Badgers football 26-27

[Voyageur]

I watched the Badgers game against Notre Dame last night. Despite what the score said, I liked the tenacity of the defense. Even though the offensive needs a lot of work but is capable of getting to a point that they will be competitive.

Notre Dame won because of a pick 6, and a totally botched kick-off return that turned into an easy score as well. As soon as the offense gets in sync, the Badgers are going to win a few games this year and may surprise a few teams who thought they were going to be playing pushovers.

Before the season started, I didn't believe the Badgers would be better than a 5-win team. I'm now going to say that they could add 2 or 3 additional wins to that total, if they develop the offense. It's going to be a fun team to watch. That defense plays some good hard-nosed football out there.

 

[milani]

I watched the Badgers game against Notre Dame last night. Despite what the score said, I liked the tenacity of the defense. Even though the offensive needs a lot of work but is capable of getting to a point that they will be competitive.

Notre Dame won because of a pick 6, and a totally botched kick-off return that turned into an easy score as well. As soon as the offense gets in sync, the Badgers are going to win a few games this year and may surprise a few teams who thought they were going to be playing pushovers.

Before the season started, I didn't believe the Badgers would be better than a 5-win team. I'm now going to say that they could add 2 or 3 additional wins to that total, if they develop the offense. It's going to be a fun team to watch. That defense plays some good hard-nosed football out there.

And there is a reason ND is ranked #4.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Notre Dame won because of a pick 6, and a totally botched kick-off return that turned into an easy score as well.

I hate to sound like a whiner, but how the F did the refs mess THAT call up on replay? The ND player that recovered the ball didn't have full control of it before his toe touched out of bounds. It was unbelievably clear on replay and even the booth and stand-in referee saw it that way.

Yeah, you don't want to muff a kickoff THAT badly, but come on refs get things right. I actually think that 1 play and the subsequent TD was a big turning point in the game. There was also a blatant head to head hit on Badger QB Colton Joseph, no review even, I assume that is why Luke F. called a timeout?

While there is no doubt that the Irish were the better team last night, especially in the second half, the refs did a really poor job officiating that game. Badgers looked competitive, but they are going to need to fix some stuff on run blocking and short-middle of the field pass defense.

I think Colton Joseph, if he stays healthy, is going to be a decent QB for the Badgers. Just wish they had one of their traditional All American RB's, because not 1 RB last night looked good.

 

[Voyageur]

I hate to sound like a whiner, but how the F did the refs mess THAT call up on replay? The ND player that recovered the ball didn't have full control of it before his toe touched out of bounds. It was unbelievably clear on replay and even the booth and stand-in referee saw it that way.

Yeah, you don't want to muff a kickoff THAT badly, but come on refs get things right. I actually think that 1 play and the subsequent TD was a big turning point in the game. There was also a blatant head to head hit on Badger QB Colton Joseph, no review even, I assume that is why Luke F. called a timeout?

While there is no doubt that the Irish were the better team last night, especially in the second half, the refs did a really poor job officiating that game. Badgers looked competitive, but they are going to need to fix some stuff on run blocking and short-middle of the field pass defense.

I think Colton Joseph, if he stays healthy, is going to be a decent QB for the Badgers. Just wish they had one of their traditional All American RB's, because not 1 RB last night looked good.

I thought Joseph looked solid as well. It was a tough first game for him and so many first time out Badgers. They were actually outplaying ND during the first half. If it wasn't for dumb mistakes and some seriously bad officiating, the Irish would have never been able to pull away from them.

In a way, the loss was a good thing in terms of what it did for the Badger players. They found out they could take the field with anyone they play this year, and they know that they will start to develop more as the season progresses. What I thought was going to be another horrible year looks like it could actually hold some real promise, in righting the ship.

A winning season and a trip to a bowl game and a win there could go a long way towards helping get NIL money in the coffers, and kids who were shying away from Madison to reconsider playing for the Badgers. At least there's hope on the horizon instead of resignation to them ending up a doormat.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

A winning season and a trip to a bowl game and a win there could go a long way towards helping get NIL money in the coffers

The TP and NIL programs have made it plausible for any school, that can get a sudden inflow of millions (soon to be billions) of dollars, to be able to compete. F recruiting highschoolers. Recruit donors and other teams rosters, those are now the two top priorities' of college ball.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Not getting a better feeling about the season watching this game Ill tell you that....

 

[Voyageur]

Not getting a better feeling about the season watching this game Ill tell you that....

