Wisconsin heads into Week 3 with one more tune-up before Big Ten play begins, and the bar for feeling better about this team is higher than just beating Eastern Michigan.
The Badgers have already run into a top opponent and paid the price, so the next two games - an FCS school and then a MAC opponent - are supposed to provide a little breathing room. Eastern Michigan, at least on paper, looks like the easier of the two.
The Eagles are 1-2 in 2026, haven’t had a winning season since 2022, beat FBS newcomer Sacramento State in Week 0, and then lost back-to-back games to San Jose State and Michigan State. Even so, a win alone won’t be enough to quiet the questions around Luke Fickell’s team before the conference grind starts.
One of the biggest questions sits with Colton Joseph, and there’s no sugarcoating the way he’s looked at times. He needs to be better, and Badgers fans have every right to be frustrated by what they’ve seen.
Still, one shaky outing shouldn’t send everybody into full panic mode. If he comes out against Eastern Michigan and still can’t hit the side of a barn, then the conversation changes.
For now, though, the reality is that this is who Joseph has been: a gunslinger, not a surgical passer. His career completion rate is 59%, and through two games with Wisconsin he’s completing 59% of his throws.
He’s shown he can absolutely drop a dime, but he’s also missed enough balls to make you wonder how that plays against better Big Ten competition.
The defense brings a different kind of unease. There’s been enough through eight quarters to raise real concerns, but not every complaint is landing in the right place.
The two biggest issues are the lack of takeaways and the scheme. Turnovers can be fickle, and sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce your way.
But when a defense keeps coming up empty in that area, it usually points to a bigger problem with pressure, whether that’s up front, in the secondary, or across the board.
Tressel’s scheme is still under the microscope, too. More than three years into his time in Madison, there are still questions about whether it’s doing enough.
His zone coverage was badly exposed by Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr in the second half of Week 1, and he still doesn’t seem to dial up much pressure. That becomes a problem when the outside linebackers don’t get home, which is exactly what happened last week.
The pass rush has been the hardest piece to pin down. Against Notre Dame, Wisconsin would have liked to keep the heat on Carr all night, but Notre Dame is a strong enough opponent that you aren’t going to win every rep.
The lack of a sack against Western Illinois looks ugly at first glance, but the Badgers still generated pressure on 17 of 28 Leathernecks drop-backs, which comes out to 61%. Kennedy McGill, to his credit, was slippery enough to escape when the pocket started to collapse.
Then there’s Sama, whose first two games have been equal parts exciting and maddening. He’s clearly trying to create the explosive play every time he touches it, and that has led him to bounce runs outside when there’s room to take four, five, or six yards up the A and B gaps.
Against Notre Dame, that never turned into a big gain because the Irish were too fast and too disciplined. Against Western Illinois, the same instinct immediately paid off with a 72-yard touchdown on Wisconsin’s first snap from scrimmage.
That’s the tension with a talented back like Sama. He has the kind of ability that can turn one carry into a highlight, but the offense is better when he keeps churning out steady gains and lets the big runs happen naturally once the defense gets worn down.
Wisconsin coaches always talk about being consistently good instead of occasionally great, and that idea fits Sama perfectly. If he keeps taking what’s there and stops chasing the edge on every snap, the explosive plays should still come.
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 🡒]