Wisconsin football is finally back! The Badgers open the 2024 season Friday night at home against the Western Michigan Broncos. Wisconsin will look to improve in year two under coach Luke Fickell after going 7-6 in 2023. There’s a good mix of both modern faces and players who have gained modern experience under this coaching staff. Here’s what you need to know about Western Michigan, the first team on the 2024 schedule.
Western Michigan returns significant production starting in 2023
The Broncos struggled in the MAC last year, going just 4-8 overall and 1-6 on the road. They played Iowa State, Syracuse and Mississippi State in three of those road losses.
The offense returns last year’s starter Hayden Wolff, who threw for 1,505 yards and eight passing touchdowns and added two rushing touchdowns.
What should support Wolff and this Western Michigan offense is the return of running back Jalen Buckley after rushing for just over 1,000 yards last year. At 5’11 and 210 pounds, he won’t be simple for the Wisconsin football defense to tackle.
The Broncos are also bringing back three of their top four pass-catchers from the 2023 class. They include wide receiver Kenneth Womack, who led the team with 619 yards. Fellow receiver Anthony Sambucci led the team with five touchdowns. He also returns.
Wisconsin football should succeed on the field
Western Michigan struggled last year defending the run, giving up an average of 4.6 yards per rush. Some of those numbers may be a bit inflated since they were three Power Five teams on the schedule, but that’s still a lot to give up.
I think that’s critical because I expect the Wisconsin football offense to run the ball a lot on Friday night. Last year, Phil Longo did the same thing in the first game against Buffalo. He allowed Tanner Mordecai, a modern starter and first-year player in the program, to slowly come into the game and put a lot on his plate. I think the Wisconsin football offensive coordinator in his second year will do the same with Tyler Van Dyke.
A defense that struggled last year
The Broncos gave up an average of 31 points per game last year. They only gave up 20 or fewer points in a game twice. Worse, they gave up 41 points to Iowa, which was one of the worst offensive teams in the country a year ago. It was the most points the Hawkeyes allowed all year.
I think the Wisconsin football offense is better than it was last year. It’s not necessarily the players, but most of the offensive production is back and they’ve had a year in this system. It might start off a little leisurely, like most first-game nerves, but I also think this offense will be faster and more consistent on Friday night.
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