Wisconsin gets a different kind of test in Week 3, and the Badgers will need to be ready for an Eastern Michigan team that brings a 1-2 record into Madison with a handful of players worth tracking.
The Eagles have already logged a win over Sacramento State in Week 0, then fell to San Jose State and Michigan State. Chris Creighton has been guiding the program since 2014 and has gone 62-85 overall, with a 37-58 mark in conference play and four wins over power-conference opponents during his time in Ypsilanti.
The most important name to know is quarterback Kim. He’s a seventh-year player who spent four years at Michigan State and one at Coastal Carolina before arriving at Eastern Michigan in 2025.
Last season, he started all 12 games and completed 61.4% of his passes for 2,817 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while also running for six scores. In 2026, through three games, he’s completed 62.6% of his throws for 571 yards, three touchdowns and one interception and has added three rushing touchdowns.
Kim’s biggest asset is his experience. He has been around the college game forever, and his time as Michigan State’s starter for part of 2023 means Camp Randall shouldn’t feel entirely foreign.
He’s not the kind of quarterback who beats defenses with pure speed, but he can keep plays alive and finish drives in short-yardage situations. Turnovers have followed him at times, though, and Wisconsin has a chance to chase its first takeaway of the season if that trend shows up again.
Eastern Michigan also has a backfield pairing that can make life uncomfortable if the Badgers let them get rolling. Blue has handled 31 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown, while Bennett has 21 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown. Bennett had a slight edge in workload against Michigan State, taking nine carries for 56 yards compared to Blue’s eight carries for 40.
Blue, a sophomore listed at 5-foot-6 and 195 pounds, didn’t get a carry as a freshman last year, but he’s already flashed explosion with a 50-yard touchdown run against San Jose State. Bennett brings the heavier frame at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, along with a long track record: 346 carries for 2,065 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns across 51 career games with Coastal Carolina, Virginia Tech and Eastern Michigan.
That makes the run defense a major point of emphasis for Wisconsin. The Badgers’ front gave up too much ground against Western Illinois, and Eastern Michigan’s backs are a clear step up from what Wisconsin saw in that game.
On defense, Mowchan is the name that jumps out. The linebacker is one of the Eagles’ five captains and has piled up 30 tackles, including 11 solo stops, which ties him with Hawaii’s Kona Moore for the national lead. He’s also added two tackles for loss and three pass deflections, with two of those coming at Michigan State last week.
Mowchan has spent his entire college career at Eastern Michigan and has worked through multiple injuries while steadily developing in Ypsilanti. Over 28 games, he has 109 tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass deflections and a forced fumble. He finds the ball and finishes plays, even if his coverage work is considered a weaker part of his game.
That should make him a key figure whenever Wisconsin works the middle of the field.
In the secondary, Dobbs is another player the Badgers have to account for. He leads the country with five pass deflections and also picked off a pass against San Jose State. After mostly serving as a reserve in 11 games last season, he has moved into a starting role at cornerback this year.
Dobbs stands 6 feet but weighs just 162 pounds, and the Cocoa, Florida, native made all five of his pass breakups in Eastern Michigan’s first two games against Group of 6 opponents before being much quieter against Michigan State. Wisconsin’s receivers will try to use their size and strength at the catch point against him, and Colton Joseph’s accuracy will matter too against a corner who has already made a habit of getting his hands on the football.
In Other News...
Jalen Browns Sudden Move Has Wisconsin Fans Watching One Thing
Wisconsin basketball recruit Jalen Brown is taking a different path for his senior season, leaving Wauwatosa West High School to attend Sequoia Prep in Arizona. The move is being framed as a chance for Brown to test himself against stronger competition and speed up his development, a route plenty of high-level prospects have taken as they try to sharpen their games before college.
For Badgers fans, the key detail is what is not changing: there is no current indication Brown is reconsidering his commitment to Wisconsin. His coach confirmed the transfer and said Brown remains eligible under WIAA rules because he is not too old, so the focus now shifts to how the new setting shapes his final prep season and what kind of player Wisconsin will eventually bring into the program. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins 2027 Schedule Just Took An Unexpected Early-Season Turn
Wisconsins 2027 nonconference slate has already shifted, with Colorado State and the Badgers agreeing to cancel their scheduled game after the Rams initiated the change so they can add more home dates. For Wisconsin, the move opens up another opening on a schedule that already has some notable structure, including a season opener in Dublin against Pittsburgh and the usual run of Big Ten opponents that will define the year.
UMass is expected to step into the vacated spot, giving Wisconsin another piece to slot into an early-season calendar that is still taking shape. For a program that already knows it will be traveling overseas to begin the season and then leaning into conference play, the swap is the latest reminder that even far-off schedules can keep changing long before kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Heads Into Eastern Michigan With Three Troubling Weaknesses
Wisconsins first two games have already exposed a few areas that need to tighten up before the schedule starts to demand more. The passing game has been uneven with Colton Joseph, the defense has not been able to get home with sacks, and the takeaway column is still empty, a frustrating combination for a team trying to establish a firmer early-season identity.
Eastern Michigan offers a chance to clean some of that up, but only if the Badgers can turn those concerns into something more productive on Saturday. Accuracy from Joseph, pressure from the front and a better feel for creating turnovers all stand out as the kinds of fixes that can change the tone quickly, and Wisconsin will be watching closely to see whether any of them show up in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]