Congratulations, Badgers fans! We’ve finally made it to Week 1.
Next Thursday, the Wisconsin Badgers begin their 137th football season when they take on the RedHawks of Miami (OH). Kickoff is at 8:00 P.M. CT. The Badgers are 17.5-point favorites.
Last season, the Badgers snapped a streak of 22 consecutive winning seasons, finishing with a 5-7 overall record, losing the final five games. It was the first time since 2001 that Wisconsin failed to appear in a bowl game.
What should Badgers fans know about
the Miami (OH) RedHawks?
Opponent Preview
Head Coach Chuck Martin’s 11th season in Oxford was a successful one. The RedHawks finished with a 9-5 record and a dominant Arizona Bowl victory over Colorado State, 43-17. It was also the second straight season where the RedHawks played in the MAC Championship game. This year’s Miami (OH) team is predicted to finish second in the MAC behind Toledo.
The RedHawks will feature an offense with 11 new starters. Seventh-year transfer quarterback and Walter Camp Player of the Year watchlist nominee, DeQuan Finn, will get the start. The former Toledo Rocket and Baylor Bear was the 2023 MAC MVP before transferring to Waco. If that name seems familiar, the Wisconsin Badgers were interested in Finn after the 2023 season.
1,000-yard rusher Keyon Mozee and second-leading rusher Kevin Davis exhausted their eligibility. Jordan Brunson, who rushed for 299 yards last season, is the RedHawks’ leading returner in rushing yards. Offensive coordinator Pat Welsh’s squad will also get Kenny Tracy, an Athlon Sports MAC preseason third-team All-Purpose selection, back after he missed last season with an injury.
At wide receiver, the RedHawks brought in transfers Brady Simmons (Indiana), Darion Williamson (Florida State), Deion Colzie (Notre Dame), and Keith Reynolds (Washington). Colzie, another third-team preseason selection by Athlon Sports, is the tallest among transfer wideouts at 6-foot-4 but has accumulated only 345 receiving yards in four years at Notre Dame. Kam Perry is the RedHawks’ top returning pass catcher with 166 receiving yards.
Tackle Drew Terrell and interior lineman Gregory Smith Jr. lead a revamped RedHawks offensive line. Smith Jr. earned one start last year and was named Miami’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
On defense, the RedHawks must replace All-American linebacker and leading tackler Matt Salopek, defensive MVP Brian Ugwu, and MAC cornerback of the year, Raion Strader. Safeties Eli Blakey and Silas Walters are the leading returners for a defense that ranked first in the MAC in defensive efficiency. In the linebacker spot will be MAC preseason second-team selections Corban Hondru, who tied Salopek with the most interceptions on the team with three picks, and Oscar McWood.
Defensive coordinator Bill Brechin’s unit will feature four down linemen sets, headlined by returners Adam Trick, Nasir Washington, and Roosevelt Andrews III. Bai Jobe, a transfer from Michigan State and Kansas and a former high school All-American, is expected to contribute to the defensive line.
On the special teams, the RedHawks feature 2024 All-MAC First Team placekicker Dom Dzioban. Dzioban was named to the 2025 Lou Groza Award watchlist.
Score Prediction
The RedHawks started last season 0-3 with competitive losses to Northwestern (13-6), Cincinnati (27-16), and Notre Dame (28-3) before winning nine of their next eleven games. Make no mistake, this Miami (OH) team will fight despite the talent gap.
The last time these two teams met in 2015, the Badgers dominated the RedHawks 58-0 in Paul Chryst’s first home game as Wisconsin’s head coach. I strongly anticipate that this RedHawks team will have a much better performance before ultimately falling at Camp Randall Stadium.
Prediction: 28-13 Wisconsin
