Although this is one of, if not the single best, starts to a season in the entire Luke Fickell era for Wisconsin Badgers football, one of the biggest gripes with the team has been its slow starts. Outside of a somewhat strong first half against Notre Dame, Wisconsin hasn’t been able to get into a rhythm in its first couple of drives.
In the Eastern Michigan game, Badger fans had nearly given up on the team after one quarter of play. The offense wasn’t able to move the ball and had already stacked up a turnover. On top of that, the defense wasn’t able to hold a far inferior Eastern Michigan team, allowing a pair of scoring drives.
Wisconsin was able to pull away after that, ultimately winning in dominant fashion. But that same trend continued in the following game against Penn State. Colton Joseph had a pair of early turnovers, the defense held its own for the most part, but nonetheless, Wisconsin found itself trailing 17-0.
Much like Eastern Michigan, in the end, the Badgers prevailed, but fans wanted to see a better start against a very beatable Michigan State team. Much like Wisconsin has done all year, the crew once again delivered.
Through one half of play, Wisconsin leads 17-3, scoring on each of its first three drives and, as you can probably tell by the score, holding the Spartans nearly scoreless in the process. Joseph has looked better than ever before with both his arm and his legs, throwing for two touchdowns while also leading the team in rushing with 79 yards on the ground.
Tight end Jacob Harris continues to be the team’s best scoring threat, snagging two catches in the first half, both of which resulted in touchdowns. Harris now has the team’s three most recent scores through the air and has really come into his own as one of Joseph’s favorite targets.
Jacob Harris over his last 5 quarters: pic.twitter.com/CA8MJRTAxw
— Real App (@realapp) October 3, 2026
On the defensive side of things, unsurprisingly, Cooper Catalano has led the way, leading the team in tackles and coming up with some very timely pass breakups, including one on fourth down. He and fellow linebacker Mason Posa continue to be the anchors of a very impactful defensive unit, keeping Wisconsin in every game they have been in.
There is, of course, still a half to play in Madison, but all signs point to this Badger team hitting its stride right before the toughest stretch of the season.
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