Studs and duds from Wisconsin Badgers 27-10 upset win over No. 21 Illinois

Then he punched it in a second time in the fourth quarter to extend the Badgers' lead and blow the game open.

His performance provided renewed hope that Wisconsin can get back to winning games by running the ball and playing strong defense.

Stud: LB Darryl Peterson

Peterson did a little bit of everything for the Badgers defense, making life more difficult for Illinois quarterback Luke Altmeyer.

He led Wisconsin with three sacks, one of which forced a fumble that was recovered by the offense.

Peterson also had a batted pass, a quarterback hurry and some key tackles in run defense.

He has grown into a major play-maker on the defense who is playing his best football in his final games with the program.

Dud: RT Emerson Mandell

The right side of the Badgers offensive line had communication issues, so it doesn't all fall on Mandell's shoulders.

But when an edge rusher comes unblocked off of the right side and straight to the quarterback, it's hard not to point the fingers at the right tackle.

Illinois has some strong pass rushers, but freshman quarterback Carter Smith was under pressure and on the run way too much in this game, and the right side of the line seemed to be the more troublesome side.

Stud: Offensive Coordinator Jeff Grimes

The Badgers' offense is far from a well-oiled machine, but offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes had a solid day of play-calling to get the offense looking better than it has for a lot of the season.

Wisconsin's first touchdown came on a WR reverse to Vinny Anthony Jr. that had the defense fooled to cap off a 16-play drive that took over nine minutes off the clock.

Then he called the run that Dupree sprang free for 84 yards and the longest play of the season for the offense, before Grimes went to the wildcat for Dupree's second touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The play-caller kept the offense simple enough for freshman quarterback Carter Smith to keep the offense moving, without getting too basic or predictable for the defense to catch up to.

Stud: LB Mason Reiger

Reiger didn't finish with the same eye-popping production as Peterson, but his disruption set up his teammates to finish plays with big tackles.

He did the dirty work that gave Illinois fits, and he still added an impressive sack of his own when he right around an Illini tight end on the way to a big hit on Altmeyer.

Reiger is a well-rounded disruptor, setting a firm edge in the running game and generating pressure wherever he lines up on passing downs.

This win was another strong performance that we've come to expect from him just about every week.