The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Western Michigan Broncos 28-14 in their season opener on Friday night. Despite the two-touchdown margin of victory, it was far from a comfortable win for Wisconsin. At one point, the Badgers even trailed 14-13 in the second half due to a stagnant offense that still seems to have trouble finding its identity under head coach Luke Fickell.
Related: Wisconsin Football Takeaways from 28-14 Over Western Michigan
At the end of the day, though, a win is a win and starting off the season 1-0 is the first important step for a team with Bowl Game aspirations (Wisconsin has played in a Bowl Game in each of the past 22 seasons).
To be sure, there were performances for which the Badgers should be proud, but there were also some that need to be addressed and fixed if they are going to have a successful season.
3 Studs for the Wisconsin Badgers Against Western Michigan
Wisconsin’s victory over Western Michigan was a textbook team victory, with each phase of the game playing a big role in the win. Some players who played well or who made major contributions that will not show up in the box score are punter Atticus Bertrams and cornerback Ricardo Hallman.
Bertrams’ punt that bounced off of a Broncos player was recovered by the Badgers to set them up on a short field. The offense was able to take advantage of this and score a touchdown.
Hallman’s name will not show up in the box score with any tackles or passes defended, but that is because he covered his assignments so well, the ball was never thrown his way.
Other “stud” performances in this game belong to:
1. Running Back Tawee Walker
Tawee Walker is playing his senior season at Wisconsin after spending his freshman year at Palomar and his sophomore and junior seasons at Oklahoma.
In his first game with the Badgers, Walker rushed 15 times for 66 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 11 yards, giving him 77 yards total on the night.
His touchdown run was an 11-yard score the required second and third efforts as he dragged defenders and plowed through others in order to reach the end zone.
His score, which came with 10:35 left in the fourth quarter, regained the lead for Wisconsin.
2. Running Back Chez Mellusi
Chez Mellusi is entering his sixth season of college football, and his fourth at Wisconsin. He is coming off of a 2023 season that was cut short by a devastating with a fractured fibula.
With Braelon Allen gone, now playing for the New York Jets in the NFL, Mellusi took over as the Badgers starting running back.
He had 19 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown, and one reception for three yards. Like Walker, he had 77 total yards on the night.
3. Cornerback Xavier Lucas
If Badgers fans were unfamiliar with the name Xavier Lucas before the win over Western Michigan, it is because he is a freshman defensive back who was playing in his first ever NCAA football game.
He made a great first impression, sealing the game with an interception in the final minute with impressive footwork on the sideline to maintain possession:
Xavier Lucas with the pick to seal the W for @BadgerFootball 😱#B1GFootball on @FS1 📺 pic.twitter.com/AAN0nTCHUt
— Wisconsin On BTN (@WisconsinOnBTN) August 31, 2024
Lucas finished with two tackles and that interception.
3 Duds for the Wisconsin Badgers Against Western Michigan
Despite the solid performances listed above, there were several players that left a great deal to be desired. This is especially disappointing after all the hype that surrounded them heading into the season. It is, of course, still early, but Badgers fans did not like the 2024 first impressions of the following:
1. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke
Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke spent his first four seasons of college football with the Miami Hurricanes before transferring to Wisconsin this past spring. He won the starting job over four other quarterbacks including Mabrey Mettauer.
Van Dyke was far from impressive in his first start for the Badgers, completing 21 of 36 passes for 192 yards. He rushed for a touchdown late in the fourth quarterback, but also lost a fumble that gave Western Michigan a short field.
2. The Defensive Line
Wisconsin’s front could not really generate much pressure on the quarterback until late in the game. They also allowed Western Michigan running back Jalen Buckley to score twice.
3. Coaching
For the second-consecutive season, Badgers fans were promised an exciting brand of football in every aspect of the game. For the second-consecutive season, they are left disappointed by what they saw.
Again, it is early and the team will [hopefully] improve and gel as the season goes along. However, the coaches seemed like they were just getting their feet wet. They failed to prepare their special teams for an obvious fake punt that ended up as a large gain for the Broncos. Fickell also made some poor clock management decisions that left many fans frustrated.
There is certainly a great deal that they need to clean up before next week’s matchup with South Dakota. After that game, they face Alabama and USC in back-to-back weeks.
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