The Wisconsin Badgers (4-1, 1-0) quickly erased questions of the consistency of their offense with a dominating first half of play to open the Big Ten season with a 38-20 win Saturday over Illinois (1-4, 0-1) at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.

Wisconsin scored rushing touchdowns on each their first three drives, taking a 21-0 lead with 12:30 remaining in the second quarter.

Sophomore tailback Dwayne Smith was near unstoppable for the Badgers, recording 99 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns by halftime.

“The past two games I struggled a little bit in my mind, and so I felt as though I needed to come out and have a great game,” said Smith, who injured his groin in last Saturday’s victory over North Carolina.

Smith finished the day with 193 yards on 34 carries and three touchdowns. As a team, the Badgers ran the ball for a season-high 63 times against Illinois for 307 yards.

Quarterback Jim Sorgi scored a rushing touchdown on the Badgers’ third possession, one of two on the day for the senior team captain.

“Today was complete rush. All we had to do was rush the ball,” Sorgi said. “Our offensive line pretty much dominated their defense. When you’re getting four or five yards a crack, and you’re getting in those second-and-long situations, and you’re still getting first downs running the ball, it’s a great feeling as a quarterback because it’s taking a lot of pressure off (me) knowing your offensive line and your running backs are doing their job.”

Through the air, Sorgi was solid, completing seven passes on only 12 attempts for 131 yards, including a key 75-yard completion to wide receiver Brandon Williams with the score cut to 21-13 with 9:20 remaining in the third quarter, the quarterback’s only completion of the second half.

Smith scored his third touchdown of the game on the perusing play on a five-yard scamper.

Illinois ran off 10 uncontested points to end the first half after E.B. Halsey returned Mike Allen’s kickoff 66 yards, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Illini kicker John Gockman.

Jon Beutjer led Illinois to a touchdown on their next possession, completing 11of 13 passes, including a four-yard touchdown toss to Halsey to bring the Illini within 11 at halftime, 21-10.

Beutjer was kept in check for much of the day, mostly due to long, sustained drives from the Badger offense, which kept the Illinois attack off the field. The senior finished the day 23 of 41 with one touchdown and one interception, spreading the ball around to six different receivers.

“You see how dangerous he is and how dangerous their offense is,” Alvarez said of the Illinois quarterback. “The best place for him to be is on the bench for us.”

Sorgi was knocked out of the game after Illinois defensive tackle Jeff Ruffin hit the Wisconsin quarterback’s chest, bruising Sorgi’s sternum and causing him to miss the Badgers’ next series.

After the injury, the Badgers were forced to punt. Wisconsin’s R.J. Morse took his eye off the ball on the snap and was unable to get the kick off. Illinois took over on the Wisconsin 25-yard line but was held to only a field goal as they brought the score to 21-13.

“For them to have that kind of field position and then our defense go in and answer the bell and [force] them to kick a field goal, that’s huge,” Alvarez said.

Illinois crawled back into the game late in the third quarter when Hasley scored on a four-yard rush, pulling Illinois within eight.

The Badgers almost saw the game slip away when Jim Sorgi was flustered in the pocket by Ryan Matha on Wisconsin’s own 32-yard line. Sorgi threw the ball into the hands of Illinois linebacker Antonio Mason, whose end-zone arrival would have earned Illinois a touchdown if it were not for a controversial roughing-the-passer penalty called on Illinois’ Charles Gilstrap. The penalty negated the touchdown and gave the Badgers a first down from their own 47-yard line.

“I felt it was a little late,” Sorgi said of the hit. “I wasn’t sure if they were going to call it or not, being such a close game and being such a critical moment in the game. I’m glad they called it. It’s at the ref’s discretion. He chose to throw the flag, just trying to protect the quarterbacks out there. I’m sure he would have thrown the flag if it was our defense.”

After the penalty, the Badgers moved down the field on a series of rushes from Smith and redshirt freshman Booker Stanley. Sorgi finished the drive with a four-yard quarterback draw on third and goal to put the Badgers up 35-20 with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game.

Illinois failed to convert a pass on fourth and three from the Wisconsin 25-yard line after UW tackle Jonathan Welsh put some pressure on Beutjer with 11 minutes to go. Wisconsin took over and marched down the field on another strong drive lasting over seven minutes on a series of rushing plays, setting up an 18-yard field goal by Mike Allen to take the Badger lead to 18, 38-20, which would be the game’s final score.

“There were a lot of momentum swings in the game and I’m just proud of the way my guys answered down the stretch,” Alvarez said.