Wisconsin football is finally back! The Badgers kick off their 2024 season Friday night at home against the Western Michigan Broncos. Wisconsin will look to improve in year two under head coach Luke Fickell after going 7-6 in 2023. It’s a good mixture of both new faces and players that gained a new of experience under this coaching staff. Here is what you need to know Western Michigan, the first team on the 2024 schedule.
Western Michigan Returns a Good Amount of Production From 2023
The Broncos struggled in the MAC last year, going only 4-8 overall and 1-6 on the road. They did play against Iowa, Syracuse, and Mississippi states in three of those road losses.
On offense, last year’s starter Hayden Wolff does return after throwing for 1,505 yards and eight passing touchdowns, He also added two rushing touchdowns.
What should help Wolff and this Western Michigan offense is running back Jalen Buckley returns after rushing for just over 1,000 yards last year. At 5’11 and 210 pounds, he won’t be easy for the Wisconsin football defense to bring down.
The Broncos also bring back three of their top four pass catchers from 2023. This includes wide receiver Kenneth Womack, who led the team with 619 yards. Fellow receiver Anthony Sambucci led the team with five receiving touchdowns. He returns as well.
Wisconsin Football Should Have Success on the Ground
Last year, Western Michigan struggled to defend the run. They gave up an average of 4.6 yards a carry. Some of those numbers can be a little inflated since they were three power five teams on the schedule, but it is still a lot to give up.
I think this is important because I expect the Wisconsin football offense to run the ball a ton Friday night. Last year, Phil Longo did the same thing in the first game against Buffalo. He allowed Tanner Mordecai, a new starter and first year player in the program, to slowly get into the game and put much on this plate. I think the second year Wisconsin football offensive coordinator will do the same with Tyler Van Dyke.
A Defense that Struggled Last Year
The Broncos gave up 31 points a game on average last year. Only twice did they give up 20 or less points in a game. To make it worse, they gave up 41 points to Iowa, who was one of the worst offensive teams in the country a year ago. It was the most amount of points the Hawkeyes scored all year.
I think the Wisconsin football offense is better than last year. It isn’t necessarily the players, but a majority of the offensive production is back and have a year under this system. It could start a little slow as would most first game jitters, but I also think this offense will click faster and more consistently Friday night.
Follow me on Twitter @DylanBuboltz and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!
