EVANSTON, ILL.—With big mistakes and key injuries surmounting, the No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers fell to Northwestern 31-17 at Ryan Field on Saturday.
Three turnovers, all on fumbles, plus a major special teams error allowed Northwestern (5-3, 5-1 Big Ten) to pull away against Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2).
NU gained 349 yards on the afternoon, with quarterback Clayton Thorson scoring two touchdowns on the ground while passing for one through the air.
Second-year quarterback Jack Coan started his first career game in place of the injured Alex Hornibrook (concussion). Wisconsin could not get anything going offensively, however, gaining only 323 yards on the afternoon.