Wisconsin’s upcoming game at Northwestern (Oct. 19) looks a bit more challenging today than it did at this time yesterday.
That is because the Wildcats improved to 3-3 on the season on Friday night with a dominant 37-10 win over Maryland.
Maryland out-gained Northwestern 355 to 283, gained 25 first downs to Northwestern’s 10, committed fewer penalties and held the football for 33:45 of game time. Those numbers should, in theory, point to a Maryland victory.
The difference: Maryland turned the ball over four times (three fumbles, one interception) while Northwestern did not.
The Wildcats built an early 17-0 lead after two lengthy touchdown drives led by QB Jack Lausch. Maryland eventually cut the deficit to 17-10 before a Northwestern fumble-return-touchdown extended the margin to 24-10.
Things only accelerated from there. Maryland turned the ball over on downs, via fumble, via interception, then again on downs in its last four possessions. Northwestern tacked on an extra 13 points to reach to 37-10 final score.
https://twitter.com/NUFBFamily/status/1844944003763986472
The win is a statement for the Wildcats after dropping tough back-to-back contests against Washington and No. 18 Indiana. It now gives the team substantial momentum entering next weekend’s home matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers — one that may be critical to the team reaching bowl eligibility this season.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, is in action on Saturday afternoon at Rutgers. The two-game stretch is critical for Luke Fickell’s team as it looks to improve upon last year’s 7-6 finish.
Next week will be full of preview work before Wisconsin looks to avenge last year’s loss to Northwestern. For now, it’s worth noting that the Wildcats just pulled off the win of their season to date.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.