The Wisconsin Badgers aim to improve to 2-0 on the season when they face the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Saturday. Here are three keys to the game for the Badgers.
Avoid the Turnover Bug
In general, upsets occur when the favorite does not take care of the football, giving the underdog hopes of winning. If Middle Tennessee wants to pull off a significant upset in Madison, then the Badgers must be in a giving spirit.
Wisconsin needs to keep control of the pigskin. Against Miami (OH), the Badgers’ offense committed only
one turnover, which was a poor throw by Danny O’Neil deep in RedHawk territory. However, O’Neil also threw additional dangerous passes that could have been intercepted by the RedHawk secondary.
We saw too many times last season where turnovers cost the Badgers football games. Wisconsin’s ball control in the first win in 2025 was a step in the right direction, but the Badgers cannot afford to be sloppy with the football, or it will be an unsettling four quarters at Camp Randall Stadium against the current worst team in the FBS.
Establish the Run
Austin Peay outgained Middle Tennessee by almost 200 yards in their 34-14 win in Murfreesboro. Of their 343 yards, 150 of them came on the ground, as Austin Peay rushed for 3.2 yards per carry. While that statistic is not eye-opening, the run game was critical in the Governors’ win.
And if Austin Peay can control the line of scrimmage against Middle Tennessee, then imagine what Wisconsin’s offensive line can do.
I was impressed with how well Dilin Jones ran against Miami (OH) back on August 28th. If Wisconsin can establish the ground game, it can wear down the Middle Tennessee defense and make it a long day for the Blue Raiders.
Make Nicholas Vattiato uncomfortable
For the second straight game, the Badgers will be facing another veteran quarterback in three-year Middle Tennessee starter Nicholas Vattiato. Vattiato has seen many defenses over his five years at Middle Tennessee and has even played against Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, and Duke, all on the road in his career.
Vattiato is coming off a poor game against Austin Peay, where he finished 15-of-36 for 104 yards. According to Middle Tennessee insider Jake Bolden, in an interview with Seamus Rohrer of Badgernotes, it was the lowest completion percentage of his MTSU career. When watching the film of Austin Peay’s win, Middle Tennessee’s offense struggled to generate any offensive rhythm between Vattiato and his new wide receivers, allowing five sacks. The Badgers must find a way to disrupt Vattiato’s rhythm just like Austin Peay did.
Vattiato will be determined to atone for MTSU’s bad loss to Austin Peay, and getting the Blue Raider offense going is critical to Middle Tennessee’s upset chance. Therefore, the Badgers cannot allow Vattiato to get settled in.
