Football

Why Wisconsin Football Will Beat Buffalo in the Season Opener

Published

4 weeks ago

August 30, 2023

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Frey-AMF Photos. Follow @amfphotos2020 on Instagram to see more.

The long wait is over. It’s officially game week for Wisconsin football. After an offseason full of news and changes within the program, it’s time to see what the product on the field will be for the Badgers this season.

The first test for the team will come on Saturday when they take on Buffalo at Camp Randall Stadium. This is why you can expect the Badgers football team to win that game and start their season on a winning note.

Wisconsin Football Will Be Determined to Win Luke Fickell’s First Game as Head Coach

Unless you live under a rock, or maybe something that isn’t a rock, you’ve heard that Wisconsin football has a new coach at the helm in 2023. Former Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell will take over the reins for the Badgers, with his first game coming on Saturday.

Fickell has already brought tremendous excitement to the program throughout the offseason with hires on his coaching staff and his efforts on the recruiting trail. Now, the Ohio State alumnus will look to have his team bring the same level of excitement to the field in Madison.

The Badgers will be determined to get Fickell his first victory in his first game as head coach. With the transfer portal recently becoming a massive thing in college football, Wisconsin football saw a lot of change in their roster this offseason. Even the last regime’s players still around did so for Fickell.

There would be no better way to re-pay the coach you’ve committed to play for than to start the season in the win column.

Wisconsin Football OC Phil Longo Introduces a New Offense in 2023

One of the most intriguing storylines following the Wisconsin football program this offseason is the incorporation of the air raid offense. After years of the program building a tradition of smash-mouth, run-first offense, and winning in the trenches, the 2023 season will bring something different.

Coach Fickell swung big after he was hired in November when he went and secured North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo to join his staff. Over the past few seasons, Longo has made a name for himself as one of college football’s best offensive minds. At North Carolina, Longo produced a batch of playmakers, most notably current Washington Commanders starting quarterback Sam Howell and Tar Heels QB Drake Maye, who’s expected to be a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2023.

With a flurry of playmakers on offense, the Badgers have an exciting team in the making this season. If Longo’s offense can have the effect in Madison that it did during his time in Chapel Hill, we’re about to see things at Wisconsin that we’ve never seen before.

While we expect an offense similar to what North Carolina has run the last few years, the Badgers are a different team with different personnel. We won’t know exactly how it will work until game time, which may make scouting the team challenging for Buffalo and a competitive advantage for Wisconsin.

Mike Tressel Will Build Upon the Foundation Jim Leonhard Laid

It’s possible that between the head coaches and coordinators, Wisconsin football has a top 5 candidate at each spot. Defensively, Wisconsin might have arguably the best coordinator in the nation, with Mike Tressel. Somehow, Wisconsin went from Jim Leonhard to Tressel.

Tressel has proven himself to be an elite defensive coordinator on Fickell’s staff in Cincinnati. In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, his defenses ranked in the top 5 in opponent yards per play.

He will bring a new defensive scheme to the team. Under Leonhard, the team ran a 3-4 scheme. Tressel brings a 3-3-5 system to Madison in 2023. While reasonably similar regarding personnel, the two have differing approaches to the game. Leonhard focused hard on having teams geared toward stopping the run, while Tressel’s defenses have thrived on having elite secondaries.

Tressel’s defense may replicate the same level of success in the Big Ten. If he can continue to get the most out of his players, as he did at Cincinnati, Wisconsin’s defense could cause fits for Buffalo and all of their opponents in 2023.

