Wisconsin Football: 3 takeaways from shocking upset loss to Illinois

A last-second field goal knocked Wisconsin football from the ranks of the unbeaten. What did we learn about the Badgers in the tough loss?

Early in the game, it looked like Wisconsin was going to do their customary rout of an overmatched Big Ten opponent. But then Illinois managed to get into the endzone before halftime, the first time the Badgers gave up a touchdown in the first half all season long.

As the game progressed it became more and more apparent that Lovie Smith’s team was ready for the Badgers and had high hopes of giving the partisan crowd at Memorial Stadium something to remember on Homecoming this year.

In the end, Wisconsin was undone by a defense that looked nothing like the world-beating unit that had shoved aside all comers through the first half of the season. Illinois was able to boot a last-second field goal that gave the Fighting Illini a 24-23 win. For the first time since 2007, Illinois took down a top-10 program and earned the biggest statement of Lovie Smith’s tenure in Champaign.

While a key showdown looms with Ohio State next weekend in Columbus, Wisconsin has plenty to sort out if they hope to have any chance of a rebound against the Buckeyes. Here are three things we learned about the Badgers on Saturday afternoon as they fell to 6-1 in the standings and played their way out of the top 10 of the AP Top 25.