Madison, Wis. – It took until early November, but the Wisconsin Badgers finally did it; they won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
In less than ideal playing conditions, interim head coach Jim Leonhard and the Wisconsin Badgers (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) jumped out to an early lead over Maryland and never looked back, winning 23-10 at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Wisconsin’s defense put together one of its best games of the season playing in the elements, only allowing 189 yards on 3.0 yards per play and sacking the opposing quarterback a season-high five times, two of which belonged to the Big Ten’s sack leader, Nick Herbig.
According to PFF, UW registered 19 total pressures, a marked improvement from the 13.8 per game the Badgers averaged coming out of the bye week.
The Badgers won in the trenches and freed up inside linebackers like Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner to get after the opposing quarterback – who finished with four and three pressures, respectively.
Following Saturday’s win, the Badgers are now 4-0 all-time against the Terrapins, including 3-0 at Camp Randall Stadium.
Here’s a look at the five highest-graded defensive players from Wisconsin’s victory over Maryland, according to Pro Football Focus.