The Wisconsin Badgers are 2-1, which is about where plenty of people expected them to be after three games. They beat Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan and dropped the one against Notre Dame. Now the calendar flips to conference play, and that first Big Ten test against Penn State should tell a lot more about what this team really is.
It’s a tough spot for Wisconsin, even before the opening kickoff. Penn State is the kind of matchup that exposes soft spots fast, and Vegas has the Badgers as 9.5-point underdogs. Still, this is the kind of game that can change the conversation if Wisconsin shows up and makes it interesting at Beaver Stadium.
Before that happens, though, there are a few things that have to get cleaned up.
The first is simple: Wisconsin needs to put together a full 60-minute performance. So far, the Badgers have had two games where they came out hot and one where they started poorly but finished strong.
What they have not yet had is one complete game where the effort, playcalling, energy, and execution all hold up from start to finish. That has to happen if they want to have a real shot at Penn State.
The penalties are another issue. Wisconsin has not been nearly clean enough, and those mistakes matter more against a ranked opponent.
Against Notre Dame, the Badgers were flagged six times for 43 yards, while the Irish had four penalties for 41 yards. The Western Illinois game was better, with just four penalties for 40 yards, but then Eastern Michigan brought another six-penalty, 55-yard outing.
Through three games, Wisconsin has 16 penalties, and that kind of self-inflicted damage can make life much harder than it needs to be.
Then there’s the ground game, which feels like the biggest key of all. Wisconsin has not been able to lean on it the way this program usually wants to.
The Badgers managed just 67 rushing yards against Notre Dame and 117 against Eastern Michigan. If you remove Colton Joseph’s 46 yards, that Eastern Michigan total drops to 71.
The Western Illinois game was the best of the bunch at 233 rushing yards, but that number came with a 72-yard run and 44 rushing yards from the quarterback spot, so it doesn’t exactly tell the whole story.
Wisconsin has only had one player go over 100 rushing yards in a game so far, and the recent distribution hasn’t been encouraging. Against Eastern Michigan, Colton Joseph led the way with nine carries for 46 yards, while Darrion Dupree had eight carries for 29 yards and Nate Palmer added seven carries for 29 yards.
That simply won’t be enough moving forward, and especially not this week. Some of the earlier struggles can be explained away by the opponent. This is the game where Wisconsin needs to show the run game can actually take over.
In Other News...
Wisconsin's Secondary Just Took A Hit At The Worst Time
Wisconsins secondary was already a group to watch early this season, and now it has to absorb a major blow. Cornerback Cai Bates announced he tore his ACL in Week 2, a setback that is expected to end his season and takes away one of the Badgers more promising additions. The Florida State transfer was in line for a bigger role, with the staff expecting his playing time to rise as the year moved along.
The timing is especially rough for a defense that needs reliable depth on the back end, because the injury narrows the options at cornerback in a hurry. With Bates out, true freshman Donovan Dunmore is now the top backup outside cornerback, a spot that comes with real pressure this early in the season. For Wisconsin, the question is no longer just how to replace snaps, but how long the secondary can stay steady while one of its most intriguing pieces is sidelined. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Earliest 2027 Commit Is Already Showing A Different Edge
A little more than halfway through the high school season, Ethan McIntosh is already looking like a prospect whose game is starting to match the buzz around his name. The Verona Wildcats moved to 4-1 with a 31-13 home win over Janesville Parker, and McIntosh stood out for more than just being Wisconsins earliest commit in the class of 2027. His physicality and leadership were noticeable on the field, and head coach Andrew Riley praised the progress he has made.
For Wisconsin, the encouraging part is not just that McIntosh is committed early, but that he is beginning to show the kind of edge the Badgers want up front. He also talked about how close the Wisconsin offensive line recruits already are, which matters for a program that leans so heavily on cohesion and continuity in the trenches. The pledge is still early in the process, but McIntosh is giving Wisconsin a reminder that his development is moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Looks Far Less Overmatched Heading Into Penn State
Abu Sama III looks set to give Wisconsin another option in the backfield when the Badgers head into Saturdays Big Ten matchup with Penn State, with the running back reportedly recovered from a shoulder injury and expected to play. For a team that has spent much of the season trying to steady itself, getting a key runner back matters, especially with the Badgers coming off a game against Eastern Michigan that offered a little more of everything: strong work from quarterback Colton Joseph and receiver Tyrell Henry, plus defensive turnovers and some timely special teams contributions.
Penn State enters with its own question at receiver, as Koby Howard is listed as questionable because of injury, which only adds to the uncertainty around a game that already carries plenty of attention. Wisconsin still has a long way to go before proving it can fully hang in the league race, but the Eastern Michigan performance at least gave the Badgers a reason to feel better about the direction of the roster, and a healthier Sama could be part of why they look less overmatched than they did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]