Week 5 vs Kent State
Sam Land
It’s dangerous to ever underestimate any opponent in FBS college football, but with that being said, Wisconsin’s matchup with another bottom-level MAC program in Kent State should serve as a nice reprieve after two tough Big Ten contests. There were flashes (no pun intended) of a program on the rise, but the Golden Flashes found themselves in the victory column just twice in 2018 in their first season under the leadership of former Wisconsin tight end Sean Lewis.
While it’s reasonable to expect slightly better results this season, Kent State just doesn’t have the firepower on either of the ball needed to beat Wisconsin.
It’s true the Golden Flashes return most of their production from an offense that averaged just over 383 yards per game, and they very well may hang a couple of touchdowns on the Badgers, if the latter come out sluggish. However, it won’t be enough to keep up with the Wisconsin offense: Lewis’ defense allowed 220.3 rushing yards and 249 passing yards per game last season, so the Badgers should feast through the air and especially on the ground in this one.
Wisconsin 48 – Kent State 10
Christian Borman
After a short stretch of back-to-back tough games, Wisconsin will have an easier matchup with Kent State. A member of the MAC conference, the Golden Flashes finished last season with a 2-10 record. I think this is another game where the Wisconsin will rack up the rushing yards. Last season, Kent State gave up over 220 yards per game, which ranked 114th out of 130 FBS teams.
This should be another game where we will have a chance to see the depth of the Wisconsin football team. If they can get a sizeable lead, they will be able to get some of the younger, more inexperienced players a chance to play a little bit this season before the Big Ten schedule starts up again and gets tougher. Wisconsin breezes through this one.
Wisconsin 45 – Kent State 13