The Wisconsin Badgers get Eastern Michigan at home in Week 3, and this one feels like a proving ground more than a tune-up. Wisconsin handled Western Illinois 36-9 in Week 2, but the performance didn’t exactly calm the crowd. The Badgers settled for three field goals in the first half and then punted twice in the second half against an opponent they were expected to control.
That leaves a clear checklist heading into Camp Randall Stadium: show more on offense, sharpen the defense, and look like a team that’s ready for what comes next. If not, the Week 4 trip to face No. 14 Penn State gets a lot less comfortable.
One place Wisconsin has to improve is through the air. The move to bring in an expensive quarterback like Colton Joseph came with real expectations, and part of that was the idea that the passing game would open up.
So far, the deep ball has not come easy. Joseph is averaging 7.5 yards per completion this season, down 1.5 yards from 2025.
Joseph has never been a pure volume passer, given what he brings as a dual-threat quarterback, but Wisconsin may need more than the current 195 passing yards per game if it wants to hang with the better teams in the Big Ten Conference.
On the ground, though, the Badgers have a chance to lean hard on Abu Sama III. He set the tone against Western Illinois with a 72-yard touchdown on the first play of the game, and he’s been productive all season, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Wisconsin also spread the ball around against the Leathernecks, with seven different players getting carries, but that approach may not be the script here.
Eastern Michigan has allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of its last two games, and that opens the door for Wisconsin to feature Sama more aggressively. With the Eagles having trouble stopping the run and tackling cleanly, this is the kind of matchup where a physical back can take over.
The other obvious edge for Wisconsin is on defense, where pressure could make the difference. Eastern Michigan had a rough night protecting Noah Kim last week against Michigan State, giving up four sacks to the Spartans. Kim is experienced and mobile, but the Eagles have built an offense that leans heavily on the pass, and their protection has not held up well.
Kim is currently on track to be sacked 24 times this season, which would be 13 more than he was sacked in 2025. Michigan State beat up the line with speed rushes, power moves, and just about everything else it tried, and Wisconsin should be studying that tape closely. The Badgers need to attack those tackles and keep Kim from getting comfortable downfield.
That urgency is part of the larger picture for Wisconsin in Week 3. Early-season growing pains can buy a team some patience, but by this point, that window starts to close. The Badgers still need to clean up pressure on defense, consistency throwing the ball, and finishing rushing lanes.
Against Eastern Michigan, Wisconsin has a chance to show those improvements before Penn State arrives.
In Other News...
Luke Fickell Just Gave Badgers Fans A Telling Personnel Read
Luke Fickells latest press conference offered a pretty clear snapshot of where Wisconsins roster stands as the Badgers head into the weekend. He touched on several moving parts, from the continued influence of Bradie Ewing around the program to the way a defensive player is growing into his role, while also checking in on the offensive line and the health of Colton Joseph.
For a Wisconsin team trying to keep building momentum, those kinds of updates matter because they hint at where the coaching staff feels strongest and where it is still waiting for answers. Fickells comments suggested progress on multiple fronts, but the real interest now is whether Joseph is ready to be part of the mix and how the other personnel pieces continue to settle in once the Badgers get back on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin's Quarterback Situation Suddenly Feels More Unsettled Than Expected
After two games, the bigger picture around Wisconsin is still blurry, but the quarterback situation has become a little more unsettled than the staff likely expected this early. Colton Joseph has not matched the preseason hope around his spot, completing less than 60 percent of his passes for 390 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception, and Luke Fickell said injury has played a part in holding him back.
The encouraging part for Wisconsin is that other phases have given the team something to lean on. Special teams has stood out with strong punting and field goal work, plus consecutive blocked punts, which has helped steady a group still trying to sort out its offensive identity. Even so, the questions around Josephs health and effectiveness leave the Badgers with a storyline that feels far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Still Has One Tough Recruiting Battle That Could Define Fickell
Luke Fickell and Wisconsin have made Desert Edge High School a meaningful part of their recruiting footprint, and the results there have already started to show. The Badgers have landed two three-star prospects from the Arizona program for the 2027 class, a sign that the staff has established a real line of communication far from Madison and turned a distant pipeline into something more tangible.
The bigger test is still ahead with five-star edge rusher Jalanie George in the 2028 class, a recruit whose interest gives Wisconsin a chance to keep building inroads in Arizona. The Badgers have some things working in their favor, including his teammates already being committed and improvements around the programs facilities, but the usual hurdles remain, from on-field performance to NIL competition. For Fickell, winning that kind of battle would say as much about the trajectory of the program as any single commitment. [Read more 🡒]