UW’s next opponent: Northwestern gets a boost.

MADISON – Pat Fitzgerald’s team got healthy one week before its bye.

In the wake of an ugly 41-17 road loss to Duke, Northwestern’s players and coaches needed a victory, or at least a sound performance, before turning their attention to Big Ten play.

Bowling Green provided the perfect antidote.

“I think we responded really well, and had a great week on campus,” Fitzgerald said after the Wildcats improved to 2-1 with a 49-7 home victory Sept. 16. “I think they showed up. I talked to them at the end of the week about getting up off the mat. We got knocked down last week.

“The only thing for us to do was to get up off the mat, and tonight we came up swinging. It’s one thing to get up, it’s another thing to go out and make plays, and I think we did.”

Northwestern, which opens Big Ten play at 11 a.m. Saturday at No. 10 Wisconsin (3-0), did a 180-degree turn after losing at Duke.

In that game, Northwestern surrendered 34 first downs, 233 rushing yards and 305 passing yards. Duke converted 15 of 22 thirddown chances (68.2%) and held the ball for 41 minutes 18 seconds.

Tailback Justin Jackson, who has broken the 1,000-yard rushing mark in each of his first three seasons, was held to 18 yards on seven carries. Quarterback Clayton Thorson was sacked four times and completed 37.9% of his passes (11 of 29) for 120 yards.

Jackson rushed 18 times for 121 yards and three touchdowns and Thorson completed 23 of 30 attempts (77%) for 370 yards and two touchdowns against Bowling Green.

“I walked into the locker room last week, and I didn't feel like I was walking into a funeral,” Fitzgerald said, referring to the Duke loss. “I thought the guys’ attitude was: ‘We just got our fanny whipped, but the things we did wrong, we can go out and fix in practice.’

“Credit goes to our guys, they did a great job of coming back.”

Northwestern opened the season brimming with optimism after a disappointing 2016 season.

“I think this team is really close,” Fitzgerald said during camp. “I think the chemistry is outstanding. … I think our upper-class leadership is as strong as we’ve had. They’ve been through a lot.”

Last season the Wildcats lost both starting cornerbacks – Keith Watkins and Matthew Harris – to injury by Week 2 and finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten West at 5-4 and 7-6 overall.

“They were two corners we thought could be outstanding,” defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz said.

“So we ended up playing a redshirt sophomore and a redshirt freshman and that is a hard position to learn that. You’re going to have to pay your dues out there.”

Northwestern is already down three cornerbacks this season, including one starter.

Watkins suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in camp; Brian Bullock suffered a season-ending foot injury in the opener against Nevada; and Roderick Campbell, who started nine games as a freshman last season, had season-ending shoulder surgery.

“We’ve faced some adversity,” said senior safety Godwin Igwebuike, who had three interceptions in the Wildcats’ 20-14 victory over UW in 2014. “I think it was cool because we are pretty deep.

“We came into the season really deep and that paid off because if that wasn’t the case, I think it would be pretty bad.”

UW, which smothered Northwestern’s offense in a 21-7 victory last season in Evanston, will provide a much stiffer test than did Bowling Green.