David Braun began his tenure as Northwestern’s head coach unceremoniously, receiving the interim tag after Pat Fitzgerald was fired before last season. Despite remarkably low expectations, Braun led the Wildcats to an 8-5 record and he’s now on a 5-year contract as the program’s full-time head coach.

Heading into this week’s matchup with the Badgers, Braun has been impressed with Wisconsin’s improved passing attack and offensive performance with quarterback Braedyn Locke, who took over for injured starter Tyler Van Dyke.

“They’re certainly a group that have found their groove. Well-coached, scary passing attack. They’re finding ways to run the ball really effectively right now, playing good defense, very sound on special teams,” Braun said this week. “You know, our group understands that we got a great challenge in front of us, but we’re excited for that challenge and excited to be at home.”

Wisconsin’s offense has averaged 47 points and 569 total yards per game in their last two games, which were blowout wins over Purdue and Rutgers. A big reason for the improved success has been Locke’s performance. He looks like he has found his confidence as the team’s full-time starter.

“I think the quarterback play continues to trend in the right direction for them. (Braedyn Locke) came in against Alabama. That’s a tough situation to be thrust into. But you can tell that he continues to play with more and more confidence,” Braun said. “You know, the O-line play is something that has certainly stood out and been impressive. The backs are running hard, running well. They’re creating some explosive opportunities in the run game.”

Over the last two weeks, Locke has completed 65.5 percent of his passes and averaged 299.5 passing yards per game with five total touchdowns and three interceptions.

The emergence of wide receivers Vinny Anthony II and Trech Kakahuna as legitimate deep threats has given Wisconsin fans a glimpse at the potential passing offense they were promised by offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Braun and the 3-3 Wildcats sound prepared for the Badgers’ best on Saturday.

Wisconsin comes into its game against Northwestern after two dominant wins.

The matchup takes place on Saturday at noon. Wisconsin leads the series record 62-38-5. They’re coming into this game at 4-2, while Northwestern is 3-3.

Here’s what to watch.

What’s at stake?

Both teams need wins to reach bowl eligibility. Wisconsin has only one league loss and comes in rolling after outscoring Purdue and Rutgers by a combined 94-13 while racking up 500 yards or more in back to back Big Ten games for the first time since 2010. Tawee Walker ran for a career-best 198 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Badgers pummeled the Scarlet Knights 42-7 last week. Northwestern stopped a two-game losing streak with a 37-10 win at Maryland.

Key matchup

Walker vs. Northwestern’s defensive line. The Oklahoma transfer has run for three touchdowns in back-to-back games and rushed for two in a loss at Southern California on Sept. 28. He is second in the Big Ten and is tied for 10th in the nation with nine scoring runs. Northwestern ranks fifth in the Big Ten and ninth in the nation against the run at 87.5 yards per game. The Wildcats held Maryland to 59 yards on 33 attempts.

Players to watch

Wisconsin: QB Braedyn Locke. Locke has thrown for 904 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He’s started the three games since Tyler Van Dyke was injured in a loss to Alabama on Sept. 14.

Northwestern: LB Xander Mueller. Third-team, all-conference last season, Mueller leads Northwestern with 41 tackles and has three for loss. He is one of five Big Ten linebackers with at least 40 tackles and three for loss.

Facts & figures

This will be the Wildcats’ final game this year at their temporary lakefront stadium. They host No. 4 Ohio State and No. 22 Illinois at Wrigley Field on Nov. 16 and 30. … Wisconsin and Northwestern have split the past 18 meetings. … The Badgers are 61-31 against conference opponents since 2014. Only Ohio State (84-8) and Michigan (68-23) have more Big Ten wins in that span. … Northwestern scored 17 points off four turnovers against Maryland and won despite being outgained 355-283 total yards. … DB Theran Johnson is tied for first in the nation with nine pass breakups.

The administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission says ballot drop boxes can be another “secure option” for voters during the presidential election.

However, it appears fewer communities across the state are using them this year.

Drop boxes have been the subject of a series of legal battles in the state. In 2022 the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that they were illegal. Earlier this year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court reversed that 2022 decision and ruled that municipal clerks have the option to provide them for voters.

During a press conference Wednesday, Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said clerks have reported there are 78 individual drop boxes in use so far this year. She said that’s down from around 500 in 2020 when drop boxes were a popular option for voters during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision this year, the commission issued suggested guidance for municipal clerks for their ballot box use, which said the boxes should be affixed to the ground and should be in a well-lit area.

“I think that if clerks do go through that list of security recommendations as they’re considering their options, I think we should have a great deal of confidence that that (drop boxes) is a secure option if a voter chooses and feels comfortable with that return option,” Wolfe said. 

The use of ballot drop boxes has become politicized in recent years. The Wisconsin Department of Investigation is currently leading an investigation into Wausau Mayor Doug Diny’s actions after he removed an absentee ballot drop box outside of Wausau City Hall. 

“I think that a lot of communities have had some additional considerations or pressures within their communities that may have led to whatever their decision might be,” Wolfe said about the numbers Wednesday. 

Wolfe said municipalities do not have to report locations of drop boxes to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Because of that, she said there could be more drop boxes in use across the state.

Anna Anderson, the voting rights coordinator for Disability Rights Wisconsin, said drop boxes are a useful tool for disabled people.

She called them a “safe and secure way for people to cast a ballot.”

“It’s too bad, and I think what it does is marginalize people and people that are already marginalized from being able to cast a ballot, and everybody’s voice should be heard if they want it to be heard,” Anderson said. “So having an easy, and accessible and secure way to cast a ballot only makes sense to me.”

As of Tuesday, Wolfe said there were 562,644 absentee ballots requested by voters across the state. Of those, 239,997 had been returned to their municipal clerk so far.

Wolfe said at the same time in 2020, there were over 1.3 million absentee ballot requests made, and more than 700,000 absentee ballots had been returned. 

“This data illustrates that absentee voting trends are beginning to look more like pre-2020 levels,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe said in-person absentee voting — which starts Tuesday — is another option for voters to cast their ballots.

“So I think that voters have a lot of choices to make, and I think that we have a lot of really great, secure options here in the state of Wisconsin that allow people to make the decision that’s best for them,” Wolfe said.