6 yards for a TD in the first quarter.
Nathanial Vakos kicked a season-long 47-yard field goal to give Wisconsin a 10-7 lead with 14 seconds left in the first.
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The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for the Illini (7-4, 4-4 Big Ten, No. 21 College Football Playoff).
The Badgers shaved 9:30 off the clock, going 80 yards in 16 plays, on their first-quarter scoring drive. Carter Smith went 4 for 4 for 40 yards during the drive, which was the Badgers’ longest scoring drive of the season.
Wisconsin leads the series 46-39-7.
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Big picture view:
The 84-yard TD run for Dupree was Wisconsin’s longest since an 89-yard TD by Chez Mellusi in 2023. Dupree gave the Badgers their first 100-yard rusher since Tawee Walker’s 126-yard effort in Wisconsin’s 23-3 win against Northwestern last season.
After going years without a win over a Top 25 ranked team, Wisconsin has now done it twice in three weeks. The Badgers gave coach Luke Fickell his first victory over a Top 25 team after 10 straight losses against ranked opponents when they beat Washington. It was Wisconsin's first win over a Top 25 team since 2021.
Saturday's loss snapped a two-game losing streak for Illinois and Illini coach Bret Bielema, who was the Badgers’ coach from 2006-12. He led Wisconsin to three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances during those seven seasons,
What's next:
It was the second-to-last game of the regular season for both teams. Wisconsin will finish the season on the road at Minnesota next Saturday. Illinois hosts Northwestern.
Scoring summary
Timeline:
First Quarter
Wisconsin 7, Illinois 0 at 1:21: V. Anthony 6-yard touchdown run. N. Vakos extra point good.
Second Quarter
Wisconsin 7, Illinois 7 at 5:45: L. Altmyer 12-yard touchdown run. D. Olano extra point good.
Wisconsin 10, Illinois 7 at 0:19: N. Vakos 47-yard field goal good.
Third Quarter
Wisconsin 17, Illinois 7 at 9:44: D. Dupree 84-yard touchdown run. N. Vakos extra point good.
Wisconsin 17, Illinois 10 at 1:26: D. Olano 24-yard field goal good.
Fourth Quarter
Wisconsin 24, Illinois 10 at 8:16: C. Smith 4-yard touchdown run. N. Vakos extra point good.
Wisconsin 27, Illinois 10 at 4:27: N. Vakos 32-yard field goal good.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from The Associated Press and FOX Sports.