The story of Wisconsin’s 28-14 Week 1 win over Western Michigan was inconsistency. In many ways, the Badgers faced the same growing pains that plagued the team during its 7-6 2023 season.
There are some significant bright spots from the win, however. One came on what became the game-sealing play from the Badgers defense.
Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin’s 28-14 Week 1 win over Western Michigan
Western Michigan had a 4th-and-1 from midfield with 8:00 left in the contest. The Badgers led 21-14 after having just taken the lead a few minutes earlier. The team badly needed a momentum-maintaining stop.
Wisconsin got that stop, thanks to redshirt junior outside linebacker Aaron Witt.
https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1829729151361700338
Witt finished the contest with two tackles, that 4th-down stop obviously being the biggest. Wisconsin went on to score on the short field and put an exclamation point on a 28-14 win.
The impact play is great to see from someone in Witt who has battled injury after injury over the past three years.
Witt first joined the program as a three-star recruit in the class of 2020. He saw the field as a true freshman, including a 1-sack, 1-forced fumble, 2-tackle-for-loss performance in the Badgers Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over Wake Forest.
He showed immense potential as a true freshman, though went on to miss 2021, 2022 and most of 2023 due to various injuries. The veteran returned to game action in the final games on the 2023 schedule. He is now fully healthy entering 2024, and is already making a positive impact.
Witt will look to build upon his strong Week 1 when the Badgers face South Dakota next Saturday. Wisconsin managed just one sack against Western Michigan, a number that will need to change moving forward.
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