The college football season has officially arrived for the Wisconsin Badgers, as they take on the Miami (OH) Redhawks on Thursday night under the bright lights at Camp Randall Stadium.
It’ll be the season debut for the Badgers, but for many on the team, it will be the first opportunity to run out of the tunnel in front of 75,000 fans as Wisconsin looks to defy the odds and bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign.
They’ll take on a Redhawks team that impressed in 2024, reaching the MAC Championship
Game, but has undergone quite a bit of change this offseason, especially on offense.
So, with football back upon us, let’s make three predictions ahead of tonight’s season opener.
Wisconsin will spread the ball out offensively
The Badgers come into this season with a different outlook at wide receiver. Will Pauling, C.J. Williams, and Bryson Green are no longer on the team.
Wisconsin is trusting players to step up, such as Trech Kekahuna, while also looking for contributions from their additions, including transfer Jayden Ballard and freshman Eugene Hilton.
With a number of mouths to feed in the offense, I see Wisconsin spreading the ball out on Thursday. Kekahuna, Anthony, and Ballard should all get a catch, but there’s also tight end Lance Mason and running back Darrion Dupree who figure into the mix. Then comes Hilton, who I believe will get his first career catch on Thursday.
The run game will be the focus, but I see a passing attack that will have a diverse target share in the season opener. We’ll see what results that lands the Badgers.
Passing defense will continue to deliver
Wisconsin’s defense was not up to par last year. But, that was mainly due to a lackluster run defense, as the Badgers were actually 14th in the nation in passing yards per game allowed.
Of course, there are several factors that go into that, but that should carry over into Thursday’s game against a Miami (OH) offense with quite a bit of turnover and a new quarterback at the helm: Daequan Finn.
Badgers fans may remember the name from last offseason, as they had shown interest before Finn committed to Baylor. However, he played only three games there in 2024 before transferring back to the MAC, this time heading to Miami (OH) to lead their offense.
Finn has never been a prolific passer, and even if Miami (OH) has to play from behind on Thursday, I don’t see them generating much in the air against the Badgers in the season opener.
Nathanial Vakos will be tested
One of the more underrated position battles from the Fall was at kicker, where seniors Nathanial Vakos and Gavin Lahm competed for the starting job.
Head coach Luke Fickell announced Vakos would start after a nice fall camp, but he’ll need to show he’s the guy after a rough 2024 season where he made just 63.2 percent of his field goals.
I expect the Badgers to be in scoring position several times on Thursday, which ultimately means Vakos will be tested.
If he’s able to knock down a couple of field goals without issues, that’s a great sign to start the year. But, if the inconsistencies from last season continue, the cries will start early in 2024.