Agreed. The two flash plays by Sama, and a late pair of long passes padded the offensive stats. They're not normal. Outside of that, the running game wasn't good, the passing game was worse, and the receivers and Joseph were absolutely out of sync with each other. As far as the offensive line, where were they? They did not do a decent job.

on defense, it was watching a slow bleed. They weren't able to stop them from getting 3 to 4 yards on every carry, sometimes more. As far as our pass defense, it was barely adequate and this was a team that came in after having two zero-win seasons and 4 wins last year, a doormat at the FCS level.

It could end up being a long year.

 

[Firethorn1001]

That sums up nicely what I was seeing, but didn't have the energy to type

 

[Firethorn1001]

At least for one afternoon the Badgers did what they needed to do with a lesser quality opponent. I still have no idea what direction this team is going and this entire season might be a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde season in that you'll get 1 half like the ND game, 1 game like last week's game and now this game.

 

[milani]

At least for one afternoon the Badgers did what they needed to do with a lesser quality opponent. I still have no idea what direction this team is going and this entire season might be a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde season in that you'll get 1 half like the ND game, 1 game like last week's game and now this game.

Pain relief.

 

[gopkrs]

After watching the Notre Dame game; I think some of you just want your narrative to be true. I assume they looked good against a small school today.

 

[Firethorn1001]

After watching the Notre Dame game; I think some of you just want your narrative to be true. I assume they looked good against a small school today.

Not sure what narrative anyone wants to be true. That they are on the right path and showing improvement? They are all over the map the 1st 3 games.

I'll enjoy the 1 game return to dominance over small schools that they haven't shown in years, but I'm not convinced Fickell is the right guy for the job even if he gets them to 7-8 wins this season with a weak schedule.

 

[Voyageur]

My concern about the game yesterday wasn't whether they played well or not but the fact that they were pushed all over the field. When they start the Big 10 phase of the season, the opposition is going to be a lot better than what we saw yesterday and that malaise could put them seriously behind before they even started to generate an offense. Rest assured, the worst Big 10 team is a lot better than the opposition they've seen in the early going.

Example? Yesterday Northwestern pushed Colorado around all day making them look like a division II team and in no way is Northwestern considered a contender for much of anything in the Big 10. In fact, prognosticators see the Wildcats as being lucky to stay out of the cellar in the Big 10.

Fortunately, we don't have to play Northwestern this year. But we do get teams that are projected to have been part of the fight for the bottom of the conference which will pad our W/L ratio in a way that will make our season look better than what it really will be.

Still, any chance we have to win 6 or 7 games I'm in. Another negative balance on the W/L scale would turn Wisconsin recruiting into a disaster. Nobody would come to Madison, except for the visit and a party night.

 

[milani]

Looks like Michigan got the fickle finger of fate pointed right back at them today. Stole one in WK 1. Had one stolen today.

 

[DoURant]

Looks like Michigan got the fickle finger of fate pointed right back at them today. Stole one in WK 1. Had one stolen today.

Great game... even though my Wolverines lost. It almost seems like payback from the Football gods.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Best win in a very long time.

 

[Voyageur]

I'm stunned to be honest. Scoring late then holding on to win. Defense when it mattered, and Joseph hitting a few passes when they counted, then using his legs to score too. His problem is interceptions. As for the offensive line, they looked a lot better when they had the horses back in the lineup.

Our punter? Man, does this guy have a leg. He can continuously boom them over 50 yards with solid hang time.

We have a few ball hawks on defense. They fly all over the field making plays, and forcing plays.

It was a good win. A very good win. A ranked team. Next week it's UCLA visiting Camp Randall. They're unbeaten. They have two really solid running backs who are quick. They have a lot of solid receivers and don't have to favor one over the rest because they have decent hands. Their QB? He's a question mark in my opinion. He can be rattled with a hard rush. We have some defenders who could spend time visiting him in the backfield forcing errant passes. It could be a good game and a real test for the Badgers moving forward for the rest of this season.

I think we're going to be underdogs. We were 9.5 dogs going into today. I think it will be about 6 with UCLA, maybe down to 4 or 5 because it's in Madison.

 

[milani]

I'm stunned to be honest. Scoring late then holding on to win. Defense when it mattered, and Joseph hitting a few passes when they counted, then using his legs to score too. His problem is interceptions. As for the offensive line, they looked a lot better when they had the horses back in the lineup.

Our punter? Man, does this guy have a leg. He can continuously boom them over 50 yards with solid hang time.

We have a few ball hawks on defense. They fly all over the field making plays, and forcing plays.