Final Thoughts

The Badgers can’t afford to sleepwalk through the game because they’re playing a mid-major team. Buffalo has succeeded in the MAC over the past few years, so they’re not an opponent you can take for granted. Expect Luke Fickell to have his team fired up and ready to go for what could be a great 2023 season for Wisconsin football.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Lucas Valind on Twitter @RealLucaso345

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Football

Wisconsin Football Week 5 Stock Report: Bye Week Blues

Published

12 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Christian Borman

Sep 10, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers logo on a flag prior to the game against the Washington State Cougars at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Wisconsin Badgers football team enters their bye week with a 3-1 overall record. I’m sure many fans hoped and expected the Badgers to be 4-0 heading into the bye, but 3-1 is still a pretty good start. With a victory over Purdue last Friday, the Badgers are already 1/5 of the way to being bowl-eligible, so there’s that too.

Here is the Week 5 BadgerNotes Stock Report.

Wisconsin Football Stock Report: Stock Up

Wisconsin’s Standing in the Big Ten West

We are just getting into conference play and the Wisconsin football team is already at the top of the standings. They are currently the only team in the west division that doesn’t have a conference loss.

The Gophers lost an embarrassing game to the Northwestern Wildcats in overtime after being up 31-10 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.

Nebraska lost to Minnesota in Week 1.

Iowa just got destroyed by Penn State last week, 31-0.

Purdue lost to Wisconsin last week, dropping their conference record to 0-1.

Now, with the Badgers having a bye this week, there’s a situation where the rest of the West will continue to cannibalize and lose games that will give the Wisconsin football team an even larger lead without even playing a game. Right now, the Badgers are sitting pretty well in the division.

Wisconsin Football Stock Report: Stock Down

Bye Weeks

Boo! Bye weeks suck. Having to wait more than two weeks between Wisconsin football games sucks, especially now that their offense started to get rolling. Now there’s a chance the team could lose the rhythm they worked to get into the past few weeks.

On the positive side, if there are any Wisconsin football players who are banged up, this bye week will give them some time to heal up before they play another game.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers football news, notes, opinions, and analysis. You can also follow Christian Borman on Twitter @christianborman.

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Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin Badgers games by following this link.

*Subscribe to BadgerNotes After Dark on Youtube and wherever you find podcasts, the official Wisconsin Badgers podcast of the Big Banter Sports Network.

Football

Special Teams: The Unsung Heroes of Wisconsin Football

Published

15 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Jake Maier

Wisconsin Badgers football punter Atticus Bertrams

Wisconsin punter Atticus Bertrams (49) punts for 42 yds during the second quarter of the game against Buffalo on Saturday September 2, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis.

The Wisconsin Badgers football program is headed into the bye week on a high note following a 38-17 win over Purdue. The Badgers had some very apparent struggles throughout the first four games of the season, but there was a lot to like about UW’s performance against the Boilermakers.

It doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, but Wisconsin has had some excellent play from the special teams unit thus far. The excitement around the program was at an all-time high for some of the other phases — and I’m certainly not here to blame anyone for that — but we must give credit where it’s due. Wisconsin has some real promise with its special teams, and they deserve some praise.

Special Teams: The Unsung Heroes of Wisconsin Football

Nathanial Vakos

We need to talk about Nathanial Vakos. The former Ohio transfer has undoubtedly been one of the biggest bright spots for Wisconsin through the first four games of the 2023 season.

So far, Vakos has nailed all seven field goal attempts and been perfect on extra-point tries. After his performance against Purdue, where he went 3-for-3 on field goal opportunities and hit three extra point attempts, Vakos earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Against Washington State, Vakos also hit all three of his field goal attempts, with his longest coming in at 49 yards, which remains his longest field goal of the season.

Having a kicker of Vakos’ caliber is a blessing that can’t be understated. While he may not get the most attention due to his role on the special teams, he certainly deserves his flowers for how he has fared through the first four weeks of the 2023 season.

Atticus Bertrams

Another player who doesn’t get enough recognition is Atticus Bertrams. The freshman has quietly put together a solid 2023 season thus far. Through four games, the Australia native has punted 16 times for an average of 42.5 yards per punt. On top of that, Bertrams has only had one punt returned. Last week against Purdue, Bertrams had just two punts, but his longest boot came in at 60 yards, his longest of the season.

