“Those big plays that not only generate energy and momentum but give you a different boost and make people play in a different way,” Fickell said. “That’s just something that we’ve really struggled with, not just this year, but in the last couple years. It was really good to be able to see that.”

More: Wisconsin’s win over Illinois shows Carter Smith’s growth, Hunter Simmons’ role

Darryl Peterson, defense bring heat and step up in red zone

While the defensive line has been solid at putting pressure on the quarterback, it has been finishing those plays with sacks during the last four games.

The Badgers’ five sacks against Illinois pushed their total to 19 in the last four games. Their six tackles for a loss give them 29 during that stretch.

Peterson led the charge with a career-high three sacks, two that came on third down. Senior cornerback D’Yoni Hill made a career-high eight tackles.

Illinois’ 298 total yards were its third lowest of the season behind second-ranked Indiana (161) and No. 1 Ohio State (295). But the bigger accomplishment for Wisconsin was keeping the Illini off the scoreboard.

They reached the red zone three times but got only one touchdown. The other trips resulted in field-goal attempts, a 37-yard miss with about 11 minutes left in the second quarter when UW led, 7-0, and a 24-yard make with 1 minute 23 seconds left in the third quarter that cut the Badgers’ lead to 17-10.

The second attempt came after Wisconsin faced a first-and-goal from the 9.

“Obviously the guys played well, but I give a lot of credit to the coaches, too.” Fickell said. “[Defensive coordinator] Mike Tressel and those guys had a really good game plan and recognized where we were going to need to be really successful in the red zone because that’s where they’ve been as good as anybody.

“When [Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer] gets to the red zone, his ability to run the football, his ability to throw the football [make him dangerous]. They’re really creative down there.”

Nathanial Vakos, Charlie Jarvis helps special teams deliver boom

Senior Nathanial Vakos hit each of his field-goal attempts, a 47-yarder with 14 seconds left in the first half that gave the Badgers a 10-7 lead and a 32-yard attempt with 4:23 to play that gave the team its final margin of victory.

Redshirt freshman Sean West averaged 48.6 yards per punt and really flipped field position in the second half.

The big play came from redshirt junior Charlie Jarvis, who pounced on punter Keelan Crimmins after Crimmins mishandled a low snap in the fourth quarter. The turnover on downs gave Wisconsin a first down at the Illini 14. Four plays later Dupree took a direct snap 4 yards for a touchdown that gave UW a 24-10 edge with 8:16 to go.

By that point the game turned into a feel-good affair, one fueled by all three aspects of the game. It was the kind of peroformance that breeds confidence, and for the Badgers that showed in the body language of the players as the game wore on.