Tag: Wisconsin football news

Madison, Wis. – Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten), who entered the game seven-point favorites, lost their second straight contest in embarrassing fashion on Saturday. 

UW was blown out 34-10 at Camp Randall Stadium, where I can comfortably say they were out ‘Wisconsined’ by Illinois. 

Getting manhandled by the Buckeyes on the road is one thing, but losing to Bret Bielema and Illinois at home, nonetheless, is downright unacceptable. It will undoubtedly force Badger fans to reevaluate the program’s expectations for this season and beyond.

The programs are essentially carbon copies of one another, at least stylistically, so it was rather disheartening to see the Illini beat Wisconsin at their own game. So convincingly, I might add.

Let’s be honest with ourselves; the Badgers have been outscored by its opponents 89-31 in Big Ten play – so it’s hard to find many positives right now. 

Below, Badgerswire grades Wisconsin’s performance, or lack thereof, against Illinois: 

Head coach Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten), who were seven-point favorites, dropped their second straight game on Saturday, in a game that will undoubtedly force Badger fans to reevaluate the program’s expectations.

In front of 76,000 fans at Camp Randall Stadium, UW’s offense managed just 208 total yards (206 passing, 2 rushing) – yes, you read that right, two yards on the ground. Embarrassing. The offensive line, in my opinion, looked overmatched all day long.

Wisconsin’s had 10 penalties, the offense had three turnovers, and only averaged 3.6 yards per play. In short, it was a terrible, no good, very bad day.

Jim Leonhard’s defense allowed 307 yards of total offense and ultimately failed to create pressure, was manhandled in the trenches, and never forced a turnover.

For Illinois, this was the most points the Illini have scored in Madison in 20 years. I’ll say this Bret Bielema had his boys ready to play for the Karma cup.

Here’s a recap of Wisconsin’s home loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Wisconsin Badgers (2-2) enter Saturday’s contest against the Illinois Fighting Illini as seven-point favorites and are looking to rebound after last week’s debacle in Columbus. 

The Badgers, coming off a 52-21 loss to Ohio State, looked disjointed on both sides of the ball; it is, however, worth noting that Ohio State is on a short-list of the nation’s top programs and is infinitely more talented than UW.

Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, ESPN’s FPI model gives Wisconsin an 74.2% chance of winning at home against the Illini.

This projection seems about right, considering Bret Bielema’s program hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2019 and doesn’t appear to be a viable threat to win the Big Ten West. They have, however, noticeably improved in 2022. 

For Wisconsin, I’d love to see the Badgers come out swinging against Illinois and dominate in the trenches. Sophomore running back Braelon Allen will be on a mission after last week’s loss – I’m expecting him to be the clear focal point as this offense continues its search for an identity. 

If everything goes the way it should, I think Wisconsin wins the game and also covers the spread. 

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Madison, Wis. – Entering the 2022 college football season, Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator, Jim Leonhard, returned to the field with just three starters from last year’s top-ranked defensive unit. 

Perhaps to a fault, the assumption was that Wisconsin would remain one of the top defenses in the country despite the significant roster turnover. 

So far, Wisconsin’s defense has been good, not great, which is understandable, considering the Badgers replaced eight starters from last season and are still learning how to mesh.

It also doesn’t help that UW has gone without the No. 1 cornerback Alexander Smith for the entire season thus far, in addition to losing starting safety Hunter Wohler in week 1, forcing an already young defense to search for answers down the depth chart.

Madison, Wis. — On Monday, the University of Wisconsin released its official injury report ahead of its week five matchup vs. the Illinois Fighting Illini. 

The unranked Wisconsin Badgers (2-2) already have seven players ruled out due to injury against Illinois (3-1) and four others listed as out for the season. 

Wisconsin’s secondary has already gone without its No. 1 cornerback Alexander Smith for the season’s first four games. Now, it appears he will miss a fifth consecutive game, raising questions about his injury’s severity and long-term health.

Last week, UW played without its starting tackles, Jack Nelson and Riely Mahlman, with Logan Brown and Trey Wedig filling in, respectively. Their status for this week is ultimately unknown, but there is optimism that Nelson will start at left tackle on Saturday.  

UW will need several key players back in the lineup for Bret Bielema’s return to Camp Randall Stadium this weekend. 

Here is a look at Wisconsin football’s injury report for Week 5: