The Wisconsin football program is just days away from kicking off yet another exciting season with their home opener against Western Michigan.
The Badgers have already begun working through their strategies against the Broncos and have created a path to victory. A season ago, the Wisconsin football team walked away with a 38-17 win over Buffalo, but did not have the performance the staff and fans were hoping for. Heading into the 2024 season, however, the Wisconsin football players and staff are prepared to have a statement win over the Broncos behind their rush defense and offense.
Wisconsin Football Must Prevent Western Michigan From Establishing Run Game
In order for the Wisconsin Badgers to walk away with an easy win over the Western Michigan Broncos, there are two major areas to focus on. First, Wisconsin will need to stop the Broncos rushing offense before it is even able to develop any sort of momentum. Last season, Western Michigan averaged 153.8 yards per game on the ground and ran in 21 of their 34 offensive touchdowns.
The Broncos offense starts and ends with running back Jalen Buckley, who ran for 1003 yards and ten touchdowns last season. Buckley serves as the flashy, quick running back who can break-away from the defense for the Broncos and the offense moves through him. The running back carried the ball 66 more times than the other back he splits time with, but recorded over 500 more yards on the ground.
Speaking of another running back, Western Michigan likes to use multiple running backs for different situations. Zahir Abdus-Salaam, a senior running back, works alongside Buckley and recorded five touchdowns of his own last season. Abdus-Salaam can do pretty much everything Buckley can do and provides depth to the Broncos fast-paced offense.
Western Michigan is going to lean on their running game and expect their running backs to do much of the work for their offense. For the Wisconsin football team, stopping the run will be crucial not just to prevent Buckley or Abdus-Salaam from heating up, but also to force the Broncos to throw the ball. Hayden Wolff is the expected starter for Western Michigan and his track record is not the most impressive.
A season ago, Western Michigan went through two starting quarterbacks in the first five games before settling on Wolff for the remainder of the season. Wolff, a former starting quarterback for Old Dominion, threw for nearly 3000 yards during the 2022 season before transferring. The quarterback can really air the ball out, but does not deliver the most accurate of throws with his completion percentage sitting at 60.5% for his career.
Forcing the Western Michigan offense to throw could result in the Wisconsin football defense generating plenty of stops and potentially takeaways.
Wisconsin Badgers Football Team Must Attack the Western Michigan Defense on the Ground
While the Wisconsin Badgers football team needs to key in their rushing defense against the Broncos, their rushing offense also needs to be keyed in. Last season, as much as Western Michigan gained on the ground their defense allowed right back, allowing an average of 158.8 yards per game rushing. Opposing offenses scored 22 touchdowns on the ground against the Western Michigan defense a season ago as well.
Western Michigan is not much better through the air either, allowing 23 passing touchdowns and 234.5 yards per game through the air. However, the Broncos have two established defensive backs that can take the ball away at any moment. On the ground however, Western Michigan does not have the same firepower as they do in their secondary unit on the field.
Cornerback Aaron Wofford recorded 72 total tackles last season, which ranked second on the team, along with two interceptions, a forced fumble, and five pass defenses. Safety Tate Hallock led the Broncos defense last season with 75 total tackles, two picks, a forced fumble, and four pass defenses. The duo recorded nearly identical stat lines during the 2023 season and play a physical style of football that can be hard to compete against.
On the ground, the main person that Wisconsin would need to watch out for is linebacker Donald Willis. The defended recorded 4.5 sacks last season and is the returning sack leader for the Broncos defense this season. Outside of Willis and the defensive back duo, the Broncos do not have that menacing of defense, which could allow for the run game to truly flourish.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter (X) @JarrettGuerrera, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on all things Wisconsin sports, click here
