Wisconsin is starting to play its best football and sending Rutgers in the opposite direction.

Tawee Walker ran for a career-best 198 yards and scored three touchdowns and Wisconsin dominated on both sides of the ball for the second straight week in posting a 42-7 victory over Rutgers on Saturday.

“The team is getting better,” said Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell, whose squad beat Purdue 52-6 last weekend. “And just like I said last week, it’s exciting. It’s exciting, obviously, to win, but it’s exciting to see things continue to grow in front of your own face. And that’s where to me, I’m happy and proud as anything”

Braedyn Locke threw for 240 yards and a touchdown, and ran for another late as the Badgers (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) remained unbeaten against Rutgers (4-2, 1-2) in six meetings and handed the Scarlet Knights their second straight loss.

“I think that we’re playing a high level of complementary football,” said Locke, who was 20 of 28 with an interception on a day the wind gusted to 22 mph. “But I don’t think that we’re at all satisfied. I don’t think that we’re close to the border or our final destination.”

Walker, who previous career high was 146 against Kansas last season when he played for Oklahoma, scored on runs of 2, 9 and 55 yards, the last one being the longest of his career and the team’s longest rush of the season. He has eight touchdowns in the last three games. Darrion Dupree also had a 2-yard TD run as the Badgers outgained Rutgers 549-271.

“I’m so blessed to be behind this line, and this O-line coach (AJ Blazek),” Walker said. “It makes it so much better when guys play hard 100% of the time. It just makes my job so much easier.”

Kyle Monangai, who was stopped on a crucial fourth-down carry at the Wisconsin 10-yard line late in the second quarter, scored on a 13-yard run early in the fourth quarter to deny the Badgers their first shutout since their season opener in 2022.

For the second straight week, Wisconsin built a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Locke hit Will Pauling on a 16-yard pass to cap an 89-yard drive. Walker scored on a fourth-down 2-yard run for the other TD.

Monangai, the defending Big Ten rushing champion, was limited to 72 yards. Athan Kaliakmanis was 12 of 32 for 103 yards passing and one interception.

“The team, the whole day, couldn’t chew gum and walk at the same time as a group,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “We just couldn’t get it going, coaching, playing, everything.

Schiano refused to say Rutgers was backtracking after opening 4-0.

“I’m not ready to sit here in one game and say: ‘Oh, ‘the sky is falling.’ You know what, we’ve got work to do, and we’ll do it, and we’ll get back on track.”

No. 23 Illinois 50, Purdue 49 OT >> Luke Altmyer threw a 25-yard touchdown pass in overtime to Pat Bryant, and Dylan Rosiek sacked Purdue’s Ryan Browne on a 2-point conversion attempt to give No. 23 Illinois a victory.

Illinois (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) had lost four straight and seven of its last eight against Purdue (1-5, 0-3). The Illini hadn’t beaten the Boilermakers at Memorial Stadium since 2010.

Illinois’ David Alano made a 38-yard field goal as time expired to tie it at 43 after Purdue rallied.

Ahrmad Branch, on his only carry of the day, scored on a 3-yard run in OT for the Boilermakers.

Altmyer completed 20 of 34 passes for 379 yards and three touchdowns. Josh McCray ran for 78 yards and two TDs and caught a scoring pass. Bryant caught four passes for 104 yards.

Browne, a redshirt freshman making his first career start with Hudson Card sidelined by a concussion, rushed for 118 yards on 17 carries and completed 18 of 26 passes for 297 yards and three TDs after throwing for just 9 yards in the first half.

Max Klare caught six passes for 133 yards for Purdue. Mockobee ran for 102 yards on 11 carries.

Iowa 40, Washington 16 >> Kaleb Johnson rushed for 166 yards and scored three touchdowns as Iowa defeated Washington, giving coach Kirk Ferentz his 200th victory at Iowa.

Ferentz moved into sole possession of second place on the Big Ten’s all-time wins list, five behind Ohio State’s Woody Hayes.

Johnson, a junior who came into the game ranked second nationally in rushing yards per game and third in rushing yards, had a 6-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to open the scoring for the Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten). He caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Cade McNamara in the third, then scored on an 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth.