Wisconsin Badgers Football Update/Look Ahead (Week 1)

The Wisconsin Badgers' football team opened their season how they were supposed to, blowing out Utah State 59-10. By the looks of the score, many would assume the Badgers played to the level they were supposed to. Think again.

The Badgers gifted the Aggies a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before scoring 10 late points in the second quarter just to tie the game at halftime. On its first two series, Wisconsin gained just eight yards on eight plays; quarterback Alex Hornibrook was sacked twice on the first drive before a botched snap on the second drive gave Utah State the ball on the Wisconsin 16-yard line after a fumble recovery and return.

The Badgers finally got things rolling in the second quarter with a 15-play, 79-yard drive that resulted in a Bradrick Shaw three-yard score.

With just over a minute left in the half, it looked as if the Badgers would head into the locker room trailing by three. Instead, Utah State tried to score again; linebacker T.J. Edwards intercepted a tipped pass on the Aggies first play to set the Badgers up at the Utah State 18.

Kicker Rafael Gaglianone drilled a 29-yard field goal as time expired to tie the game at 10.

After what must have been a extremely motivational lecture from head coach Paul Chryst, the Badgers came out of halftime finally looking like the No. 9 ranking they carried into the season-opener.

The Badgers took their first lead after a four-play, 72-yard drive and never looked back. In all, the Badgers scored 59 unanswered points. Wisconsin scored touchdowns on all but one second half possession.

Hornibrook bounced back from a rough start to throw for 244 yards and three touchdowns; he did not throw an interception and had a number of strong throws. His eight incompletions were hurt by a number of drops from running backs and wide receivers on catchable balls. If the Badgers can get this type of production during Big Ten play, the Badgers' offense will be incredibly hard to slow down.

Freshman RB Jonathan Taylor led the team with 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on just nine attempts. He made a number of eye-opening plays, including a 41-yard run and his 13-yard touchdown run.

Shaw finished with 86 rushing yards on 18 carries as the Badgers rushed for 256 yards on 45 attempts (5.2 yards per carry). Shaw is questionable to play against Florida Atlantic this Saturday. That means Pittsburgh transfer Chris James (5 carries, 15 yards) should be in for a bigger workload, regardless if Shaw plays or not.

Tight end Troy Fumagalli led Wisconsin with 105 receiving yards and a touchdown on five receptions. He appears to have the trust of Hornibrook and should lead the team in catches and targets most weeks.

WR Quintez Cephus capped a solid outing with a twisting, 21-yard touchdown reception on one of Hornibrook's best throws of the game.

Sophomore WR A.J. Taylor added three receptions for 38 yards; last year, Taylor logged just three receptions. The emergence of Cephus and Taylor helped cover for top wide receiver Jazz Peavy, who had just one catch for 19 yards and two rushes for seven yards. Getting Peavy more involved in the offense is probably a focal point in the upcoming game. Still, getting younger guys, like Cephus and Taylor, involved early could help the Badgers' passing game finally find its footing in the 2017-18 season.

Edwards and Chris Orr were all over the field, each recording seven tackles to lead the defense. D'Cota Dixon and Joe Ferguson each picked off a pass as the Badgers forced four turnovers as a unit.

Utah State finished with 304 yards, 137 of which came on the final two possessions against some of the younger Badger defenders. The only thing really lacking from the Badgers' defense in the first game was sacks, but the pressure certainly was there.

This week, the Badgers host the Florida Atlantic Owls, fresh off a 42-19 loss at the hands of Navy. There is plenty of buzz surrounding FAU after the hiring of Lane Kiffin, but the Owls just do not possess the playmakers necessary to pull a major upset on the road.

Florida Atlantic rushed for just 40 yards while passing for 286 yards against Navy. Assuming the Owls trail early on, the Badgers' secondary will again be put to the test.

As the Badgers prepare for the matchup, they are again heavily favored to win. That being said, you know Wisconsin would like to get off to a better start, so look for the defense to bring the heat early on and the offense to come out mixing the run and pass.

This should be a game where the starters rest the final quarter or so. Look for plenty of freshmen and backups to see playing time in this one, but don't expect five Badgers to record their first touchdowns like a week ago.

Prediction - Wisconsin 52, Florida Atlantic 10

Look for the Badgers to get off to a fast start and have the game in-hand by halftime. The biggest thing to watch is the health of the roster before a tougher nonconference matchup at BYU in week three.

Stats from - uwbadgers.com and espn.com

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