The focus may have been on Wisconsin football's new interim coach Saturday, but that doesn't mean the Badgers' much-needed 42-7 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats didn't shed some light on more than how Jim Leonhard handles taking the reins from his mentor.
With the BadgerExtra team following all the action before, during and after the game in Evanston, Illinois, here are 10 things we learned.
1. Leonhard shaped by his hometown
Before the Badgers took the field behind Leonhard for the first time, columnist Jim Polzin took another trip up to Tony, Wisconsin, to get a feel for what made the former UW walk-on and NFL veteran the right choice for the job. Twenty years after first visiting the town, Polzin dug deeper into the growing legend surrounding the hometown hero and found that residents are used to him proving doubters wrong.
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No one in Tony, Wisconsin, will be surprised to see Jim Leonhard succeed as UW’s football coach. They’ve watched him exceed expectations his whole life.
2. Chryst gone but not forgotten
While it was clear that members of the UW football team were shaken by the news of Paul Chryst's firing, they didn't let it affect how they prepared for and performed in the first game after his departure.
"We still had it in the back of our head, like even playing today,” sophomore inside linebacker Jake Chaney said after the win. “Coach Chryst got fired for a reason, and everybody can have their own beliefs, but we feel like we're the ones who failed him. We put it on the field today for coach Chryst and the season’s pretty much dedicated to him.”
It was an emotional week for Badgers players and staffers. The team overcame them and responded with a win.
3. Offense turns it up a notch
In Leonhard's first game at the helm, UW set a school record with six passing touchdowns while showcasing a balance and explosiveness that was missing the previous two weeks. Despite coming against a reeling Wildcats defense, some of what the Badgers did offensively was a departure from the way Chryst managed things with more play-action and run-pass options than fans are used to seeing from UW.
The Badgers offense featured new looks and set a school record in a drubbing of Northwestern. What can fans expect to carry forward in the second half of the season?
4. No time to waste
With the Badgers visiting an unfriendly stop, Leonhard's schedule Saturday left little room for down time. What did that packed schedule include? Luckily, Polzin kept an eye on Leonhard throughout the day so he could provide a minute-by-minute account of the beginning of a new era in Badgers football.
Here's how the "start of a new era" played out for Jim Leonhard in his debut as Wisconsin's interim football coach.
5. Shakeup stirs starters
The patch to success for the Badgers doesn't just require them to weather the emotional fallout from the coaching change. The on-field decisions that Leonhard make will go a long way in helping UW get back on track. He showed his ability to plug the gaps created by injury with five new starters playing a key role in the victory.
The offensive line and linebacking corps were hampered by injuries, calling on a handful of players to step up against Northwestern.
6. Performance passes muster
When it came time to grade the Badgers' performance, there was little dispute that things are starting to look up after three losses in four games for UW. In his weekly report card, Polzin awarded at least an A-minus to each group, except for a special teams unit that remains stuck in the mud. Fans were just as kind in their assessment, with no unit earning worse than a B from the majority of voters.
It came against an inferior opponent, but the Wisconsin football team fared well when columnist Jim Polzin graded their performance against Northwestern.
Here is your chance to offer grades for the Badgers' performance against Northwestern.
7. Mindset flipped midweek
Taking the podium for his first postgame news conference as interim head coach, Leonhard pointed to Tuesday and Wednesday as when he could see his players regaining their focus on the task at hand. He said he was pleased with the way his players responded to adversity in-game as well by not losing their edge after a missed field goal spoiled a strong first drive.
Wisconsin interim coach Jim Leonhard discusses when he felt the players began to turn the page, as well as how the team responded after the fi…
8. Playmakers given longer leash
One of the areas Leonhard stressed needed improvement was the offense's ability to take full advantage of the playmakers on the roster. The biggest beneficiary of the new approach Saturday was junior wide receiver Chimere Dike, who finished with 10 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns while making an early run at Lee Evans' program record in receiving yards (258).
The Badgers, led by Graham Mertz and Chimere Dike, got their football season back on track with a lopsided win over the Wildcats.
9. Defense finds its footing
Giving up a combined 86 points in the previous two games — both losses — left the UW defense sorely in need of a rebound performance. The unit answered the call against the Wildcats, with the Badgers holding them scoreless for the first three-plus quarters before the Northwestern offense finally reached the end zone with UW's victory all but in the bag.
10. Fans like what they see
As Leonhard left the field victorious, the Badgers fans on hand at Ryan Field made sure to let him know how they felt about his first showing as interim coach. While an informal survey of cheers is anecdotal at best, there was no question that Leonhard showed once again he can rise to a tough challenge.