Two weeks into the Wisconsin season, the one thing that still feels certain is uncertainty.
The Badgers flashed real promise in the first half against Notre Dame and again early against Western Illinois. They also spent enough time looking sloppy, stagnant, and too easy to move on that the picture is still muddy. That’s why the conversation around this team has already turned into buy-or-sell territory, and a few of the early storylines are starting to separate themselves.
The quarterback debate is the loudest one, and for good reason. Through two games, Colton Joseph has not matched the expectations that came with him.
He’s completing under 60% of his passes and has totaled 390 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, with that pick-six against Notre Dame doing major damage. The Irish defense is one of the best in the country, so that part is easier to explain away.
Western Illinois is a different story. At home, Joseph went 12-for-22 for 173 yards and a touchdown, and he never looked settled. The accuracy was off, including on short throws to backs out of the backfield, and the offense never really got the rhythm it needed.
What makes the conversation more complicated is that Wisconsin didn’t bring Joseph in to be a polished pocket passer. They wanted the playmaking.
So far, that part hasn’t shown up either. He has 16 carries for 36 yards through two games, a 2.3-yard average, after running for over 1,000 yards at Old Dominion last season while also throwing for over 2,000.
That’s a long way from the player Wisconsin thought it was getting.
Naturally, that’s opened the door for talk about Ryan Hopkins, the freshman quarterback who was in the backup competition and got late snaps against Western Illinois. Fans and media have both floated the idea of seeing more of him.
After the game, Luke Fickell said Joseph was banged up a bit in the Notre Dame game and that it took a few things, like deep shot plays, off the table. That likely applied to designed runs as well.
It’s easy to chase the next guy when things feel off, but Joseph was brought in for a reason, and if he was limited against Western Illinois, the staff had every reason to be careful with him. For now, he still looks like the best option to win.
If the offense has left people searching for answers, the special teams have done the opposite.
This group has been one of the clearest bright spots on the roster, and it has delivered in different ways in each game. Sean West’s 70-yard punt against Notre Dame was a monster, pinning the ball near the 1-yard line before it rolled out of bounds. It was the kind of kick that had people online calling it “the best punt in the history of football.”
Then Gavin Lahm stepped in against Western Illinois and drilled field goals from 49 and 51 yards, calming a lot of the noise around the kicking game. That kind of range matters, especially once conference play starts.
The most eye-catching part, though, has been the blocked punts. Wisconsin has blocked one in each of its first two games, and one of them was returned for a touchdown.
That pace won’t hold, but the Badgers could still land a couple more this season. Liam Danitz, the Division II Hope College transfer, blocked the punt against Notre Dame and nearly got another against Western Illinois.
Even without defensive snaps, he’s already made his presence felt.
The biggest surprise, though, might be the defense - and not in a good way.
Before the season, after watching practice, there was confidence that this could be a deep, talented group, maybe the best of the Luke Fickell era so far. The line had more depth, the edge group looked stronger, the secondary had been reworked with more experience and athleticism, and Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano were entering year two at linebacker.
That hasn’t translated yet. Outside of the first half against Notre Dame, the defense has looked like a below-average Big Ten unit.
CJ Carr and the Irish secondary picked them apart in the second half of Week 1, and Western Illinois moved the ball more easily than it should have. The Badgers didn’t allow a touchdown, but they still gave up 154 rushing yards, including 88 to the quarterback, after Western Illinois had managed just 52 yards on the ground in Week 1.
Posa and Catalano are still tackling machines, and Sebastian Cheeks has been a force on the edge. Beyond that, there just hasn’t been enough. If Wisconsin is going to have the kind of season it wants, this defense has to become a strength instead of a question mark.
There’s still time for that to happen. But right now, the concern is real.
In Other News...
Wisconsins Coaching Reset Is Back In Focus After Long-Awaited Comments
Nearly four years after Wisconsin moved on from Paul Chryst and hired Luke Fickell instead of interim coach Jim Leonhard, the coaching reset that changed the programs direction is back in view. Chryst and Leonhard have now both spoken publicly about the abrupt transition, offering the clearest look yet at how each man viewed one of the biggest decisions Wisconsin has made in recent years.
Chryst said he did not agree with being fired, but he still backed Leonhard as the right successor. Leonhard, meanwhile, said he expected to remain at Wisconsin and was surprised when the school went with Fickell instead. Since then, Leonhard has moved into NFL coaching and was recently hired as the Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator, while Chryst has stayed largely out of the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Fickell Just Gave Badgers Fans A Telling Personnel Read
Luke Fickell used a recent press conference to give Wisconsin fans a better sense of where the program stands behind the scenes, and the picture was broader than any one injury report or depth-chart note. He pointed to the positive impact Bradie Ewing has made around the program, crediting him for helping connect with former players while continuing to grow his own role in the building.
Fickell also touched on the development of a defensive player, calling out the physical progress that has come with more time in the system, and he offered an update on Colton Josephs health heading into the weekend. The offensive line came up too, with Fickell giving his assessment of that group as the Badgers continue sorting out personnel and availability across both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Defense Has An Early Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Through two games, Wisconsins defense has looked like a unit still searching for its edge under fourth-year coordinator Mike Tressel. There were encouraging stretches, especially in the first half against Notre Dame, but the group also showed signs of fading after halftime and had trouble containing the mobile quarterback from Western Illinois. For a defense that spent the offseason emphasizing turnovers, the early returns have been more about effort than payoff.
The bigger concern is what has not happened yet. Wisconsin still has not come away with an interception or a forced fumble, and coaches and players have acknowledged the need to bring more physicality and pressure if they want to change that trend. In a conference race where hidden yardage and sudden momentum swings can matter, those takeaway chances are the sort of detail the Badgers cannot afford to keep leaving on the field. [Read more 🡒]