Well 3-0 at half. These teams look terrible

Let's get the negatives out of the way
1. Mordecai checks down A LOT
2. I expected more RPO's (but maybe they're keeping that to themselves until the Big ten schedule kicks off)
3. Mordecai's picks
4. DEFENSE!
Now, the positives
1. Mellusi
2. Allen
3. Mordecai's deep ball accuracy (we need to see more of that)
4. The receivers are MUCH better than what we've had in YEARS (as a whole group)
5. I like the hurry up offense
6. Students getting there earlier than ever
7. Coaching seemed to adapt in the 2nd half
8. Few penalties
9. Ashcraft
10. Acker
11. The O-line

There were a couple of breakdowns and the tackling needs to be better, but overall I think this defense will be fine. Buffalo had 14 possession and they punted or turned it over on downs 10 times. There were 0 sacks, but I thought they were able to apply some pressure. Buffalo also was looking to get rid of the ball pretty quickly that made it more difficult to create pressure. Is this defense as good as they were last year? No, but we don't have any benton or herbig type talents out there in the front 7 either. For us to expect this defense to look like what we have had in the last couple of years would be wishful thinking, not because of coaching or scheme but simply because of talent....which could we look at the previous staff for blame? I think the defense will be sufficient to win the west, and hopefully the offense could keep them competitive to win the BIG Championship game if they would get there....but watching these FSU and LSU defenses...we are not there.....yet..

Pauling on punt returns. The guy is an absolute waterbug in the open field. Maybe he's not good at catching punts? A return man can absolutely change a game. I'm not ripping on Dike at all, but I don't see the big play coming from him. He's safe, but we've had safe before with guys like Engram. I'm not saying that Pauling will be Devin Hester but he could add something special, jmo

Madison, Wisconsin – Aug. 31, 2023 | As a new era begins on the field this week for the Wisconsin football program, The Varsity Collective, an alumni-led organization supporting NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) opportunities for student-athletes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has announced the launch of a new football-specific membership program, Camp Randall Club.

Membership in Camp Randall Club offers fans, alumni and supporters a number of exclusive benefits — including unique experiences and exclusive access to the personalities behind their favorite program — all while strengthening the Badgers by funding NIL opportunities for Wisconsin football student-athletes.

Camp Randall Club offers five tiers of membership, which feature access to tickets and VIP Experiences for Camp Randall Live — the new event featuring a live, in-person recording of The Luke Fickell Radio Show — tickets to a special VIP tailgate near Camp Randall Stadium on football game days, exclusive merchandise, discounts on Badger gear, and more.

“Camp Randall Club is going to be a great thing for our program and I’m excited to help support it,” said Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell. “It’s no secret how important NIL support is in terms of helping our program get where we all want it to be. I’ve been thrilled with the support we’ve received from so many Badgers across the country through The Varsity Collective, and I think Camp Randall Club is only going to increase the number of people who can make an impact on our program through NIL.”

“We exist to help Wisconsin fans everywhere support the Badgers in the NIL era, and we’re proud of the impact this incredible fanbase has made on more than 225 student-athletes across 12 teams in The Varsity Collective’s first year of operation,” said Mark Rothwell, GM/Managing Director of The Varsity Collective. “Camp Randall Club is an important step for The Varsity Collective and our sister organization, VC Connect, as we continue to look for ways to grow that impact in Year 2.

“The passion for Wisconsin football in particular is what led to the decision to launch Camp Randall Club. Considering what Coach Fickell and his staff and these student-athletes have brought to the table, the excitement has never been higher among Badger fans. With Camp Randall Club, we’re ready to provide another way for fans to channel their passion while providing vital support to the program in the era of NIL.”

To learn more about Camp Randall Club membership, visit the Camp Randall Club website. To keep up with all of The Varsity Collective's efforts, follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

###


About The Varsity Collective Charitable Fund, Inc.:
Formed in 2022 by University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni and supporters, The Varsity Collective is the first and only donor- and alumni-led NIL collective working on behalf of Wisconsin Badgers student-athletes. Through support for student-athletes with Life Currency™ and Rep Yourself programming, The Varsity Collective helps student-athletes maximize the NIL opportunity both during and after their playing careers. As a registered 501(c)(3), The Varsity Collective connects donors, student-athletes and nonprofits for charitable engagements. For the latest news and announcements, visit www.thevarsitycollective.com or connect with The Varsity Collective on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.


About VC Connect:
A wholly owned LLC subsidiary of The Varsity Collective Charitable Fund, Inc., VC Connect facilitates brand deals and partnerships between Wisconsin Badger student-athletes. VC Connect works to create unique branding opportunities that elevate all parties involved.

Just a thought, but I would assume that they both liked what they saw today

TEAM NOTES

Today’s captains: senior WR Chimere Dike, senior QB Tanner Mordecai, senior ILB Maema Njongmeta and senior OLB Marty Strey.

