Wisconsin clinched its bowl eligibility once again, and more importantly, stayed in control of its quest for a Big Ten West division title with a 52-3 win over Rutgers on Saturday.

UW (6-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) held an opponent to 14 or fewer points for the fifth straight game. Wisconsin contained Rutgers (4-5, 1-5) to a lone first-quarter field goal, and it jumped on sudden chance opportunities to put the game away early.

BadgerBlitz.com unveils some takeaways from UW's dominant road win that now ties them with Minnesota atop the Big Ten West division.

Wisconsin's ability to create turnovers in the last three games continuesrjb to pay off in huge ways. Rutgers coughed up the ball three times on Saturday in the first two quarters. That led to 21 points for UW in pulling away from the Big Ten East foe before hitting the locker room.

Noah Vedral's first interception came deep in Rutgers territory, not seeing outside linebacker Noah Burks with what may have been one of the easiest picks seen this season. Two plays later, tailback Chez Mellusi took it to the house from 14 yards out to give Wisconsin a lead it would not relinquish.

After a Collin Larsh 29-yard field goal in the second quarter, Aron Cruickshank fumbled the ensuing kickoff (and was injured on the return). Cornerback Alexander Smith recovered the ball, and that set up a five-play, 29-yard drive capped off by a Graham Mertz one-yard touchdown pass to fullback John Chenal.

The first play of Rutgers' next drive thereafter proved disastrous for the Scarlet Knights. Nose tackle Keeanu Benton pressured Vedral, who heaved a hanging pass that eventually came down into the hands of cornerback Caesar Williams. The sixth-year senior took it 29 yards the other way for a pick-six.

Later in the game, redshirt freshman Jordan Turner intercepted an Evan Simon pass to halt a Rutgers second-half drive.

In the last three games, UW has a +9 turnover margin.

Rutgers came into the game allowing 12 touchdown passes in the past four contests. On Saturday, UW put up 274 passing yards and three scores through the air in what was its most consistent and efficient effort this season.

Quarterback Graham Mertz completed 11-of-16 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns and one interception. The redshirt sophomore hit five different receivers on the day, and he completed eight passes of 15 or more yards, according to StatBroadcast.

Mertz' final pass of the afternoon came on a simple throw to redshirt senior receiver Danny Davis. The wide out made a Rutgers defender miss -- then with blocking from fellow wide receiver Kendric Pryor, burst down the sideline for a 72-yard touchdown.

Pryor himself reeled in a 25-yard touchdown in a contested catch situation late in the second quarter, and the sixth-year senior caught four passes for 72 yards overall. Sophomore wide out Chimere Dike also stood out with his three receptions for 55 yards.

Depending upon the health at tailback, will the passing attack be needed more during this final stretch of the season?

The passing game worked well, and it also helped UW establish a balance to keep Rutgers' defense honest. Overall, Wisconsin accumulated 579 total yards -- the aforementioned 274 passing, and 305 rushing.

Running back Braelon Allen ran the ball 15 times for 129 yards and one touchdown. He went over the century mark for the fifth straight game, and he reeled off runs of 33, 28 and 36 yards.

Mellusi gained 75 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown of his own, but he left the game in the third quarter due to a leg injury, went to the locker room and ultimely returned in street clothes. That will be something to watch.

With the game in hand and in place of Mellusi, other running backs stepped up. Redshirt sophomore Julius Davis finished with 32 yards on seven carries. Jackson Acker scored his first career touchdown on his first career rush., and the Verona, Wis., native gained 24 yards on three carries.

Walk-on true freshman Grover Bortolotti even got in on the action, rushing five times for 48 yards late in the fourth quarter.

How much will the Badgers need Acker and Davis (and Brady Schipper) going forward? We'll see.

Wisconsin again overwhelmed an opponents' offense. Rutgers gained only 207 yards (112 passing, 95 rushing) on 3.6 yards per snap. The Scarlet Knights converted just 1-of-11 third downs and 1-of-4 fourth downs.

The Badgers allowed runs of 16 and 23 yards by tailback Isaih Pacheco, but they held Rutgers' offense to just 3.2 yards per carry. Even the backups in the third and fourth quarters preserved a touchdown-free performance.

UW registered only two sacks on the day, but it tallied six tackles for loss. The inside linebacker duo of Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal tallied 16 combined tackles on the afternoon. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig recorded two tackles for loss, which included one sack in the first half.

In terms of backups, true freshman safety Hunter Wohler finished with six tackles -- five on defense. That included one stop for loss.

Update, Nov. 12: Statbroadcast showed seven tackles for loss, but the correct stats state six tackles for loss.

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