The Wisconsin Badgers (1-1) opened up Camp Randall with a much-needed 36-9 victory against the Western Illinois Leatherbacks (1-2) to even up their record early in the season.
Following a disheartening loss to Notre Dame at Lambeau Field last weekend, Camp Randall saw the lowest recorded attendance for a home-opener since the 1990s.
Senior running back and Iowa State transfer, Abu Sama III, wasted no time getting his team on the board, rushing 72 yards to the house on the second offensive play of the game.
Led by sophomore linebacker Cooper Catalano, who posted eight solo tackles and 13 tackles for the night, the Badgers defense was on the same par as their offensive unit, forcing a quick three-and-out.
Wisconsin continued to rack up points as Gavin Lahm converted a 30-yard field goal — his first of three field goals on the night — to run the score up to 10-0.
The Badgers’ defense held strong yet again, forcing yet another three-and-out. Following that defensive series, linebackers Liam Danitz and Nicolas Clayton blocked a punt. Safety Carson Van Dinter then scooped up the ball and ran it in for the Badgers’ second touchdown of the night.
Amid a 17-0 Badger lead within the first five minutes of the contest, a long-lost energy resurfaced into Camp Randall.
In a post-game press conference, Head Coach Luke Fickell remarked, “We came out of the gates firing and came out of the gates knowing what we had to do,” noting that his team’s fiery start is what he was “most proud of.”
The contest slowed in the second quarter, and a pair of field goals by both teams — notably a 49-yarder and a 51-yarder converted by Lahm — gave the Badgers a comfortable 23-6 lead entering halftime.
Early in the third quarter, the Leathernecks hit another field goal to cut the lead to a two-score, 14 point game.
On the next drive, running back Darrion Dupree navigated through the inside zone nearly untouched, before exploding for a 28-yard touchdown to bring the score to 30-6.
Wisconsin then hit a nearly-15 minute scoring drought, composed of several short-lived offensive drives, which Fickell acknowledged
“Unfortunately we didn’t sustain [our momentum] and that sometimes is the more difficult thing [when you get off to a fast start],” Fickell said in the conference.
Fickell also pointed to his quarterback’s health status as a setback.
“[Colton Joseph] was a little dinged up from last weekend… He hadn’t been hit like that in a while so I think that maybe caused a little bit of rust,” Fickell said.
Joseph’s 63.3 percent completion rate against Notre Dame dropped to an unimpressive 54.6 percent against Western Illinois, leaving the Badgers stuck offensively, especially when paired with their late-game rushing struggles.
These shortcomings included a negative-2-yard, 01:49, three-and-out stunt, consisting of an offensive holding call, a tackle for loss and an incomplete pass.
With 5:39 on the clock in the fourth quarter, the Badgers managed to re-establish their offensive rhythm. Joseph connected with wide receiver Chris Brooks Jr. on a bubble route, and the senior rushed 33 yards to earn his first career touchdown. A missed extra point kept the score at 36-9.
To close out the game, several second and third string Badgers got to see the field, including freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins. He showed a promising quickness when he escaped the pocket and rushed for eight yards.
Despite coming out on top, the Badgers’ schedule will only become more demanding. Wisconsin will need to be more consistent to compete against high-caliber Big Ten teams.
The Badgers advance to 1-1 and will stay home to host the Eastern Michigan Eagles at 11:30am Sept. 19 at Camp Randall Stadium.
