MADISON , Wis. - Chris Ash has said repeatedly that Rutgers is not as far away as the perception may say. In his words, the Scarlet Knights are "details away" from getting over the hump.

Saturday at Wisconsin felt like more than merely details away, but Rutgers put up a real fight against a Big Ten power, which is more than it was doing earlier this season in a lot of cases.

The defense played well early, but eventually wore down. The offense offered little help early, when the game was there for the taking, then showed some life, but after it felt like it already was too late. The result was a 31-17 defeat against the Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.

Rutgers has now lost eight straight, with things getting no easier against No. 5 Michigan on Saturday at HighPoint.com Stadium. First things first, though. Below are five takeaways from Rutgers-Wisconsin.

Rutgers football: Five takeaways from Rutgers' 31-17 loss at Wisconsin

1. All told, this felt like a lost opportunity: Rutgers' defense played well in the first half. Yes, Jonathan Taylor had 97 yards and a touchdown on just 17 carries, but the Salem native had not taken over the game. Saquon Hampton intercepted Alex Hornibrook twice, and if the offense had offered anything of real substance early, the complexion of this game might have looked different.

Still, to be down 10-0 at halftime, at Camp Randall, and getting the ball to start the second half, Ash might not have signed for that, but there are certainly worse scenarios to consider given how this season has gone.

Rutgers went three-and-out on its opening drive of the second half, then Taylor ran 38 yards for his second touchdown, and things started to feel a little more dire at that point. Any opportunity Rutgers had to really make this a winnable game was left in the first half, when the offense had only 111 total yards, and Art Sitkowski was just 7-for-19 for 70 yards.

It should be noted, though, that this was more of a game than any rational observer thought they would get back in August. Actually, this might have been more of a game than any rational observer thought they would be getting on Thursday.

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2. Art Sitkowski needs to clean up his accuracy issues: Wisconsin's defensive line spent much of its day in the backfield and in the true freshman's face. On those occasions, Sitkowski had no chance.

When the Old Bridge native did have some time back there to survey the situation, there were a lot of instances where the pass wasn't even close to the intended target. It may have been an overthrow, or simply off the mark, but either way, it was too many times. Granted, some of these passes were still catchable, and SItkowski could benefit by someone on the outside making a play.

Sitkowski finished 20-for-39 for 261 yards and a touchdown pass. He was not intercepted, and he again showed his toughness after some of the big hits he took, but he has to be better. He will be the first one to admit it.

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3. Remember what Raheem Blackshear can do?: The sophomore remains the biggest multi-dimensional threat Rutgers has, a fact that was on display during the second half Saturday.

The Scarlet Knights lined the sophomore running back up in the slot, and he went to work, finishing with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown, the vast majority of the damage coming in the second half as Sitkowski found some comfort in the pocket after a rough start.

Blackshear, who finished with 200 all-purpose yards, is the first Scarlet Knight with a 100-yard receiving game since Juwan Harris had 118 yards on eight catches against Indiana in 2016. The last running back to get to 100 receiving was Paul James, who hit that mark on just two catches in 2014 against Howard.

Whether or not Rutgers keeps putting Blackshear in the slot that much will be a question heading into Michigan on Saturday.

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4. Rutgers tried to play the field-position game early, but ... : It means nothing if you can't get off the field on third down. Trailing 7-0 and facing fourth down just inside plus territory, Ash elected to punt, Adam Korsak pinning the Badgers at their own 8.

Good idea in theory, but the execution did not match. On the ensuing drive, Wisconsin converted on third down four times to move inside the Rutgers 30. To the defense's credit, it finally got off the field on the fifth try, minimizing the damage to a 32-yard Rafael Gaglianone field goal for a 10-0 Badgers lead.

For as well as the defense played in the first half, it felt like a matter of time before Wisconsin figured things out. Taylor busted loose in the second half, finishing with 208 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. On the day, Rutgers yielded 474 yards of total offense to the Badgers.

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5. Nihym Anderson and Zahir Lacewell did not travel. Does that indicate a redshirt decision? Anderson, a freshman linebacker, and Lacewell, a freshman wide receiver, have each played in four games. Neither traveled to Wisconsin, which leads to questions about whether or not they will redshirt.

Remember, under new NCAA guidelines this season, players are allowed to see action in up to four games without losing a season of eligibility. Neither player has seen a major role this fall, and with this season having long gone off the rails, saving their eligibility would seem like a prudent move.

The highest-profile candidate regarding these new redshirt rules is Johnathan Lewis. The former St. Peter's Prep dual-threat star quarterback has played in three games, meaning Ash and John McNulty have one more game to play with before a decision really has to be made.

Five quotes

"We're getting better, and we're just continuing to work. Our focus continues to be on ourselves, and that's really what we have to continue to do. Our team is getting better. That's what I see when I watch the film and when I watch us play. We're just not getting where we want to be fast enough, but we are getting better. That's what I take away from it." — Chris Ash on what he can take away from going toe-to-toe with a Big Ten power

"There were some throws we'd like to see him make. There were some catches we would like to see made, that would have made the production even better, but in the second half, he made some good throws, he really stood in the pocket after getting hit in the first half." — Ash on Art Sitkowski

"Our defense played great in the first half, played great overall. It's frustrating. We have to do better in the first half. We have to come out and we have to come out firing. We have to start faster, and it starts with getting these guys ready to play." — SItkowski

"We're that far away from getting to where we want to be. Again, it takes every single guy in that locker room. To go hard, keep grinding every single day. We're that close, it takes one guy to make a play, and one guy to bring everyone else up." — Sitkowski

"He's a good player, and they run the ball well. I thought in the first half, we gave up some yards, but we were able to get off the field on some third downs. Second half, we misfit a couple of pressures. We mis-executed them. He got out on some big plays because of that." — Ash on Jonathan Taylor

Staff Writer Josh Newman: jnewman@app.com; @Joshua_Newman

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