Wisconsin fans are already turning on Colton Joseph after a very underwhelming performance against an FCS foe in Western Illinois. This was supposed to be a game in which he proved he can command the Badger offense and can lead Wisconsin back to the promised land. Instead, it was a game that showed a ton of his flaws and a lot of the concerns that have been brought up since spring camp about Joseph.
At the end of this article, we can look at the excuse Luke Fickell used for Joseph.
There are really three major things that had fans turning on him, and many are already asking to get Ryan Hopkins in there. In a game where the Badgers won 36-9, there was a lot of dissatisfaction, and rightfully so. Let's break down how Joseph struggled.
There’s not another way to say it, but Colton Joseph has been a disappointment through a game and a half. We really haven’t seen his explosiveness yet and he’s wildly inaccurate passing the ball. #Badgers
— Josh Knegendorf (@joshk70) September 13, 2026
1. Missing easy targets at short distances
The biggest frustration is that Joseph was missing easy throws. Like really easy throws. He was simply missing them. It was hard to watch. There were plenty of short routes with wide-open players where Joseph just couldn't complete the pass. He finished the day 12/22 in passing against an FCS team. That should reveal exactly how rough an outing he had.
Unfortunately I am not impressed by Colton Joseph. He’s missing a lot of throws that should be easy.
— OberSports (@obersports) September 13, 2026
Fortunately our FG kicker looks awesome
2. Unwilling to run
He seemed unwilling to run for most of the game. Even when he clearly was struggling to throw the ball. He only had four carries for 33 yards. That's 8.3 yards per carry, and there was way more to be had if he simply chose to tuck it and run. It was getting to the point where fans were genuinely curious if he was still a mobile quarterback.
Glad Colton Joseph kept that ball and ran because my mentions were starting to question whether he could run the ball.
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) September 13, 2026
3. Poor decision-making
The biggest knock against Joseph since spring ball was that he doesn't always make the best decisions. In fact, many Badger fans knew this going in, as he had 10 interceptions last season for Old Dominion. He's got a little bit of a gunslinger mentality and doesn't mind trying to fit balls into tight windows, but there are other times when he just makes the bad call.
He wasn't sharp all night and it was overwhelmingly obvious.
Colton Joseph not sharp. Risky decision on deep post to Coleman, DPI saved him. Poor throw to Harris on short curl to his right.
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) September 13, 2026
Saw this and wrote about it in camp -- too many easy throws missed by Joseph.
Luke Fickell says that Colton Joseph was "dinged up" from last week
Afterward, Luke Fickell offered an excuse for his quarterback and said that Joseph was a "little bit dinged up." He told reporters after the game, "Obviously nothing was ever really said. He wasn’t able to ready himself to go on Tuesday." And then told everyone that they took big throws downfield "off his plate" this last week.
However, if Joseph wasn't healthy, why would Fickell march him out there in a game that Wisconsin could win with QB2 or QB3? What is he thinking? Does he want Joseph to get hurt worse? And as soon as it was clear that Joseph was struggling, why not pull the plug? What was he trying to gain by watching Joseph struggle?
Or, and this is the big one, is Fickell covering from Joseph's bad play? Because it was truly bad.
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