Game Ball ball goes to: TE Travis Beckum

Beckum had a huge game for the Badgers, grabbing 11 passes for 160 yards. With Luke Swan out of the game for the second half, Beckum emerged as Donovan’s go-to option in the passing game.

Beckum made a tremendous diving catch at the beginning of the fourth quarter and had another circus catch on his back earlier in the game.

Offense: B-

Statistically, the offense played one of its best games of the year, compiling 519 yards. Donovan threw for a career-high 392 yards and two touchdowns, but two interceptions in the fourth quarter proved costly and gave Illinois any momentum Wisconsin had gained by coming back. Falling behind 17-0 early meant carries were scarce for P.J. Hill. Hill ran 21 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. Reserve running back Zach Brown also looked good relieving Hill.

But while the numbers weren’t bad, the offense failed to put up touchdowns on three early possessions inside the 25-yard line.

Defense: D

The Wisconsin defense that ended last season ranked fifth nationally is nothing but a distant memory at this point. The Badgers’ tackling Saturday was nothing short of terrible.

Illinois was able to run for 289 yards for the game, and Wisconsin still has not shown an ability to slow — let alone stop — the spread option attack.

Wisconsin has still has huge problems forcing turnovers — the defense has created none in three games.

The defense was playing without middle linebacker Elijah Hodge, who missed practice all week in the leadup to the game, but replacement Culmer St. Jean played decently.

Special Teams: C

The Wisconsin special teams was anything but Saturday. Kick and punt returner David Gilreath looked hesitant on returns and never got going straight ahead. Kicker Taylor Mehlhaff missed his first field goal of the season and was good on two of three field goals, but his missed kick sailed well left.

Ken DeBauche managed a 33.7 yards per punt average despite shanking a 13-yard punt. He made amends for that 13-yarder by also hitting a 49-yard punt.

Overall: C

The Badgers played far from a perfect game, but at the end still had an opportunity to win the game. In fact, had a couple breaks gone Wisconsin’s way, the Badgers could have still won a difficult road game. Illinois is a very good team — probably deserving of being ranked even prior to the surprising win over Wisconsin — so in that way the loss isn’t that bad.

With the way Wisconsin had been playing the last four weeks, a loss was coming somewhere on the horizon.

Up next: Penn State

Penn State rebounded from a loss to Illinois two weeks ago to defeat Iowa 27-7 in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions used a balanced offensive attack (256 yards rushing, 233 passing) to never really give Iowa a chance.

The Badger defense will face another tough test in the running game, as Rodney Kinlaw is coming off a 168-yard effort.

For Wisconsin, this game will truly be a fork in the road. The Badgers will need to rebound quickly to avoid losing two consecutive games. It might not be a bad idea to work on tackling, either.