Wisconsin gets one last tune-up before Big Ten play, and the Badgers are hoping the momentum from last week carries over when Eastern Michigan visits Madison on Saturday.
The Badgers are 1-1 after opening with a 41-13 loss to then-No. 4 Notre Dame, then answering with a 36-9 win over Western Illinois.
That second game looked far more like the version Wisconsin wanted to put on the field. After being held to just 67 rushing yards against the Fighting Irish, the Badgers ripped off 233 on the ground against the Leathernecks.
Abu Sama III, a transfer from Iowa State, wasted no time setting the tone. He broke free for a 72-yard touchdown on the opening play and finished with 107 yards on eight carries. Quarterback Colton Joseph, last season’s Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year at Old Dominion, added a steady performance, going 12 of 22 for 173 yards and a touchdown.
"We played a really good football game," Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. "We came out the way we wanted to come out. I think that's where I was as impressed as anything."
Eastern Michigan comes in at 1-2 after a 35-7 loss to Michigan State, though that game was tighter than the final score suggests. The Eagles were down just 14-7 at halftime before Michigan State pulled away. Their only touchdown came on a 13-play, 78-yard drive late in the first half.
The Eagles opened the season with a 28-17 win over Sacramento State, then dropped a 27-21 home decision to San Jose State after leading 21-17 entering the fourth quarter.
Through three games, Eastern Michigan is averaging 282.7 yards per game and allowing 398.7. Noah Kim has completed 67 of 107 passes for 571 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Harold Mack leads the receiving group with 14 catches for 135 yards and a score, while Nick Devereaux and Joshua Long have 12 receptions apiece.
On the ground, Amareon Blue has run for 176 yards and a touchdown at 5.7 yards per carry. Braydon Bennett has 104 rushing yards and one score.
Chris Creighton, in his longtime role at Eastern Michigan, sees a Wisconsin team built to make life difficult.
"In terms of Wisconsin, another really tough, physical program," Creighton said Monday. "They're going to run the football.
Things really do kind of start with their quarterback, though. As an Old Dominion transfer, he can throw it, but he also runs the ball really well."
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