Today’s attendance at Camp Randall Stadium was 76,224, a sellout. The sellout was the first for a season opener at Camp Randall since 2009. (Sept. 5, 2009, win vs. Northern Illinois, 28-20)

The temperature was 88 degrees at kickoff, marking the second hottest game temperature in Camp Randall history. The only game warmer was a 2011 affair versus UNLV (9/1/2011, 90 degrees)

The victory marked head coach Luke Fickell’s first at Camp Randall Stadium.

Dating back to 1996, Wisconsin has now won 27 of its last 28 home openers. Since 2000, UW has won 21 of its last 24 season openers.

The Badgers have not lost a season-opening game at home to a non-conference opponent since 1995, going 17-0 since.

The Badger defense held Buffalo to a 2-for-15 clip on third down. That’s the lowest third down mark for an opponent since holding Rutgers to 1-for-11 on Nov. 6, 2021

The Badgers tallied 501 yards of offense and ran for 312 yards in the win, the most in a single game since rushing for 391 at Illinois on Oct. 9, 2021.

RBs Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen both rushed for over 100 yards for the third time as a duo. Wisconsin is now 3-0 in such games.

o With Allen and Mellusi’s 100-yard performances, the Badgers posted a pair of 100+ yard rushing performances in the same game for the first time since Nov. 5, 2022. Mellusi and Allen last achieved the feat in a win over Purdue on Oct. 23, 2021.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

QB Tanner Mordecai recorded his first pass completion as a Badger at the 10:16 mark of the first quarter. WR Bryson Green made the catch, his first for UW.

o Mordecai finished with 189 passing yards on 24-of-31 passing with 1 score and 2 interceptions.

o Mordecai’s 24 completions are most by a Badgers QB in his Wisconsin debut since at least 1968.

RB Chez Mellusi led the Badgers dynamic rushing attack, totaling a career-high 157 yards and 2 scores on 13 carries.
Mellusi scored multiple rushing TDs for the first time in his career.

Mellusi scored the first touchdown of the season for the Badgers, finding the end zone on third and goal from the one. Mellusi’s score was the 14th of his career and 8th as a Badger. Mellusi also scored the Badgers’ first offensive touchdown of the 2021 season.

o Dating back to last season, Mellusi has now rushed for 75+ yards in four straight games.

Mellusi broke a 89-yard TD scamper to give Wisconsin a 20-10 lead in the third quarter. The run was tied for the fifth longest rush in Badger history.

o The rush was the longest for UW since Isaac Guerendo broke a 89-yard TD run vs. Maryland last season (Nov. 5, 2022)

o Mellusi’s 89-yard score was the longest rush of his career.

RB Braelon Allen caught a career-high 7 passes for 25 yards, surpassing his previous high of 4 receptions at Minnesota on Nov. 27, 2021. Allen made 13 catches in 12 games last season.
Allen totaled 17 rushing yards on 141 carries with 2 TDs.

o Allen’s 100-yard performance was the 16th of his career. No active Power 5 running back has collected more 100-yard games over the last three seasons.

o Allen now has 25 career rushing touchdowns and tallied his 6th-career multi-score game.

The Badgers are now 9-0 over the last three seasons when Mellusi and Allen both run for over 50 yards.

Freshman TE Tucker Ashcraft appeared in the first game of his college career. He entered the game in the first quarter and made his first career catch at the 1:13 mark of the second quarter. Ashcraft’s 12-yard reception moved the chains and Wisconsin was able to pull ahead 14-7 on a DIke touchdown catch a play later.

o Ashcraft finished with 2 catches for 36 yards in the win.

WR Will Pauling made his first catch as a Badger at the 9:36 mark of the first quarter. He finished with 5 catches for 55 yards.

WR Chimere Dike’s first catch of the season went for six. His 29-yard score from Mordecai gave the Badgers the lead late in the first half.

o Dike recorded his ninth career TD catch after leading the Badgers with six last season.

S Hunter Wohler led the Badger defense with 11 total tackles, a career high. His previous high (6) came at Iowa last season (Nov. 12, 2022).

Sophomore ILB Jordan Turner posted 8 tackles.

OLB Jake Chaney recorded a key third-down TFL in the third quarter, forcing a Bulls punt. Chaney finished with 5 tackles, including 1 TFL.

K Nathanial Vakos converted 5-of-5 extra points and added a 37-yard FG in his first action as a Badger.

Freshman P Atticus Bertrams punted 5 times for 194 yards (38.8) in his debut. He pinned the Bulls inside the 20 4 times.

Thought I heard something other than U2 will play as the new intro music. Would love to have something like VA Tech. Anyone know?

So far handling TCU at TCU. Colorado has been a circus, but credit where credit is due, they are significantly better than anyone not nicknamed Coach Prime thought

Play action slant for 10. Badgers roll

Stay tuned.

My guess would be Yac, but my dark horse would be white. He has speed and shiftiness. I'd like to see him, at least as a return man

Let’s go Badgers. I’m fired up. So damn excited.
And no, I stopped drinking years ago.

WR Leader Poll

Is MSU REALLY this bad? Struggling against CSU? WOW!!!