The Badgers knew they were going to have to be able to hang their hat on a stout defense this fall if they want to turn their program around.

With fourth-year defensive coordinator Mike Tressel returning and a unit that finished top-25 nationally last fall bringing back its two best playmakers in linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano, that side of the ball had high expectations this fall.

Through two weeks, those expectations haven't exactly been met. A stout, rugged first half against Notre Dame gave way to soft coverage and poor tackling in the second half as the Badgers' defense ultimately gave out against a loaded Fighting Irish team.

In Week 2, Wisconsin didn't surrender a touchdown but it allowed the FCS Western Illinois Leathernecks to win the time-of-possession battle pretty handily, holding the ball for 34 minutes to the Badgers' 25. Though Western Illinois never hit pay dirt, it sustained two drives of 11 plays and one drive of 14 plays, each of which resulted in a field goal.

When all was said and done, the Leathernecks put up a balanced 302 yards of offense, rushing for 154 and tossing for 148.

Wisconsin actually did a good job containing Western Illinois' running backs, but its elusive quarterback Kennedy McGill tallied 88 rushing yards and the Badgers' struggled to contain him on both designed runs and scrambles when the play broke down.

But it's not Wisconsin's soft second-half defense against Notre Dame or its inability to contain a mobile FCS quarterback that should elicit the most concern. It's not even the one sack through two games the Badgers have produced thus far. There's one crucial area that tells me Wisconsin's defense has yet to take that next step into a truly elite unit.

The Badgers' lack of forced turnovers is alarming

Wisconsin has yet to force a turnover through two games. It came very close on its first defensive series with a strip-sack of Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr that the Irish ultimately pounced on, and it's swung momentum in other ways with multiple blocked punts. Still, the Badgers' defense has yet to notch an interception or a forced fumble through eight quarters.

Any formidable defense takes the ball away from opposing offenses, of course, but Wisconsin's lack of turnovers forced is particularly disappointing considering the emphasis that was placed on doing just that this offseason.

“The turnovers, man," Catalano said in fall camp when asked what's different about this defense this year. "That’s been a huge emphasis in our unit meetings with Coach Tressel."

“Yes we do tally it, yes it’s a competition and yes we’re creating more turnovers than last year, for sure," Tressel said during fall camp.

If the first two weeks are any indication, the Badgers' offense is going to need the defense to spot it a few short fields as well; the lack of turnovers forced creates problems that extend past the defense.

So what's the explanation for the lack of turnovers? That's hard to pinpoint. They often come in bunches and they can be quite sporadic.

"We’ve had some balls in the air, we’ve had our hands on balls, there’s been some tips. Those will (result in turnovers) eventually. But our ability to attack the football, be physical enough to dislodge the football is still where we’ve gotta do a helluva lot better job," Fickell said at his Week 3 presser.

You can blame the way the ball bounces all you want, and that certainly is a factor in how turnovers happen. But a defense that isn't creating turnovers ultimately isn't affecting the ball enough. More pressure on the quarterback, tighter coverage in the secondary — that's what it's going to take for Badgers' defenders to start getting their hands on the football.