MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin had little trouble running over undersized Wofford. Too many times, the Badgers forgot to take the ball with them.

"It's hard to get on track with any consistency if we think the ball's going to be on the ground," coach Bret Bielema said. "We're looking for a rhythm, and there's no better place to go full force than when Big Ten play starts."

Despite a 3-0 start, Wisconsin's running game has been anything but reliable, and in a 44-14 win over Wofford on Saturday, the Badgers fumbled six times — including four between top running backs John Clay and Zach Brown.

Wisconsin faces Michigan State (1-2) at home to start conference play Saturday. The Spartans come in reeling after two consecutive losses, including when quarterback Kirk Cousins threw an interception in the end zone with 57 seconds left against Notre Dame in a 33-30 defeat.

Brown was better for the Badgers than Clay, who made his first start this season. Brown ran for 63 yards and two scores on 12 carries and scored two second-half touchdowns, but also lost his only fumble.

"I kind of say everything happens for a reason," Brown said of the mistakes. "I think this is kind of good because we'll focus more and practice hard on it."

Clay ran for 70 yards on 12 carries, but after his third fumble early in the second half he sat the rest of the way. The mistakes angered Bielema, who had told his team at halftime they'd practice immediately after the game only to learn that it would be an NCAA violation if they did.

Still, he made it clear that ball security would be emphasized after Wisconsin turned it over three times. In addition to Brown's fumble, the Badgers lost possession on a backward pass and had a wayward shotgun snap skip past Scott Tolzien.

"If we put the ball on the ground anymore, maybe we'll just go empty (in the backfield)," Bielema said after the game.

But despite the struggles with the running game, Wisconsin had plenty of positives, too.

The defense played well, Wisconsin's uncertain quarterback situation seems settled, and the Badgers played a perfect second quarter with 28 points and no penalties.

"I'm going to make a special emphasis with our players about the second quarter. We score 28 points, give up none. We have no penalties. There's the difference," Bielema said. "If we play that way we've got a chance to be a very, very good football team."

Tolzien has also been solid running the Badgers' offense. He went 15 of 20 for 159 yards and two touchdowns and improved to 3-0 as a starter.

"I got a chuckle when I walked out and heard a couple of students chant 'Tolzien for Heisman.' It might be a little early on that one, but I know Scotty's engaged. He's got great composure," Bielema said. "When those balls started being on the ground, he was very positive on the sidelines because we needed to make some improvements in a short time."

Freshman Curt Phillips came in after the game was out of reach and ran for a team-best 92 yards on four carries and completed his only pass for 13 yards.

The offense also continued to finish when moving into the red zone. Wisconsin scored in all six of its trips inside the 20 and have scored points all 12 times this season.

On defense, Culmer St. Jean made 15 tackles, including two for a loss, and recovered a fumble for the Badgers, who kept Wofford's triple option in check for the entire first half before allowing two second-half touchdowns.

"With that type of offense, you're always isolated one-on-one," St. Jean said. "With those types of running teams you're able to get a lot of tackles."

But Brown and the rest of the Badgers know what they need to do before beginning conference play.

"Fix our mistakes, and be ready for Michigan State," Brown said.