5 takeaways from Wisconsin football's 28-14 win over Western Michigan in season opener (2024)

MADISON – It was tougher than expected, but Wisconsin left Camp Randall Stadium with a win Friday night.

The Badgers took advantage of a special teams gift to score the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 28-14 victory over Western Michigan.

Senior quarterback Tyler Van Dyke completed 21 of 36 passes for 192 yards in his first start for the Badgers. Senior running back Tawee Walker gained 66 yards in 15 carries and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 6-yard run with 10 ½ minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

And senior running back Chez Mellusi, playing his first game since his season-ending leg injury last season, carried 19 times for 74 yards and scored on a 9-yard run in the first half.

The turning point for UW came on its first punt of the night. Sophom*ore Atticus Bertrams ripped a 50-yard kick that took a friendly bounce and hit off the back of unsuspecting Western Michigan senior DaShon Bussell.

The ball was recovered by Austin Brown at the Broncos 20. Four plays later, Walker was in the end zone for the go-ahead points.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

Tawee Walker can get the tough yards for Badgers

Those who watched Walker during spring ball and fall camp saw what can happen when he puts his head down and works to gain tough yards.

In one-on-one situations it usually doesn’t go well for the defense.

That was the case on his 6-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He ran over safety Tate Hallock at the 5 and then ran through cornerbacks Aaron Wofford and Bilhal Kone at the 1-yard line for the TD.

The two-point conversion gave the Badgers a 21-14 advantage with 10:35 to go in the game.

Social media: Wisconsin football fans react to Badgers' 28-14 win over Western Michigan in season opener with uneasiness

Wisconsin Badgers bit on fake field goal attempt

Western Michigan pulled off the play of the night when kicker Parker Domschke gained 26-yards on a fake field goal attempt on the final play of the third quarter.

Domschke lined up for a 47-yard attempt on the left hash but instead of attempting the kick he swung around the back of the formation and took a toss.

UW’s Jake Chaney hurried into position to get contain on the play, but Leon Lowery just missed a chance to make a shoestring tackle. Safety Preston Zachman knocked Domschke out of bounds at the 4.

The play led to a 1-yard touchdown run by Jalen Buckley. The extra point was good, giving Western Michigan a 14-13 lead with 14:15 left in the fourth quarter.

Chez Mellusi completes comeback

The Badgers didn’t put a lot of points on the board in the first half even though they controlled the ball and had almost twice as many total yards as the Broncos (219-111).

What they did give the fans, however, was a taste of Mellusi, who suffered a season-ending leg injury at Purdue last year.

The senior came on for the second possession of the game and carried eight times for 35 yards, a 4.4-yard average, in the half.

His 9-yard run on a second-and-9 play gave UW its first touchdown of the season. Credit Mellusi with a nice cut back on the play as he started left but cut off center Jake Renfro to find a path to the end zone.

Tyler Van Dyke spreads ball around

Van Dyke's first start as a Badgers was marked by his willingness to spread the ball around.

In the first half he split his 22 attempts among seven players with Bryson Green getting a team-high six targets. Will Pauling, who often led the Badgers in that category last season, had six.

He finished the night spreading 35 targets among eight players. Pauling led the team with eight targets followed by Green.

Big play makes big difference for Broncos

Western Michigan had just one explosive play in the first half and it cost UW dearly. A 24-yard gain on a screen pass from Hayden Wolff to Buckley allowed the Broncos to go from their 39-yard line to the Badgers' 37.

Two plays later UWmissed two tackles on a third-and-7 play and Western Michigan was able to convert the first down.

Those were two opportunities where Wisconsin could have put a stop on a 16-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that took 8:40 off the clock and ended with a Buckley score from 1 yard out with 3:02 left in the half.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 5 takeaways from Wisconsin football's Week 1 win over Western Michigan