[media-credit name=’Derek Montgomery’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The Badgers continued their storybook season with a 24-12 victory over Northwestern (3-4, 2-2) in the annual Homecoming game, avenging two consecutive losses to the Wildcats.

"It felt good," safety Jim Leonhard said. "They've kind of had our number the last couple years and to put that behind us and play well, get this win today, meant a lot to this team."

With the win, Wisconsin (8-0, 5-0) remains the conference front-runner and improves to 8-0 for just the fourth time in school history.

"Sometimes you have special years," head coach Barry Alvarez said. "I said during two-a-days, I thought this team had a spirit about them … They compete and get after it and they want to win. They do all the things you talk about."

The Badgers got off to an inauspicious start on the opening possession, as quarterback John Stocco threw an interception on the second play from scrimmage, giving the ball to Northwestern just 20 seconds into the first quarter.

However, the Badgers responded immediately. After a quick stop from the defense, redshirt freshman Ben Strickland blocked Brian Huffman's punt, and safety Johnny White recovered the ball on the Northwestern 14-yard line.

"In order for that block to happen, the wings were going to be soft, so the first thing was getting the drive on the wing and hitting the inside shoulder, hitting the middle of his pads and then just keep driving and then reaching for the block if I could get it," Strickland said.

After taking over inside the red zone, Wisconsin failed to score. A short run from tailback Anthony Davis and a pair of incomplete passes set up a 31-yard field goal attempt for senior Mike Allen, who had converted his last six attempts from under 55 yards. But Allen's kick sailed wide right, leaving the game scoreless. In a wild first quarter, the two teams had combined for an interception, a blocked punt and a missed field goal in the opening two minutes of play.

Allen would get another shot on Wisconsin's next drive, as Davis and Stocco led the Badgers 56 yards to set up a 29-yard field goal attempt. This time, Allen converted to give the Badgers a 3-0 lead with 5:35 to play in the first quarter.

On Wisconsin's first offensive series of the second quarter, Northwestern's Davis Thompson sacked Stocco, knocking the ball loose. Wildcat defensive tackle Colby Clark recovered the fumble, giving Northwestern possession on the Wisconsin 33-yard line.

The Badgers answered just two plays later when linebacker Dontez Sanders intercepted an errant pass from Northwestern quarterback Brett Basanez, shifting the momentum in the Badgers' favor.

"It was huge when he got that pick," Leonhard said of Sanders' interception. "We needed it. They had been getting some yards on us on certain things, and for him to make a big play like that; that's our defense. We always have guys step up and make a play. He was that guy."

Sanders and the Badger defense came out fired up Saturday after an emotional pre-game speech from defensive coordinator Bret Bielema.

"He came in, knocked over the trash can; he's screaming and cussing; he was pumped," Sanders said. "When your coach coming in is screaming and stuff and being all pumped, of course you're going to go out there and get pumped."

Sanders' interception led to an offensive explosion for Wisconsin. On the ensuing possession, the Badgers staged an 11-play, 72-yard scoring drive. Davis opened the drive with a nine-yard run, and Stocco connected with wide-out Brandon Williams for 25 yards to move inside Northwestern territory.

After a run from tailback Booker Stanley put the Badgers in the red zone, Davis took Wisconsin down to the five-yard line with a nine-yard run down the sideline. On third and goal, the Badgers went to a five-receiver set and Stocco found tight end Owen Daniels in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass to put Wisconsin ahead 10-0 with 9:29 remaining in the first half.

The Badgers scored again on their next possession, pushing the lead to 17-0. Stanley started things off for the Badgers with a pair of runs and a 12-yard catch to move the ball to the Northwestern 36. A 25-yard run from Brandon Williams gave Wisconsin a first down and goal on the 10-yard line, and Davis finished off the drive with a powerful seven-yard touchdown run, driving into the end zone after the Northwestern defense met him at the three-yard line.

"When we get down there, and we're that close to the goal line, you just got to smell blood and just got to go in for the final shot," Davis said.

After entering halftime with a 17-0 lead, Wisconsin opened the second half with another score. On their first possession of the third quarter, the Badgers marched 66 yards in 2:40 to take a 24-0 lead. Wisconsin moved into Northwestern territory on a 33-yard pass to Darrin Charles down the sideline. Davis put the Badgers inside the 10-yard line with an 11-yard run and Stanley ran down to the goal line before Davis capped off the drive with his second touchdown of the game.

Still hindered by the injury that kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the second half against Purdue, Davis ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns while operating at what Alvarez estimated as 80 percent of his optimal health.

"It was a really gutty performance," offensive coordinator Brian White said. "He knows how special these games are. We've put ourselves in a position that each week is a championship game, and we need him to be able to win. For him to be able to play the way he did today under the circumstances was pretty awesome."

After kicker Taylor Mehlhaff blasted his third straight kickoff into the back of the end zone for a touchback, the Northwestern offense showed its first signs of life. Basanez completed a string of passes to move the ball to the UW 15-yard line, but the drive stalled and Huffman missed a 32-yard field goal.

The Wildcats finally got on the board on their next possession as wide-receiver Mark Philmore outran the Badger secondary and hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds remaining in the third quarter. After a failed two-point conversion, the Badgers led 24-6.

Following the touchdown, Northwestern recovered an on-side kick on the UW 49-yard line. On the final play of the quarter, Basanez connected with Shaun Herbert for 21 yards to put the Wildcats on the 25. Two plays into the fourth, Herron sprinted 14 yards into the end zone to cut the lead to 24-12, after another failed two-point conversion.

The Badgers took over on the 35 after the Northwestern kickoff sailed out of bounds, but Stocco and company were quickly faced with a fourth down. After a marathon third quarter, in which the UW defense was on the field for a total of 10:39, Northwestern's offensive surge had left the Badger defense exhausted. Looking to avoid sending the defense back on the field, Alvarez opted to roll the dice on fourth down.

"That was the reason I went on fourth down, because I knew that we were really tired, our guys were worn down," Alvarez said. "I just wanted to put the onus on the offense. I just didn't feel comfortable if we had to go back on the field with our defense."

Alvarez's gamble paid off, as Stocco picked up the first down on a short run, and the Badgers managed to hold onto the ball for more than four minutes, giving the defense a chance to catch its breath. The first-down conversion shifted the momentum away from the surging Wildcats, and the Badgers were able to run down the clock with a steady dose of Anthony Davis.

At a time when every win has serious bowl implications, the victory moves the Badgers one step closer to earning a trip to Pasadena.

"It's getting down to the end," Leonhard said. "It's been a great run here and we feel like we still have a lot to prove in these last three or four games."