Wisconsin’s 31-10 win over Rutgers did more than snap the Badgers back into the win column. It also gave a few players a chance to move their stock in the right direction after the rough trip to Iowa, while others came out of Week 10 looking like they still have work to do.
The biggest winner was Ryan Hopkins, and it’s not close. In his first career start, the freshman gave Wisconsin’s passing game a jolt it badly needed, going 18-of-24 for 241 yards and three touchdowns.
He looked more comfortable as the day went on, handled the moment well for a player with limited experience, and kept the offense on schedule. Hopkins spread the ball around, finding Eugene Hilton Jr., Ryan Schwendeman and Jacob Harris for touchdowns.
He was especially sharp on third down, completing 5-of-7 passes for 117 yards in those situations. It wasn’t perfect - an interception in the first quarter was erased by a roughing-the-passer penalty, and he also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter - but the good far outweighed the bad. Luke Fickell confirmed Monday that Hopkins will stay in the starting role over Colton Joseph for Wisconsin’s Week 11 game at Maryland.
Hopkins’ debut also opened the door for Eugene Hilton Jr. to post his best game of the season. The sophomore caught a career-high four passes for a career-best 44 yards and a touchdown, including a 21-yard score in the first quarter that helped Wisconsin grab an early lead. He added another layer to his day with 39 rushing yards on three carries, tops on the team, and his 13.0 yards per carry showed how dangerous he can be when the ball is in his hands.
Hilton now has 18 catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns this season, with his other touchdown coming in Week 4 against Penn State. His numbers haven’t exactly jumped off the page in 2026, but Saturday gave a clearer picture of what he can offer if the offense keeps finding ways to feature him. With Hopkins under center, that role could grow.
Shamar Rigby was another receiver who made the most of a rare opportunity. He entered the Rutgers game with just one catch through Wisconsin’s first eight games, but he turned four targets into four receptions and a team-high 71 yards. Three of those catches moved the chains, and he did it while playing only 12 offensive snaps.
That kind of production stands out even more given how little he had been used. Rigby began his college career at Purdue, where he caught 11 passes for 113 yards, then transferred to Oklahoma State and put up 25 receptions for 351 yards and a touchdown in 2025.
He wasn’t expected to be the centerpiece of the passing game, but some kind of expanded role seemed possible when he arrived in Madison. Whether this was a one-game spike or the start of something bigger will be something to watch against Maryland.
Not everyone left Saturday with momentum. Joe Cubberly, who has been one of the few steady presences on Wisconsin’s offensive line, had a tough outing.
He has started all nine games at left guard and leads the team with 509 offensive snaps, but Rutgers found cracks in his protection. Cubberly posted a 56.3 overall PFF grade, the lowest among Wisconsin’s offensive linemen, and gave up two pressures, including a sack.
That means he’s now been charged with allowing two sacks over the last three games.
Cubberly showed promise early in his third season, but he hasn’t quite made the leap Wisconsin seemed to be getting from him. He’s not the only reason the line has struggled, of course.
The entire group has had trouble bringing the kind of physicality and consistency the program usually expects up front. Still, with his experience and the stability he’s provided at left guard, the Badgers need more from him down the stretch.
On the defensive side, Austin Skanes had a rough follow-up to his strong performance in Wisconsin’s upset of USC in Week 8. Against Rutgers, he was beaten by Dyzier Carter on the Scarlet Knights’ lone touchdown in the second quarter, one of the game’s key defensive breakdowns. Skanes finished with one tackle and a 53.5 overall PFF grade across 17 defensive snaps.
It’s been a difficult two-game stretch for the sophomore, who also struggled against Iowa. He’s still developing and isn’t playing every down, with Matt Jung and Marvin Burks Jr. handling most of the safety snaps. But after turning heads against USC, Skanes has come back to earth quickly.
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The bigger question for Wisconsin is what comes next, because Winters value has not disappeared, it has just been uneven so far. If the Badgers can get him more involved offensively and he continues to move past whatever has slowed him early, there is still a path for him to look more like the player Wisconsin needs in the frontcourt. [Read more 🡒]