MADISON, Wis. _ After navigating a schedule that included games against five top-10 teams in the first eight games and a trip to Evanston, Ill, a place that has become a graveyard for good Wisconsin teams, Paul Chryst's players showed they will not let up against lesser foes.
Facing an Illinois team that entered the day with two Big Ten victories _ over Rutgers and Michigan State _ the No. 7 Badgers were expected to roll.
And roll they did.
UW scored touchdowns on four of its first five possessions, intercepted four passes and continued to run the ball effectively.
The result was a 48-3 victory Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall Stadium.
UW (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) extended its winning streak to four games, with the last loss a 30-23 overtime decision to then-No. 2 Ohio State on Oct. 15.
Illinois, down to its No. 3 quarterback and lacking the depth to compete against the top teams in the league, saw its record fall to 2-5 in the league and 3-7 overall.
Corey Clement (25 carries, 123 yards, three TDs) and Dare Ogunbowale (7-103) led a running game that generated 171 first-half yards to help UW build a 31-3 lead. The Badgers finished with 363 yards and four touchdowns on 64 attempts. Redshirt freshman Bradrick Shaw, clearly the No. 3 tailback, added 80 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Illinois redshirt freshman quarterback Jeff George Jr. played only the first half and completed 5 of 16 passes for 79 yards and threw four interceptions.
Safety Leo Musso intercepted two passes, one of which led to a touchdown. Fellow safety D'Cota Dixon intercepted a pass, which led to a touchdown. Linebacker Ryan Connelly got the fourth interception, which led to a field goal.
UW entered the day with only 18 touchdowns in 33 red-zone trips but scored touchdowns on its first four chances Saturday. UW finished 8-of-8 in the red zone with six touchdowns and two field goals.
Illinois was held to 200 total yards and failed to convert on third down in nine tries. The Illini entered the day 13th in the Big Ten in third-down conversions at 30.4 percent.
UW got contributions from special teams, defense and offense to take a 7-0 lead with 9 minutes 25 seconds left in the opening quarter and that mix set the tone for the afternoon.
Freshman Anthony Lotti boomed a 46-yard punt and gunner Natrell Jamerson hustled down and tackled Illinois' Darius Mosely for a 1-yard loss at the 9.
Illinois went three-and-out _ all incompletions _ in just 19 seconds.
UW took over at its 49 after the punt and needed just four plays to score.
Alex Hornibrook hit Jazz Peavy for 17 yards and Clement then had runs of 9, 23 and 2 yards to reach the end zone with 9:25 left in the quarter.
Dixon's interception and 40-yard return put the ball at the Illinois 8. Clement scored two plays later for a 14-0 lead.
After an Illinois field goal, Hornibrook directed a 78-yard touchdown drive that he capped with an 8-yard strike to Peavy.
Musso's first interception gave UW the ball at the Illinois 43. Reserve quarterback Bart Houston capped the touchdown drive with a 7-yard pass to tight end Kyle Penniston to help UW take a 28-3 just 2:36 into the second quarter.
UW was in the midst of taking another step toward winning the West Division title
Illinois, which last finished with a winning record in Big Ten play in 2007 under Ron Zook, was in the midst of another long Saturday afternoon.
