MADISON, Wis. -- Members of Wisconsin's defense jogged off the field after stopping Rutgers near the goal line and surrendering only a field goal late in the first quarter last Saturday. Yet when they arrived on the sideline, defensive coordinator Dave Aranda unhappily huddled his players near the bench and lit into them about lowering pad level, pushing back and stopping the run.

The unit had done well to limit the damage in an eventual 48-10 blowout victory. But it hadn't done enough to prevent Rutgers from pounding the ball for four first downs on the drive, and Aranda wanted to send a stern message. The moment was illustrative of what separates this season's defense: a certain expectation of excellence other teams simply can't fulfill.

Wisconsin's defense responded by not allowing a touchdown for the fourth time in six home games -- Rutgers' lone score would come on an interception -- and making quarterback Chris Laviano look like a Pop Warner player. He completed only 4 of 14 passes for 31 yards with no touchdowns and one interception despite entering the day leading the Big Ten in completion percentage.

Saturday's performance helped the Badgers rise to No. 1 in the country in scoring defense (11.0 points per game) and No. 3 in total defense (267.1 yards). Certainly, few FBS teams have been better defensively this season. And the more Wisconsin plays, the more the Badgers' defense states its case to be considered one of the best the program has ever seen.

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst cited the defense's talent, leadership, willingness to be coached, ability to embrace and care about teammates and trust in each other on the field as reasons for success.

"They don't read the clippings, they don't rest on their laurels," Chryst said. "They rise up to each challenge, and they're fun to be around."

Since suffering a 35-17 loss to Alabama in the season opener, Wisconsin's defense has surrendered an average of 8.0 points per game. During one stretch, the Badgers did not allow more than three points in three consecutive games, the first such stretch for the program since 1937.

Some will argue Wisconsin has not played a high enough level of competition to accurately gauge how good the defense truly is this season. Wisconsin, for example, won't play the four best teams in the Big Ten East, and its seven wins are against teams that are 17-42. But the Badgers have played two teams that rank in the top five in the league in scoring offense. Those teams -- Nebraska and Iowa -- each average at least 32.6 points per game. Against Wisconsin, they combined to score 31 points. According to SportSource Analytics, Wisconsin leads the country in relative scoring defense, holding opponents to just 36.4 percent of their points-per-game average on the season. Michigan is second at 42.0 percent.

"We might not be the biggest, but we do have a lot of athletic guys, a lot of faster guys who can just make those plays and be put in certain spots to be successful," Badgers cornerback Darius Hillary said. "And that’s something that Coach Aranda always hones in on. He even asks us what he can do to make the defense a lot better. It kind of goes both ways. We give our input. The next day, we might see a coverage that we were just talking about the other day. It's definitely a blessing."

Players agree Wisconsin's athleticism has allowed the defense to thrive in Aranda's 3-4 scheme. But experience, knowledge and skill have been equally important. Wisconsin's four starters in the secondary, Hillary, Michael Caputo, Sojourn Shelton and Tanner McEvoy, have combined to play in 169 games with 123 starts. Outside linebackers Joe Schobert and Vince Biegel have played 79 games with 48 starts and are considered among the best duos at their position in the country.

Even the inside linebackers with limited experience have performed well. Freshman Chris Orr replaced Leon Jacobs against Troy and recorded a team-high 14 tackles. Jack Cichy replaced an injured Orr against Rutgers and tied for the team lead with eight tackles.

"There's something special about the chemistry between us all working together," Caputo said.

From a historical standpoint, this defense stacks up with any the Badgers have had. Wisconsin has ended the year as the NCAA leader in scoring defense only twice before, in 1951 (6.6 points) and 1998 (10.2 points). But that 1998 team actually allowed 11.9 points per game when including its Rose Bowl victory against UCLA. It also surrendered 292.6 yards per game -- 25.5 yards more per game than this year's team.

Many consider the 1951 "Hard Rocks" defense to be the gold standard in program history, and it's difficult to argue with the statistics that group compiled. But, 64 years later, in an era in which offenses are far more complex and teams have more passing avenues than ever, this season's group might be almost as impressive.

No, this Wisconsin defense would not rank in the top 10 in program history in total defense. Nine of the top 10 total defense marks, however, were set from 1946-63. Only the 2006 team, which surrendered 253.1 yards per game, cracks the program's top 10 for scoring defense among teams from the past 50 years. That defense surrendered more points per game (12.1) and also featured a worse run defense than the current version.

The next four games will determine how history remembers the 2015 defense. Don't be surprised if statistics indicate it's one of the program's all-time greats.