Wisconsin’s home opener had the kind of start that can settle a crowd and a team all at once. One snap in, the Badgers were already in the end zone, and from there they leaned on explosive special teams, a physical ground game and enough defensive resistance to pull away from Western Illinois in a 36-9 win Saturday night in Madison.
Abu Sama set the tone immediately. On the first play from scrimmage, he took the handoff to the right, bounced it outside, made a sharp cut and raced 72 yards for a touchdown that put Wisconsin ahead 7-0 before the Leathernecks could even blink.
The Badgers kept building on that early burst. After the offense had already put 10 points on the board, special teams delivered another jolt when Iowa State DB transfer Carson Van Dinter, who had stood out all through fall camp, blocked a punt, recovered it himself and scored. That pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 17-0.
Western Illinois answered with a field goal later in the opening quarter, but Wisconsin still finished the first period in command at 17-3.
Gavin Lahm added to the cushion with a field goal to make it 20-3, but Western Illinois found some rhythm on the ground and started chewing clock. Wisconsin’s defense tightened when it mattered most, though, forcing the Leathernecks into another field goal and keeping the margin at 20-6.
Lahm kept rolling, drilling a 51-yard field goal to go 3-for-3 on the night. Wisconsin carried a 23-6 lead into halftime, though the mood inside the stadium had become a little uneasy by the end of the second quarter. The Badgers had delivered the big moments early, but not the same level of consistency as the half wore on.
Western Illinois came out with its biggest play of the second half to open the third quarter. McGill hit his receiver for a 45-yard gain, but once again Wisconsin’s defense held firm in the red zone and limited the Leathernecks to a field goal try instead of a touchdown.
The response from Wisconsin was exactly the kind of answer the Badgers needed. On an eight-play, 68-yard drive, they never threw the ball once. They just kept hammering away on the ground until Darrion Dupree broke free, shrugged off a tackle and powered in from 28 yards out to make it 30-9.
Late in the game, Wisconsin went back to the air and finished strong. Colton Joseph connected with Tyrell Henry in stride along the far sideline for a 50-yard gain. On the very next snap, Joseph found Chris Brooks Jr. on a crossing route, and Brooks broke a tackle and raced in for the touchdown that sealed the 36-9 final.
In Other News...
Badgers Made An Early Statement Against The Champs For One Big Reason
Against the defending national champions, Wisconsin showed early that it could absorb a punch and keep swinging. The Badgers dropped the opening set to Texas A&M in a five-set volleyball match, but their offense found its rhythm as setter Charlie Fuerbringer kept the middle attackers involved and the teams defense held up in the long rallies that turned the match into a grind.
What helped swing the night was the presence of Decelise Champion, who made a significant impact after entering the match and gave Wisconsin another layer it needed with Jaela Auguste and Grace Egan unavailable. Even without that full lineup, the Badgers looked composed in the biggest stretches, a good sign for a team trying to stack wins while learning how to finish against elite competition. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Commit Kingston Allen Keeps Fueling A Ranking Debate
Kingston Allen keeps giving Wisconsin fans another reason to watch the 2027 class closely. The Badgers commit has been piling up huge numbers early in his high school career, building a rsum that already puts him in rare company among young running backs. Even with that production, national recruiting services still have him listed outside the very top tier, with 247 Sports slotting him at No. 150 overall and as a four-star.
The disconnect is what makes Allen such an interesting name to track from Wisconsins side. His weekly output suggests a player doing far more than just holding serve against expectations, and it raises the familiar recruiting question of whether some prospects are being judged more by ranking inertia than by what they keep showing on the field. For the Badgers, the appeal is obvious: if he keeps producing at this rate, the debate around where he belongs nationally is only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Is Proving It Can Survive Early Tests The Hard Way
Wisconsins volleyball schedule has wasted no time asking for answers. The Badgers opened the season against four top-10 opponents and went 1-3 in that stretch, a gauntlet that could have shaken a lesser group. Instead, they steadied themselves at home with wins over No. 17 Florida and Auburn, moving to 3-3 while holding onto a No. 6 ranking and showing they can absorb early adversity without losing their place among the sports elite.
The latest test added another layer of proof, as Wisconsin handled No. 19 Texas A&M in a five-set match and kept building momentum ahead of a meeting with Texas. What has stood out so far is not just that the Badgers have survived the schedule, but that they have done it against ranked opponents in a way that keeps their rsum pointed in the right direction. The next challenge should say even more about where this team stands when the caliber of opponent only keeps rising. [Read more 🡒]