Road to Week 1: Simulating Weeks 1 and 2 of the Badgers 2024 Season in CFB 25

Week 1: Wisconsin (0-0) vs Western Michigan (0-0)

In the first game of Year 2 in the Air Raid system, Wisconsin's offense didn't do much vertical damage in the opening two quarters. The team was held scoreless in the first quarter on 39 yards of offense and its' lone first-half score came off the back of an RJ Delancy red-zone interception that led to a 46 yard pop pass from Tyler Van Dyke to Vinny Anthony. Anthony was the only wide receiver to net a catch in the half, as Van Dyke only completed five passes.

Still, with the red-zone turnover and a missed field goal by Western Michigan, the Badgers entered halftime tied 7-7 despite yielding 184 passing yards.

Leon Lowery tried to set the tone on the opening kickoff, drilling the ballcarrier and jarring the ball loose. However, the Broncos recovered at their own 18 and picked apart the Badgers defense, getting WMU into a goal-to-go scenario. Once again, the Wisconsin defense stepped up in the redzone, forcing running back Jalen Buckley to cough up the football and allowing Ben Barten to come up with the football and the turnover.

Wisconsin marched all the way down the field, with Riley Nowakowski coming away with a three-yard TD catch to put the Badgers ahead 14-7 with 4:30 left in the third period. The next Broncos drive stalled out near midfield, when a check down from Hayden Wolff to Buckley fell way short of the line to gain on 3rd and 12. But, WMU was given a second chance and the played was called back due to John Pius lining up offsides. On the very next play, Wolff found Kenneth Womack for a 47-yard catch, putting Western Michigan in the red zone and later scored a TD of their own.

After trading another pair of touchdowns, Wisconsin received the ball at the two minute warning on their own 17 yard line. Van Dyke, in his first game in Camp Randall, had the opportunity to lead the Badgers on a lengthy game-winning drive.

He threw three incompletions, and the Badgers punted, leaving Western Michigan the ball at their own 47 yard line and 1:47 on the clock. Two completed passes and 22 yards later, the Broncos were safely in field goal range. They ran the ball three times, going for no gain, but burned each of the Badgers' three timeouts and made a 46 yard field goal with 27 seconds to play.

Trailing 24-21 with the ball at the 20, Van Dyke hit a 22-yard completion to Vinny Anthony on the sidelines on the first play of the drive. Van Dyke was forced to throw the ball away on second and third down, but was the recipient of a late hit on third down, resulting in a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty. Now in plus territory, Wisconsin was on the edge of field goal range. They completed a quick out and stopped the clock. With no timeouts remaining, Van Dyke didn't feel the pressure coming from his blindside and took a sack, resulting in a home-opener loss.

Mellusi went for 95 yards on 21 carries, while White added 73 yards on the ground across seven rushes. Van Dyke finished 13-for-21 with 121 yards and three passing TDs. On defense, Pius was the lone Badger to log a sack, while the secondary was torched for 388 yards and two scores on 28-for-33 passing by Hayden Wolff.

FINAL: Wisconsin 21, Western Michigan 24.

Game 2: Wisconsin (0-1) vs South Dakota (0-0)

Technically, this game comes against South Dakota but CFB 25 only has made up FCS schools assigned to each major region of the U.S., resulting in Wisconsin facing a team called FCS Northwest.

As can be expected, Wisconsin held up much better against an FCS foe than they did against Western Michigan. However, Week 2 didn't come without any hiccups. The Badgers didn't score a touchdown until there was less than a minute to play in the second quarter. Still, an 18-yard touchdown grab by Bryson Green and a pair of Nathaniel Vakos field goals were enough for Wisconsin to take a 13-7 lead into halftime. The Badgers had trouble running the ball against FCS Northwest, combining for 42 yards on 20 carries, but they got 139 yards through the air from Van Dyke in the first half.

The offense struggled early in the second half, going scoreless in the third period before breaking the stalemate with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Anthony, and adding on a two-point conversion to take a 19-7 lead. From there, it was all Wisconsin. Nowakowski caught a four-yard touchdown, and the Badgers didn't let up another point, cruising to their first win.

Van Dyke added three more passing TDs, going 14-for-17 with 225 yards to pair. Chez Mellusi turned 20 rushes into 86 yards, while Bryson Green (5 receptions, 97 yards, TD) and Anthony (4 receptions, 91 yards, TD) led the receiving room. On the defensive side, Curt Neil picked up 2.5 sacks, while John Pius got to the quarter back twice as well. Both Austin Brown and Ricardo Hallman logged an interception.

Final: Wisconsin 26, South Dakota 7

Stat Leaders After Two Weeks

Passing - Van Dyke: 27/38 for 346 yards and 6/0
Rushing - Mellusi: 41 rushes for 181 yards (4.4ypc) and 0 TD
Receiving - Anthony: 7 receptions for 157 yards and 2 TD

Tackles - Chaney: 20
Sacks - Pius: 3.5
Interceptions - 3 Tied: 1