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Wisconsin may have snapped its four-game losing streak against Illinois Saturday, but it didn’t get out unscathed.

Tight end Travis Beckum left the game in the third quarter with a season-ending left leg injury.

“I know he hurt his lower leg,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “They came up to me and basically said that he’s got a lower leg injury and he wouldn’t be back in the game. A lot of times, we don’t find something out until tomorrow.”

It was announced Sunday Beckum fractured his left fibula and had season-ending surgery Saturday evening.

The injury occurred at the end of a 14-yard John Clay rush when Clay inadvertently hit the tight end from behind as he was being brought down.

Beckum has caught 21 passes for 248 yards this season despite missing the team’s first two games with an injury.

In Beckum’s absence, tight end Garrett Graham become more active in the offense, finishing the game with six receptions for 79 yards.

“I think all the receivers felt that,” Graham said of the need to step up after the injury. “Travis does some great things, and we just tried to replace that and keep things rolling.”

Clay gets starting nod

An injury to junior running back P.J. Hill opened the door for the freshman Clay to make his first career start Saturday.

Clay carried the ball 25 times for 88 yards against Illinois.

“It felt good, knowing that they trust me and want to get the ball to me,” Clay said.

Hill did not start the game, but made his first appearance midway through the second quarter.

“P.J., we felt he was gonna be back for game,” Bielema said. “[We] thought P.J. would be a good option on third down.”

The junior finished with 11 yards on three carries.

Zach Brown also saw action at running back. Brown finished with 24 rushing yards, including a critical 13-yard gain on third-and-long.

Get past penalties

Hampered by drive-killing offensive penalties all season long, the Badgers were able to limit their total number of penalties as well as overcome the ones they got against the Illini.

“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot,” Bielema said. “There seemed to be an answer today when they were looking for one.”

Wisconsin overcame penalties on two different drives that resulted in scores against Illinois.

“It’s huge,” Wisconsin quarterback Dustin Sherer said. “For us to overcome stuff like that is something that we have not been able to do the last couple of weeks.”

Welch extends field goal streak

Freshman kicker Philip Welch kicked a pair of field goals Saturday and has now converted on 10 straight attempts.

Welch’s first field goal almost didn’t make it, however. Kicking into a stiff wind, the 40-yard attempt looked like it might come up short but it just cleared the crossbar.

“I got it up real high and the wind kind of took it and slowed it down,” Welch said. “I was just trying to tap it in, and I would have driven it if I knew there was more wind in my face. You never know which way the wind is going — it kind of swirls in the stadium.”

Welch hasn’t missed since a first-half attempt at Michigan.