MADISON, Wis. – Part of the reason Nick Herbig uprooted himself from sunny, warm Honolulu to relocate to the chilly winter of Wisconsin this past January was to get a jump start on the playbook and take part in spring practices.

It turns out the former was more important than the latter.

Despite not having the benefit of 15 spring practices to get a better feel for the defense, Herbig showcased his quick ascent up the Badgers’ outside linebacker depth chart by being listed as a co-starter on the initial depth chart and making his first collegiate start during Friday’s 45-7 win over Illinois.

“Nick is a really mature football player that understands the game,” outside linebacker coach Bobby April said earlier this month. “He plays fast. He is physical.”

One of three outside linebackers signed by Wisconsin in the 2020 recruiting class, Herbig played 31 snaps, was one of four outside linebackers to play and was one of two true freshmen to play. He finished with a sack and a pass breakup.

“I think overall he showed up (and) obviously made some plays,” head coach Paul Chryst said Monday. “There’s a couple he’d like to have back. One, the opportunity for an interception. He talked about that yesterday when he popped into the office and a couple other things he can get better at.”

The interception opportunity came in the first quarter with Wisconsin leading 7-0. Herbig got in position to pick off Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters near the sideline and possibly turn upfield and score a touchdown, only to have the ball fall incomplete. Herbig also missed a pair of tackles, one that led to one of Illinois’ few chunk plays of the game. Overall, Pro Football Focus graded Herbig at 59.1 for the game, 22nd out of 26 UW players who played.

Committing to Wisconsin over schools like Oklahoma, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Nebraska (the Badgers’ week two opponent in Lincoln this weekend), Herbig has a knack for creating havoc plays. Helping his high school win its fourth consecutive state title last year, Herbig had 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a 96-yard interception return in the victory.

“We think he’s a heck of a player, and our expectations are every bit match what his are, and that’s to be able to make a legitimate big impact for this team,” Chryst said. “I thought it was a good first game for him. Things he can clean up and needs to clean up, but I thought he had some really good plays. It’ll be fun to see his growth.”

Redshirt freshman quarterback Graham Mertz was named the Big Ten’s co-offensive player of the week and the league’s freshman of the week for week one, the conference announced Monday.

Mertz became the first Wisconsin freshman to start a season opener at quarterback since 1978, and he responded by going 20-for-21 for 248 yards and five touchdowns. Mertz broke the school record for single-game completion percentage (.952), while tying the school marks with five touchdown passes and 17 consecutive completions. His only incompletion came in the third quarter on a pass intended for tailback Garrett Groshek.

Mertz shared the honor with Purdue wide receiver David Bell, who caught three touchdown passes in the Boilermakers’ victory over Iowa.

Mertz is the first Wisconsin offensive player of the week since former tailback Jonathan Taylor won the award last November 18 and the first freshman of the week since Taylor won the award in November 2017.

Wisconsin will play its second fan-less home game against Purdue on Saturday, November 7, and kickoff at 2:30 p.m., the conference announced Sunday. The game will be televised on ABC.

The Badgers have won 14 straight games against the Boilermakers, including a 45-24 victory on Madison last November on Wisconsin’s senior day. Purdue’s last win over Wisconsin came in 2003 in Madison.

Like Wisconsin, Purdue is 1-0 after winning its home opener with a 24-20 victory over Iowa. Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell completed 31-of-50 passes for 282 yards three touchdowns and two interceptions. All three of those scores went to Bell, including the game winner.

The Boilermakers won without head coach Jeff Brohm, who missed the game after testing positive for COVID-19 last Sunday and forced to isolate at home. His younger brother, Brian, co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, took over as acting head coach.

“I’m proud of our team to get this victory and our coaches to band together in a time of crisis where a lot of adversity was hitting us and guys had to take on new jobs and roles,” Brian Brohm said.

Purdue travels to Illinois (0-1) this weekend.