It was a good win. A very good win. A ranked team. Next week it's UCLA visiting Camp Randall. They're unbeaten. They have two really solid running backs who are quick. They have a lot of solid receivers and don't have to favor one over the rest because they have decent hands. Their QB? He's a question mark in my opinion. He can be rattled with a hard rush. We have some defenders who could spend time visiting him in the backfield forcing errant passes. It could be a good game and a real test for the Badgers moving forward for the rest of this season.

I think we're going to be underdogs. We were 9.5 dogs going into today. I think it will be about 6 with UCLA, maybe down to 4 or 5 because it's in Madison.

Reason to be optimistic. Wish we could say that about another Wisconsin football team.

 

[Half Empty]

I never watch anything live. When I watched the Badger replay, especially deep into the 4th quarter, I started to wonder if I'd mis-read the results, and they'd really lost.

 

[Firethorn1001]

Northwestern beat Penn State by 21 so.. guessing Penn State was vastly overrated.

 

[Voyageur]

Northwestern beat Penn State by 21 so.. guessing Penn State was vastly overrated.

I watched it too, and came to the same conclusion. About the only other thing I could believe is that Northwestern is better than advertised. Their only loss has been to Indiana, who's ranked 6th in the NCAA, which means they aren't a slouch.

I wasn't convinced, watching the Badgers game that they were that good. To be candid, they got lucky beating PSU. I believe that if they played that game 100 times, the Badgers might not win more than 35 to 40 of them despite outplaying them. Why? Because of dumb mistakes. The Badgers seem to be prone to doing bone-headed things on the field that ends up shooting them in the foot.

What really impresses me is Tyrell Henry as a go-to receiver. I didn't see this coming. I kept thinking it would be Hilton's year. The sad part is this is Henry's last year. I think his game translates into a role in the NFL. Also, if I'm correct, the only true receiver coming back after this year is Hilton who is a junior? Not certain on this though.

Today's game against MSU is looming as a turning point for the Badgers. After reviewing their games, MSU is weakest against a running game. They'll break even when it comes to the passing game vs the Badgers. If Sama can rip off a couple of decent runs early on, it will take some pressure off the short passing routes that the Badgers will need to feature.

If I was to pick a score on this one, I'd have to go with the bookies. The Badgers are favored by 9 to 10 points, but I doubt very much they'll match that spread. I think it's going to be under 7. My thoughts, Wisconsin 27 - Michigan State 23. I don't think Wisconsin will shut them down to keep them under 20 but at this point, we don't know who the Badgers really are. The over/under is 43.5, but I don't think either team is going to push the other low enough to go under that figure.

Just my wild guesses here.

 

[Firethorn1001]

If I was to pick a score on this one, I'd have to go with the bookies. The Badgers are favored by 9 to 10 points, but I doubt very much they'll match that spread. I think it's going to be under 7. My thoughts, Wisconsin 27 - Michigan State 23. I don't think Wisconsin will shut them down to keep them under 20 but at this point, we don't know who the Badgers really are. The over/under is 43.5, but I don't think either team is going to push the other low enough to go under that figure.

Just my wild guesses here.

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Nice to return to old boring Badger dominance. Run it, have the defense lean on them and have a no doubter game.

 

[Voyageur]

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Nice to return to old boring Badger dominance. Run it, have the defense lean on them and have a no doubter game.

I was really off on this one. It was obvious MSU is a bottom feeder this year. Worse off than I thought. They've been blown out now three games in a row. Notre Dame, Nebraska, and now Wisconsin. What I did see good out of Wisconsin is that we have a QB who can run with the football and sees the open field. So far not in the slightest bit impressed with his passing game. Don't be fooled by the long ones he had because good teams will stop them from happening and his runs are not going to be nearly productive and when he does run, he's asking to end up on the sideline watching the rest of the season because he has a cast on.

Those holes the Badgers opened up for our runs? MSU's front is just plain porous. They've got nothing to speak of and with all the injuries they have, they're playing without their first and 2nd level players at linebacker, and defensive backfield.

Yeah. There's that "next man up" mentality but your 3rd level players? They just try to survive out there.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Fickell's buyout after the '26 season is $19.2mil, but is well worth it to salvage the team. He's been a disaster & needs to go.

Probably too late to get Jim Leonhard back to Madison, as he's now the DC in Buffalo.

Interesting. Is this Fickell's 4th season as HC? I'm surprised they would owe him so much if they parted ways.

 

[milani]

Interesting. Is this Fickell's 4th season as HC? I'm surprised they would owe him so much if they parted ways.

You think they'll keep him if he gets to a Bowl, even if it is a minor one?