MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Jonathan Taylor ran for two touchdowns to help the offense overcome a sluggish start and No. 10 Wisconsin’s defense swarmed Northwestern before holding on for a 33-24 win on Saturday.
Alex Hornibrook threw for 197 yards and a touchdown, settling down after two interceptions in the first half. Garrett Dooley had three of Wisconsin’s eight sacks.
Northwestern’s last drive was thwarted when quarterback Clayton Thorson couldn’t find a receiver out of his own end zone and was sacked by D’Cota Dixon for a safety.
“We knew it was going to be a hard one,” Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said. “There’s a lot of lessons to be learned in this one.”
Thorson was having a good quarter until getting sacked, throwing two touchdown passes in less than 2 minutes. The second to Garrett Dickerson with 2:53 left got the Wildcats within a touchdown.