Houston steps in to lead Badgers past Illinois, 24-13
CHAMPAIGN - Bart Houston came off the bench to throw for 232 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Wisconsin beat Illinois 24-13 on Saturday.
Wisconsin starting quarterback Joel Stave left the game late in the first quarter with a head injury. But the Badgers (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) didn't miss a beat with Houston.
The junior found his favorite target, Alex Erickson, for a 9-yard touchdown with 9:42 left in the game to give Wisconsin a 24-13 lead and effectively put the game away.
Erickson led the Badgers in receiving with 10 catches for 96 yards and had 4 rushes for 81 yards.
Wes Lunt had 278 yards passing with one interception for Illinois (4-3, 1-2).
The Badgers also lost starting center Dan Voltz in the second half with a leg injury.
On the stat sheet, Wisconsin looked in charge midway through the third quarter. The Badgers had advantages in yards, plays run and possession.
But Illinois was still well within range, trailing 17-13.
That all changed, though, over the next two possessions.
Wisconsin ground out a 13-play, 65-yard drive that chewed up 7 minutes and 39 seconds, and ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Houston to Erickson for a two-score advantage.
The Badger defense iced it when Lunt threw a ball that linebacker T.J. Edwards tipped and safety Michael Caputo picked off at the Badger's 49.
Illinois never threatened again.
Before Saturday, Houston had thrown just 9 passes on the season. He quickly found a rhythm, using mostly short passes.
Six plays after Stave's exit, Houston threw to Robert Wheelwright, who reached over an Illinois defensive back to pull down a 23-yard touchdown pass. That gave Badgers their first lead at 7-3, less than a minute into the second quarter.
Illinois was missing starting tailback Josh Ferguson for a second straight game after injuring his right shoulder against Nebraska.
Freshman Ke'Shawn Vaughn was the only ball carrier for Illinois, finishing with 13 carries for 55 yards. Most of those yards came on Illinois' only touchdown, a 36-yard burst through the middle with 7:48 left in the third quarter to give the Illini a 13-10 lead.
The Badgers stayed within a game of Iowa in the Big Ten West with games left against Rutgers, Maryland, Northwestern and Minnesota. None of those teams has a winning record in the conference.
The loss pushes the Illini two games back of Iowa and still looking for two wins to gain bowl eligibility. Illinois plays four of its last five on the road - with a home game against No. 1 Ohio State.