The 2020 season continues on for now-No. 18 Wisconsin, which sits at 2-1 after the divisional loss to Northwestern on Saturday
Now, head coach Paul Chryst and his program will welcome Minnesota to Camp Randall Stadium to take on rival Minnesota in yet another battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe.
Before we hear from Chryst later on Monday morning, BadgerBlitz.com brings back our 3-2-1 feature to examine what we learned from the weekend that was in the Big Ten, two questions leading up to UW-Minnesota, and one prediction for Saturday's game.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THIS WEEKEND
1. Northwestern's defense, especially its linebackers, is elite, and they continue to sit atop the Big Ten West.
Yes, Wisconsin was without some key playmakers, but Northwestern's unit squashed the offense's production on Saturday. One particular category that pops out (besides seeing the scoreboard) is UW's lack of moving the chains on third down against Mike Hankwitz's defense -- three of 16 in conversions this past weekend.
Looking at the stat sheet, the Wildcats's linebackers were all over the place making plays. Blake Gallagher, named the conference's defensive player of the week, tallied 14 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. Paddy Fisher registered 13 stops, including two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble himself.
Chris Bergin contributed seven tackles, one for loss, along with a pass breakup. Despite glimmers of hope from Jalen Berger and the run game, Wisconsin just could not sustain any success.
Now, Northwestern sits at 5-0 and are in a dominant position of holding the divisional lead heading into late November. Pat Fitzgerald's program plays Michigan State, Minnesota and Illinois to close out the year.