Although he is an unheralded member of the special teams, the freshman has been impressive, considering he never punted in a game before the 2023 season. His marks aren’t the most impressive, but there is a solid foundation for the Australian native.

Wisconsin Football WR/Returner Chimere Dike

Though Vakos has been the most impressive player on the special teams — in my opinion — Chimere Dike has done an excellent job on return opportunities.

Dike was impressive during his performance against Purdue, logging returns for 39 and 34 yards. With those marks, Dike is now second in the Big Ten on punt returns, with an average of 9.6 yards per return. On top of that, he’s fourth in the conference on kickoff returns, logging an average of 32 yards per return.

The senior receiver has undoubtedly been one of the biggest bright spots for the Wisconsin football program early in their 2023 campaign. You’d love to see him break off one of his returns for six, and that certainly isn’t out of the question with his skillset.

The special teams unit has played a big role to start the season, and their contributions will continue to be crucial as the season chugs along.

As it stands, the Wisconsin Badgers football team is 3-1 heading into the bye week. UW will take on Rutgers on October 7th in Madison as both teams look to improve to 4-1.

Contact/Follow us @Badger_Notes on Twitter, Subscribe to the BadgerNotes Newsletter here. Also, like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers football news, notes, opinion, and analysis. You can also follow Jake Maier on Twitter @JakeJMaier.

Follow this link and use promo code: BADGERNOTES for 25% off your next True Classic order.

Join the Badger Notes watch party and stream Wisconsin Badgers games by following this link.

*Subscribe to BadgerNotes After Dark on Youtube and wherever you find podcasts, the official Wisconsin Badgers podcast of the Big Banter Sports Network.

FB Recruiting

Wisconsin Football Named a Recruiting Finalist for NFL Pro Bowler’s Son

Published

19 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Dillon Graff

Wisconsin Badgers Football head coach Luke Fickell

Sep 16, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell prior to the game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football team received some good news on the recruiting front Tuesday evening. The coveted Eugene Hilton Jr., a promising 2025 wide receiver hailing from Zionsville, Indiana, made a significant move by narrowing his list of potential schools to six, and the Badgers proudly found their place among them.

As Hilton Jr. looks ahead to his collegiate journey, he’ll weigh his options between a few notable programs. The final six schools in his consideration are Ole Miss, Kentucky, Missouri, Florida International University (FIU), Miami, and our very own University of Wisconsin.

TOP 6 ‼️
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Thanks to all the coaches who have been recruiting me through this process. Where we going 👀 pic.twitter.com/P3Ndhnk0iz

— Eugene Hilton Jr (@EugeneHiltonJr) September 27, 2023

Wisconsin Football Recruiting Still in the Mix for Son of an NFL Pro Bowler

According to the industry-generated composite recruiting rankings, Eugene Hilton Jr. is the No. 393 player in the 2025 cycle, the No. 55 WR, and the No. 4 recruit to hail from Indiana.

Currently, Hilton is considered a three-star recruit and one of the top 2025 pass-catching prospects in the Midwest — and the Badgers would be happy to add him to a verbal commits list that already includes quarterback Landyn Locke and defensive back Remington Moss.

Now, if the name Hilton sounds a tad familiar to Wisconsin football fans, you’re spot on. This dynamic young talent happens to be the offspring of none other than former NFL pro-bowler T.Y. Hilton. During his illustrious NFL career, the elder Hilton made a name for himself with the Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys.

With the Badgers making the cut in Hilton Jr.’s selection process, it’s a testament to the allure and potential of Wisconsin football & its ability to attract new talent because of their air raid offense.

As the recruiting process unfolds, all eyes will be on Eugene Hilton Jr. as he evaluates his options. While the path to securing his commitment may be winding, one thing is clear: Wisconsin Badgers football is very much in the running for the talented young wideout.