Wisconsin 35, Northwestern 6: Joel Stave passed for 241 yards and three touchdowns and the host Badgers used a strong defensive effort to knock off the Wildcats.

Melvin Gordon rushed for 172 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and the defense held Northwestern to 44 yards rushing as Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) improved to 4-0 at home while allowing 16 points in those games. James White added 101 yards and a score on the ground for the Badgers.

Trevor Siemian got the bulk of the time under center in the Wildcats’ two-quarterback system but was held to 163 yards on 13-of-34 passing. Kain Colter passed for 34 yards and rushed for just 10 as Northwestern (4-2, 0-2) dropped its second straight game.

Wisconsin turned the ball over three times in the first half but took a 21-6 lead into the break. Stave gave the Badgers the lead for good on a 63-yard touchdown pass to Jared Abbrederis in the first quarter and White busted through for a 1-yard score before Gordon broke out a 71-yard touchdown run with 2:03 left in the half.

Stave capped a 75-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Pedersen with 10:16 left in the third and put the game away with his 3-yard scoring pass to Derek Watt early in the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Northwestern improved its Big Ten-best total to 17 forced turnovers but did not manage to force any miscues in the second half. … Abbrederis led the Wisconsin receiving corps with two catches for 74 yards. … The Wildcats entered the contest averaging 218.4 rushing yards and were held to six yards on the ground in the second half.