first play of the 4th quarter and returning it 45 yards for a Wildcat touchdown. On the very next play, Hackenberg was sacked, fumbled, and it was recovered by the Wildcats, leading to a field goal and all but ending the game. Northwestern would add another Siemian 1 yard touchdown run to put NU up 29–6 The Northwestern defense was unbelievable throughout the game, holding Penn State to just 60 yards rushing on 25 carries, while also registering 4 sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a blocked field goal, leading to a shocking, dominating win over a team many people thought had an outside chance at the Big Ten Championship. It was the first time Northwestern had beaten Penn State since 2004. Wisconsin Coming off their upset win at Penn State, the Wildcats returned home to face the 17th ranked Wisconsin Badgers. Again the Wildcats were the better team coming out of the gate, as Jack Mitchell booted a 22 yard field-goal to give the Cats a 3–0 lead. On the ensuing drive, Tanner McEvoy's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Godwin Igwebuike. The teams would trade off punts before Trevor Siemian led a 15-play, 80 yard drive that took up nearly 7 minutes of clock and was capped off by a 5-yard touchdown strike from Siemian to Dan Vitale, giving Northwestern a 10–0 lead. On the first drive of the second half, Joel Stave entered the game and The Badgers would finally get on the board thanks to a Melvin Gordon 3-yard touchdown run. On the Badgers next drive, Stave's pass would be intercepted, and the Wildcats would capitalize with Miles Shuler taking an end around 16 yards for a touchdown, putting the Wildcats up 17–7. Wisconsin would score a late touchdown to cut the lead to 20–14, and the Badgers would get one last chance, but Joel Stave's pass would be intercepted by Igwebuike with 18 seconds left, sealing the win for the Wildcats. Tanner McEvoy and Joel Stave combined to throw just 129 yards and 4 interceptions, including two in the end zone, and three total by redshirt freshman Godwin Igwebuike. The Badgers lost despite a career-high 259 yards rushing by Melvin Gordon. Justin Jackson did just as well for Northwestern, rushing for 162 yards on 30 carries. It was the second-consecutive upset win for Northwestern and their fourth consecutive victory over Wisconsin at