10 things we learned from Wisconsin football's season-opening win (2024)

A stunned Camp Randall Stadium crowd watched the University of Wisconsin football team fall behind early in the fourth quarter before the Badgers caught a big break a few plays later en route to a 28-14 season-opening win over Western Michigan.

With the BadgerExtra team following all the action before, during and after the game in Madison, here are 10 things we learned as Wisconsin narrowly avoided its first Week 1 home loss to a nonconference opponent since 1995.

Wisconsin still struggling to close out drives

Wisconsin's fourth-quarter deficit arose after Western Michigan executed a fake field goal to end the third quarter before sophom*ore running back Jalen Buckley put the Broncos ahead with a 1-yard touchdown run in the opening minute of the fourth. But the Badgers only found themselves in that precarious position because of all their missed scoring chances in the first three quarters.Wisconsin finished the game with touchdowns on 3 of 6 red-zone chances but started the game 1 of 4.

Strong 4th quarter helps Wisconsin avoid upset

With their backs against the wall, the Badgers were able to respond and avoid a loss to aGroup of Five opponent. After catching a break whensafety Austin Brown recovered a turnover on a punt, senior running back Tawee Walker capped a short drive with a 6-yard touchdown to put Wisconsin ahead 21-14 after quarterback Tyler Van Dyke found redshirt freshman Trech Kekahuna in the end zone for the 2-point conversion. The Badgers then put the game away with a 6-yard touchdown run by Van Dyke to end an eight-play, 50-yard drive.

Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke delivers uneven Wisconsin debut

Despite the strong finish by Wisconsin offense in the first game with Van Dyke under center, the senior transfer from Miami (Fl.) left plenty of room for improvement. The Glastonbury, Connecticut, native completed 21 of 36 passes for 192 yards with no passing touchdowns or interceptions. Van Dyke struggled with ball security, losing a fumble on third-and-long in the third quarter that led to Western Michigan taking the lead with a touchdown six plays later. He was also lucky to avoid a pair of interceptions in the red zone.

Transfer running back's 'nastiness' a welcome addition

Speaking of Badgers debuts, Walker's go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter wasn't the Las Vegas native's only impact on the game.Walker finished with 66 yards on 15 carries for a modest 4.4 yards per carry while also catchingtwo passes for 11 yards. But for Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Brunner, it was his teammate's "tenacity" and "nastiness" that stood out in his first game with the team. Walkerpaired with sixth-year senior Chez Mellusi (74 yards on 19 carries) to helpthe Badgers rush for 196 yards on 4.3 yards per carry.

'First-game jitters' raise concern about Wisconsin's direction

After the victory, one thing that stood out to Badgers coach Luke Fickell was his team's sloppy play in the red zone, saying, "That’s the thing that, if there’s something that’s glaring, that we got to do a better job of it’s when we got to the red zone." For veteran running back Mellusi, Wisconsin's miscues in the season opener had more to do with shaking off some rust. “There's a bunch of different areas where I think we can be better,” Mellusi said.“The first game, I think it's some first-game jitters.” Regardless of the cause of the errors, the Badgers didn't demonstrate the expected internal growth on offense that will be required to keep pace in the expanded Big Ten Conference this season.

Wisconsin's lack of playmakers is difficult to overlook

For columnist Jim Polzin, one of the biggest factors in Wisconsin's slow start was the team's lack of playmakers. Acknowledging a couple of exceptions in wide receivers Will Pauling (six catches, 60 yards) and Kekahuna (three catches, 34 yards), Polzin stresses the need for more players like them on the roster. Polzin frames his concern this way:If the Badgers struggle to show they’re bigger, faster and better against a middling team from the MAC, what’s going to happen when No. 5 Alabama, No. 8 Penn State and No. 3 Oregon come to town?

Inconsistent performance shows on Week 1 report card

Wisconsin's uneven play on both sides of the ball, in a game it was heavily favored to win, proved costly when it came time for the first BadgerExtra report card of the season. With no unit scoring better than the defense's C-plus, the initial assessment of Year 2 of the Fickell regime was less about highlighting positive performances and more about addressing areas of serious concern this season. From the dangerous lack of a deep threat on offense, to a mistake-ridden special teams effort, Wisconsin has plenty to work on before its schedule gets much tougher.

'Jump Around' tradition remains unmatched

The Badgers' botched coverage on the Broncos' fake field goal late in the third quarter may have contributed to what BadgerExtra reporter Colten Bartholomew described as a "half-hearted 'Jump Around,'" but the tradition is alive and well in Madison.ESPN ranked Camp Randall Stadium No. 8 in its top 25 college stadiums in May and specifically mentioned the tradition that happens before the start of the fourth quarter. According to BadgerExtra reporter Jake Kocorowski,fans across a wide range of ages said before Friday’s game that the tradition hasn’t lost its luster despite more than a quarter century of House of Pain’s song blaring from the Camp Randall speakers.

Fans flock to concession stands for first night of beer sales across Camp Randall

While Camp Randall Stadium got a new playing surface over the offseason, there also were some changes awaiting fans inside the stadium on Friday.The first night of alcohol sales to all fans of legal drinking age at Camp Randall had thousands of fans walk away from concession stands and drink stations with cans of beer and hard seltzers. BadgerExtra reporter Todd Milewski monitored fans' reactions, and the resulting wait times. While Milewski reported thatsome purchases took longer than others depending on the location and the time, fans were largely pleased with the ability to buy alcoholic drinks at Camp Randall in a move that followed similar changes for basketball and hockey games at the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena in 2023.

Details emerge from Wisconsin's win against Western Michigan on second viewing

Taking a step back and processing Friday's game while rewatching the action allowed Bartholomew to dive deeper into Wisconsin's season-opening effort. From Browns' costly miscues in the secondary, to poor blocking for by Wisconsin's tight ends, more issues arose on closer analysis. But the second viewing also revealed some good signs for the Badgers' defense.Sophom*ore inside linebacker Christian Alliegro is a key bench player, and he didn't waste any time making an impact after entering the game. A final thing that stood out in the rewatch was the number of times Wisconsin used multiple backs in the backfield, especially early in each half.