Heading into its match-up against the struggling, young Illinois Saturday, the acute concern surrounding the Wisconsin football program was that the players would read too much into the media and overlook the Illini (0-5 Big Ten, 2-6 overall) to their game against co-conference leader Penn State.
That simply did not happen.
The Badgers (5-1 Big Ten, 8-1 overall) prevailed 41-24 in Champaign, Ill. on the strength of a persistent run attack, and for that, they were rewarded with a much more meaningful showdown against Penn State.
'I'm not surprised,' running back Brian Calhoun said, when asked if he thought, at the beginning of the season, that this team was capable of winning eight of its first nine games. 'Obviously being 8-1 is a great feat. All of them haven't been pretty.'
Calhoun wreaked havoc on an Illini defense that stayed true to its form in allowing big yardage on the ground. The junior, who entered the game tied for second nationally with 16 touchdowns, added five more in racking up 197 yards on a workhorse-like 35 carries.
'We came in wanting to establish the run,' head coach Barry Alvarez said after the game. 'That was one of our plans.'
That could not have been more evident on the Badgers opening drive, when Calhoun carried nine times for 53 yards, capping the drive with a six-yard touchdown run.
Junior quarterback John Stocco, who went 14-of-22 for 225 yards, threw his lone touchdown of the afternoon on the next drive, when he connected with senior receiver Brandon Williams for 62 yards, giving the Badgers a 13-0 lead.
Illinois countered with a score from five yards out to get within six, then kicked a field goal mid-second quarter to further close the gap to three points. That was as close as the Illini would get though, as the Badger offense controlled the clock with an effective ground game.
Calhoun's next three touchdown runs, spanning the second and third quarters, put the Badgers in a comfortable position to win, even as the defense struggled mightily to contain the Illinois offense.
'It was a frustrating day, but we got the win,' said junior safety Joe Stellmacher, who intercepted a pass in the waning moments of the first half and finished with a team-leading 12 tackles. Junior quarterback Tim Brasic constantly escaped from the pocket and found running room. Brasic, 20-of-39 for a career high 277 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, ran for an additional 116 yards on the ground in 16 attempts'a school record. The Illini posted a total of 538 yards of offense, with equal success on the ground and in the air.
But as has happened countless times this season, the Badger offense came to the aid of their counterparts.
'I thought offensively, we were very crisp,' Alvarez said. 'Defensively, we gave up way too many big plays. Illinois played hard. I was glad to come out with a win.'
The last of Calhoun's touchdown runs came just 13 seconds after Illinois had cut the lead to 10, at 34-24. With slightly over four minutes remaining in the game, head coach Ron Zook elected for an onside kick, which the Badgers recovered.
On the first play from scrimmage, Calhoun took the carry 46 yards down the left sideline to the endzone, culminating a sensational day and tallying his second five-touchdown performance of the season.
'He's just a special player, whether he's running the football, catching the ball,' Stocco said. 'Any time we need him, he always makes a play for us.'
Undoubtedly, the Badgers will need Calhoun to pace them against the Nittany Lions in what will be the Badgers' most pivotal game of the season. Both teams have 5-1 records in the conference with two Big Ten games remaining.
'The stage is set,' Williams said. 'Playing against the other first place team, it don't get no better than that. It's the biggest game for both teams all year.'
