Wisconsin's defensive dominance summed up in 1 wild stat

Wisconsin's defense is on fire this season.

Wisconsin’s football team is good this season — like really, really good — but much of the focus has been on running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Jonathan Taylor. And that’s understandable.

But the Badgers’ defense has been practically impenetrable and is the best in the nation. The defense entered Week 7 ranked No. 1 in both average points against (5.8) and average yards per game allowed (178.6), and it seems likely to remain at the top of those two categories going into Week 8.

The latest victim of Wisconsin’s dominating defense was Michigan State, which lost, 38-0, in Madison on Saturday. It was the Badgers’ fourth — 4TH! — shutout of the season, and they didn’t give up points through the first 10 quarters of their schedule. They also have not yet trailed in a game.

Perhaps the most absurd stat, however, is that Wisconsin has allowed the same number of touchdowns this season as its defense has scored. It’s four, which is wild.

Michigan State quarterbacks Brian Lewerke and Rocky Lombardi each threw an interception in the Spartans’ shutout loss Saturday, but starter Lewerke’s pick by Badgers linebacker Zack Baun was returned for a 34-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Wisconsin had two defensive touchdowns in its 24-15 win over Northwestern — first when defensive end Matt Henningsen recovered a fumble in the end zone and then when linebacker Noah Burks returned an interception for a 68-yard touchdown.

Henningsen also had a fumble returned for a 16-yard touchdown in the Badgers’ season opener against South Florida — the first shutout with a 49-0 final score. They also had a safety against Central Michigan in their 61-0 win.

Wisconsin has racked up several other crazy defensive stats, so here are a few other notable ones.

After taking down Michigan State, Wisconsin is now the first FBS team with four shutouts in the first six games of a season since Oklahoma did it in 1967 and the first Big Ten team to do it since Minnesota in 1962, per ESPN Stats & Info. (The other shutout was a 48-0 win over Kent State last week.)

Another unbelievable one: Wisconsin’s opponents have not yet attempted to kick an extra point.

Michigan and Northwestern are the only two teams to score against the Badgers, and each time they had touchdowns, they went for two. The Wildcats failed twice, while the Wolverines were 1-for-2.

The Badgers have also outscored their opponents 255-29 so far this season, and they went into Week 7 with a 14 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff. That number is almost certainly going to rise.

Their schedule will get a bit more challenging after facing Illinois next weekend when they play Ohio State on the road and then Iowa at home.

But if they continue dominating like this and return to their third Big Ten championship game in four years, they could have a real shot at the playoff if they’re conference champs with no more than one loss.