Sept. 17, 2011

Recap |  Final Stats |  Quotes |  Photo Gallery 1  |  Photo Gallery 2 

Postgame Notes
Wisconsin vs. Northern Illinois
Sept. 17, 2011
Soldier Field – Chicago, Ill.

Team Notes
•    Wisconsin has now won 31 straight regular-season non-conference games, including all 23 under head coach Bret Bielema.

•    UW’s win was its 11th-straight regular-season non-conference win away from home, dating back to the 2002 season.

•    The Badgers have started the season 3-0 every year since 2004, a run of eight straight seasons.

•    UW is now 23-2 in games played before Oct. 1 under Bielema.

•    Wisconsin has given up just 24 points in its first three games of the season (17 to UNLV, 0 to Oregon State, 7 to Northern Illinois). That is the team's best three-game stretch since giving 24 points to Northwestern (9), Minnesota (12) and Purdue (3) from Oct 7-21, 2006.

•    Today was the third time under Bret Bielema the Badgers have played in an NFL stadium. Bielema’s debut as head coach, Sept. 2, 2006, was a 35-14 win over Bowling Green in Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Badgers also lost to Tennessee, 21-17, in the 2008 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.

•    Today was Wisconsin’s 36th game played in Chicago and first game at Soldier Field since beating Great Lakes, 13-7, on Oct. 17, 1942. UW’s record is now 16-15-5 all-time in Chicago.

•    Wisconsin’s 97-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter was its longest TD drive since a 97-yard drive in the fourth quarter against Iowa on Nov. 11, 2006.

•    The Badgers have scored at least 40 points five of their last six regular-season games.

•    The Badgers finished with 621 yards of total offense, the sixth-best total in school history. It was the 12th time in school history UW has gone over the 600-yard mark, and the first since racking up 618 against Austin Peay on Sept. 25, 2010.

•    With Russell Wilson passing for 347 yards and Joe Brennan passing for eight yards, UW's 355 passing yards on Saturday tied for the sixth-most in program history.

Individual Notes
•    QB Russell Wilson entered today’s game leading the country with a 237.6 pass efficiency rating and ranking second in the country with a completion percentage of .794 (among QBs with at least two starts). His final stats today were 23-of-32 (.719) for 347 yards and 3 TDs and an interception. That translates into a pass efficiency of 187.6.

•    For the season, Wilson is 50-of-66 (.756) for 791 yards with 8 TDs and one interception (pass efficiency of 213.4).

•    Wilson passed for 347 yards, becoming the ninth Badger QB to throw for at least 300 yards in a game. That is the seventh-best performance in UW history. The last Wisconsin quarterback to do so was Allan Evridge, who threw for 308 yards vs. Marshall on Sept. 6, 2008.

•    Wilson’s 384 yards of total offense are good for the 5th-best single-game performance in UW history.

•    Wilson's 23 completions and 32 attempts against NIU were the most by a Badger QB since Scott Tolzien completed 27-of-45 passes against Ohio State on Oct. 10, 2009.

•    WR Nick Toon now has 11 career touchdown receptions, tying for 10th all-time at UW, and has caught a TD pass in consecutive games for the first time in his career. The Badgers are now 8-0 when Toon catches a touchdown pass. It was Toon’s third career two-TD game.

•    With five catches, Toon now has 121 in his career. That ties him with Pat Richter and Garrett Graham for sixth-most in program history.

•    WR Jared Abbrederis set career highs with six catches for 83 yards. Those bested his previous bests of five catches (set against San Jose State on Sept. 11, 2010) and 79 yards (set against Indiana on Nov. 13, 2010).

•    RB Montee Ball has scored at least one touchdown in each of the last nine games. He has 23 total TDs over that span.

•    With his 91 rushing yards on Saturday, Ball now has 1,659 for his career, placing him 19th all-time at Wisconsin. He is averaging 5.37 yards per rush in his career, which is fifth all-time at UW (min. 300 attempts).

•    Ball and backfield mate James White each ran for TDs today. That is the sixth time they have both scored touchdowns in the same game. UW is 6-0 in those games.

•    Jacob Pedersen’s 55-yard catch in the second quarter was a career long and the longest reception for a Badger TE since Travis Beckum and Tyler Donovan hooked up on a 62-yard pass vs. Buffalo on Nov. 18, 2006.

•    Pedersen has 18 career catches and 6 of them have gone for a touchdown. He has at least one receiving touchdown in each of the first three games this season. He is the first Badger to catch at least one TD in three-straight games since Lance Kendricks against San Jose State, Arizona State and Austin Peay last year.

•    UW’s running backs combined to catch 10 passes for 126 yards today, including Bradie Ewing who caught a career-high four passes for 51 yards.

•    LB Chris Borland recorded 11 tackles, matching his career high set against Michigan on Nov. 14, 2009.

•    QB Joe Brennan saw playing time in his third straight game and scored the first touchdown of his career on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter.

•    One week after seeing the most extensive playing time of his career and setting a personal-best with seven tackles, CB Marcus Cromartie ended Saturday's game with eight stops.

•    LB Ethan Armstrong picked up the first sack of his career.