Three interceptions by the UW defense and two clutch touchdown catches by sophomore wide receiver David Gilreath got the Wisconsin football team its first Big Ten win this season.
It felt like we just won the national championship, the guys were all jumping around for joy,"" Gilreath said, relieved that UW's four-game losing streak was over.
Until mid-fourth quarter, Wisconsin (1-4 Big Ten, 4-4 overall) never led Illinois (2-3, 4-4) by more than one score. Momentum swung toward the Badgers after junior tight end Garrett Graham snagged a big throw and sprinted downfield for a 45-yard gain. That was the third consecutive play that junior quarterback Dustin Sherer got the ball to Graham, who filled in as the main tight end after senior Travis Beckum was taken out of the game with an ankle injury.
Wisconsin was steadily moving toward the end zone, but a holding penalty nullified a would-be first down run by freshman running back John Clay. On third and 10, sophomore running back Zach Brown spun and shifted to shake off Illinois defenders and got the job done with a 13-yard gain. Two plays later, Sherer completed an 8-yard toss to Gilreath in the corner of the end zone, giving the Badgers a 27-17 lead, which would remain the final score.
""Once we got in a groove, it was nice to get a couple balls in a row,"" said Graham, who caught six passes in the game. ""Then we made something out of it with David [Gilreath's] touchdown.""
UW overcame another holding penalty early in the third quarter, which left the offense with 17 yards to go on third down. Sherer responded to the situation with his biggest completion of the night, a 49-yard touchdown to Gilreath, who was too fast for any Illinois defensive back to latch onto once he cranked up his sprinting speed.
""[Gilreath's] desire to get in the end zone was kind of the spark that turned everything,"" head coach Bret Bielema said.
Sherer, in his second game as starter, got better as the game went on, making up for his lackluster performance against Iowa last week. He completed 12-of-22 passes for 174 yards. Sherer completed several of those passes under pressure while scrambling around.
""He's a roll-off-the-back kind of guy who kind of handles the game as it comes,"" Bielema said.
Outdoing Illinois' quick quarterback Isiah ""Juice"" Williams, typically a leading rusher for the Fighting Illini, Sherer netted 40 yards on the ground while Williams only earned four yards rushing. Sherer dashed 15 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, sticking the ball in the corner of the end zone after juking past several Illinois linemen and seizing on the opening he created.
""It was nice to get out of the pocket and run a little bit,"" said Sherer, who credited Graham with providing the key block to make the touchdown run possible.
Three interceptions from defensive backs Niles Brinkley, Chris Maragos and Allen Langford turned into two field goals for the offense. Brinkley and Maragos ran with the ball for 47 and 51 yards, respectively, swinging the offensive momentum to UW.
The Badger defense held Illinois to its lowest point total this season and basically shut down the Fighting Illini running game, which gained 88 yards on 30 attempts. Although Williams completed 17-of-32 passes, the defense largely prevented big gains in the air by putting pressure on the quarterback.
""Juice [Williams] is a phenomenal football player; he's got a very lively arm,"" Bielema said. ""We brought more pressure and were able to get some hits on him.""
The UW offense split its yardage evenly between running and passing plays. Clay was Wisconsin's leading rusher, gaining 93 yards on 25 carries, while Brown and junior P.J. Hill, who missed some practices last week due to a foot injury, contributed 36 yards.
With a definite starting quarterback and a simpler game plan, the Badgers are looking to build on Saturday's win.
""I told the guys we were due for this win,"" Sherer said, adding that the team has worked too hard to continue losing Big Ten games.
