The nerves that hit Jim Leonhard during the week as he prepared for his first game following longtime boss Paul Chryst’s firing were long gone by the time game day rolled around.
He woke up feeling just fine. This made his day better.
Graham Mertz threw for a career-high 299 yards and matched a career high with five touchdowns, Chimere Dike set personal bests with 185 yards receiving and three TD catches, and Wisconsin dominated in interim coach Leonhard’s first game, pounding struggling Northwestern 42-7 on Oct. 8 in Evanston, Illinois.