Wisconsin gets a real chance to stack wins Saturday morning, and the path is pretty clear: beat Michigan State, get to 4-1, move to 2-0 in Big Ten play and head into a bye with momentum. That’s the kind of start the Badgers would happily take, but it won’t come easy against a Spartans team that figures to be annoying in all the right ways.
If Wisconsin wants to make that happen, a few players ought to be a bigger part of the plan.
At running back, Darrion Dupree has looked like Wisconsin’s best option through four games, and it’s not hard to see why. He’s got 24 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns, plus six catches for 60 yards, which makes him the most complete back in the room. He also played 47 snaps at Penn State, though Abu Sama’s injury played a big role there since Sama was limited to 11 snaps.
Dupree’s game has taken a noticeable jump this season. He’s running with more burst, more strength and more wiggle than before, and if Sama is still dealing with issues, Dupree should be getting a major share of the workload.
Sama still brings plenty to the table, especially after that 72-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage against Western Illinois, so this doesn’t have to be an either-or situation. But with Michigan State missing Jordan Hall, who is not expected to play Saturday in Madison, there’s a real opening for Dupree to do damage.
The same logic applies to receiver Trech Kekahuna Coleman. He flashed in the opener against Notre Dame, catching four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, then got banged up against Western Illinois after just nine snaps. He sat out Week 3 against Eastern Michigan, came back against Penn State, and still didn’t draw a target.
That’s a waste of what Coleman can bring. He played 27 snaps in Beaver Stadium, the fourth-most among Wisconsin receivers behind Chris Brooks Jr, Eugene Hilton Jr and Tyrell Henry, but his speed and size make him the kind of player who can change how a defense plays.
Hilton had the highlight grab against Penn State, and Henry is only two weeks removed from setting Wisconsin’s single-game receptions record, but Coleman still stands out as the most explosive wideout on the roster. Wisconsin needs to make him a bigger part of the offense.
Then there’s the offensive line, where PJ Wilkins has been under the microscope for a while now. He was better in Happy Valley than he was against Eastern Michigan, but he still gave up the most pressures of any Badger up front. Pro Football Focus has him down for 10 pressures through four games, though even that feels generous based on the tape.
This isn’t a call to yank him from the lineup. Wilkins has had rough stretches, but he hasn’t been unplayable.
Still, the pass protection needs to tighten up, and that’s why Florida State transfer Lucas Simmons-Johansson deserves a look. He’s played 18 snaps this season and had 84 career snaps with the Seminoles before arriving in Madison, so giving him a series or two wouldn’t be throwing him into the deep end.
If Wisconsin builds a comfortable lead, there’s no reason not to find out whether Simmons-Johansson can offer a cleaner answer in pass protection. At this point, that’s the kind of small move that could matter.
In Other News...
Kelly Sheffield Nearly Turned A Wisconsin Rout Into A Huge Scare
Wisconsin built what looked like a comfortable evening at the UW Field House, jumping out to a two-set lead against No. 15 Indiana before the match started to tilt in a hurry. Head coach Kelly Sheffields lineup changes seemed to open the door for the Hoosiers, and the Badgers suddenly found themselves fighting to keep control of a contest that had been slipping away.
Indiana seized the next two sets to turn a rout into a real scare, putting Wisconsin in the kind of late-match pressure it had mostly avoided early. The Badgers eventually steadied themselves, and Decelise Champions return late provided a needed lift as Wisconsin closed out the five-set win, but the path there was far rockier than the opening stretch suggested. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Delivered A Rare Uniform Win Fans Fully Embrace
Wisconsins latest football look has landed the way uniform unveilings rarely do: with nearly universal approval. The Badgers introduced an all-red alternate set built for Homecoming weekend, pairing the vivid Red Out theme with a vintage 1970s-style W helmet logo and a Bucky W patch on the sleeve, a combination that quickly won over fans, former players and social media commenters alike.
The timing only adds to the appeal, since the uniforms are set for the Michigan State game alongside a fan red out at Camp Randall. For a program with a strong traditional identity, it is not often that an alternate design feels both fresh and familiar, but this one seems to have hit the balance Wisconsin supporters wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Landed The Kind Of Recruit Fans Have Been Waiting For
Wisconsins 2028 class got a major lift with the commitment of Jalanie George, a consensus four-star edge rusher from Desert Edge High School in Arizona. George picked the Badgers over other major programs, including Washington, Auburn and Miami (FL), giving Wisconsin a headline addition at a premium position and a signal that the program can still win battles against national competition.
It is also the kind of addition that tends to resonate beyond one recruiting cycle. Georges pledge stands among the highest-ranked in Wisconsin football history and helps push the Badgers up the national recruiting board, a meaningful development for a program that has been working to widen its reach on the trail. For a fan base that has wanted to see more blue-chip momentum, this is the sort of commitment that can change the tone around a class fast. [Read more 🡒]