MADISON, WIS. -- Wisconsin took control during its second offensive possession of the game and never looked back, defeating Northwestern 35-7 in front of 73,194 fans at chilly Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.

The Badgers (7-3 overall, 5-2 Big Ten) delivered with big plays on both sides of the ball against the Wildcats (3-7, 1-6). The offense moved up and down the field with an efficient mix of running and passing, while the defense came away with turnovers at the right moments.

BadgerBlitz.com presents its key takeaways after another dominant victory for Bucky.

Wisconsin's first half showed a balanced attack that kept Northwestern on its heels for the first 30 minutes. UW accumulated 298 yards -- 170 passing and 128 rushing -- on way to a 21-point lead heading into the locker room.

Wisconsin utilized the ground game for all nine plays of its 91-yard touchdown drive during its second possession (officially, as a second-down pass interference call resulted in a "no play" designation and gave UW a fresh set of downs at the NU 2). Braelon Allen's 37-yard run that started at the UW 5 gave the offense breathing room, and the true freshman finished the drive with a two-yard score early in the second quarter for the first points of the contest.

Wisconsin mixed run and pass successfully during its second scoring drive in that frame, a seven-play, 50-yard series that ended with a Graham Mertz 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Danny Davis III. Four runs and three throws gashed the Wildcats' defense in that particular possession with more of the yardage coming through the air.

Wisconsin's third straight scoring drive featured Mertz' arm. The third-year Badger connected on a perfect 4-of-4 throws for 46 yards. Allen ran it in from three yards out nearly untouched to make it 21-0.

Overall, UW totaled 497 yards -- 229 came from the aerial attack, 268 came from the ground game.

Mertz finished the game completing 18-of-23 throws for 216 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The redshirt sophomore hit nine different receivers on the day, keeping his composure in the pocket and for the most part, making his progressions and delivering strikes.

His one big mistake came on Wisconsin's last drive of the first half where he overthrew Davis in the end zone. Safety Brandon Joseph ended up with an interception to neutralize any scoring opportunity for Wisconsin.

Mertz's line the last two game shows his development coming to fruition: 29 of 39 (74.3%) for 456 yards with five touchdowns to two interceptions. He also has not been sacked in the those two wins.

Wisconsin's defense did not allow a point on Saturday -- one can thank a scoop-and-score off a fumble by running back Julius Davis as Northwestern's lone points on the scoreboard in the blowout. It was not the cleanest game by the defense's standards this season, but it still overwhelmed a hapless offense.

Jim Leonhard's unit gave up 239 yards to Northwestern overall -- 125 passing and 114 rushing. It was the third time a program went over the century mark on the ground against the Badgers this season, though it was on 3.4 yards per carry. The Wildcats only moved the chains with 3-of-13 third down conversions.

Northwestern put together two big drives on the day. It went 82 yards on 19 plays during its first series. However, cornerback Caesar Williams came up with a key interception in the end zone off an Andrew Marty throw, nullifying any potential for early points for the visitors.

The second big drive developed in the third quarter. The Wildcats went 60 yards in five plays, thanks to a run by running back Andrew Clair that was fumbled and recovered by Stephon Robinson Jr. -- who proceeded to run it to the UW 5,. However, a false start, two tackles for loss, and an incomplete pass squashed a chance at a touchdown. Then, Charlie Kuhbander missed a chip-shot 32-yard field goal, leaving Northwestern pointless.

Wisconsin intercepted four passes on Saturday. Along with Williams' end-zone pick, cornerback Dean Engram broke on a Marty pass and reeled in the turnover in the third quarter. The offense scored three plays later on a Ferguson 11-yard touchdown reception.

Northwestern again drove into UW territory after a Marty 39-yard pass to Robinson Jr. However, a Leo Chenal sack two snaps later set up a 3rd-and-19, and safety John Torchio picked off the Wildcats' starting signal caller and returned it 31 yards.

UW's offense took advantage of a short field (again) inside the NU 40. Allen ran twice for 39 yards, the second carry becoming a 33-yard touchdown to make it a 35-0 game.

With Chez Mellusi out for the season, the questions became how would the carries be distributed and how much could we see from Brady Schipper and/or Julius Davis?

Through three quarters, the main answer was Allen, the true freshman. For the first three quarters, Wisconsin ran the ball 28 times. The 17-year-old ran the ball a career-high 25 times for 173 yards (6.9 yards per carry) and three touchdowns in that span. He went over the century mark for the sixth straight game.

On the season, Allen has 834 yards on 118 carries (about 7.1 yards per attempt) with nine rushing touchdowns.

Schipper became the next tailback up, and the walk-on from Stoughton, Wis., finished the game with 38 yards on seven carries. He also caught two passes for 30 yards.

Davis and true freshman Jackson Acker came in during the fourth quarter -- the former finishing second on the team in rushing yards (47 on nine attempts), but both lost fumbles in that frame.

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