VIDEO: Late Kick: Phil Longo is one of the most intriguing assistant coaches in 2023
MADISON, Wis. – It has finally arrived…
No. 19 Wisconsin will officially open this up Luke Fickell era on Saturday as the Badgers host Buffalo to open the 2023 season.
In arguably the program’s most anticipated season since 2011, UW now has its sights set on taking the next step from regular Big Ten West dominance to Big Ten Conference dominance and perhaps even becoming a College Football Playoff contender.
When Fickell arrived, he didn’t mix words. His annual assignment for the Badgers was to “compete for championships.” And that includes its inaugural season.
What would a successful first year look like for Fickell?
“At the end of the year we played our best ball,” Fickell said. “I know that’s pretty vague and a way of not answering the question, but in many ways it is.”
“If we stay consistent, continue to grow and play our best ball at the end of the year, I think we’ll have everything ahead of us. In the last three or four weeks we will have a chance to put ourselves in a position to compete for a championship. There is progress there. There is a process.
“I don’t want our guys to feel like they have to win this first week. There’s a process of doing the things we need to do to get better, finding out what we have and developing what we have.”
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(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
When: 2:30 p.m. CT
Where: Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, Wisconsin)
TV: FS1
TV crew: Eric Collins, Devin Gardner
Electricity: Fox Sports Go
Series history: Wisconsin leads 1-0
Last meeting: Wisconsin went 35-3 in 2008
line: Wisconsin-28
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
1: Buffalo is 1-14 (0.07) all-time against ranked opponents.
1: The Bulls are 1-11 (0.09) against the Big Ten Conference.
2: Wisconsin and BU are meeting for the second time in school history. The Badgers went 35-3 in 2008.
7: The Badgers open the season ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll. UW has been ranked in each of the last seven preseason polls.
34: UW has a record of 34-2 against MAC opponents.
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Senior defensive end Isaiah Mullens and junior tight end Riley Nowakowski Neither was on Wisconsin’s two-deep depth chart released Monday. Under new Big Ten rules, the Badgers will not release an official injury report until two hours before kickoff on Saturday.
Mullens could be a concern.
According to Fickell, the senior defensive lineman does not yet have a timetable for a return.
“He had a scope maybe two weeks ago,” Fickell explained. “Not to the point where we would know if he was two or three weeks away. We will see. I think we’re still about a week away from forecasting where we are with this.”
Mullens, who played in seven games last season and is a converted defensive end, had 11.0 tackles, including 1.5 for a loss in 2022.
With Mullens out, senior Gio Paez will start in his place. The Badgers have also moved to the juniors Ben Barten take on more of an inside role for Saturday.
(Photo: Brad Fedie, 247Sports)
How much attention does Wisconsin’s offense generate in week one?
As much as the Badgers still have a hill to climb, introducing a new, widespread Air Raid offense with a roster recruited to a methodical, professional system and mixing in players with a slew of transfers who have never played together before there is also an advantage…
Nobody has a tape to really prepare for the Badgers.
UW will field a productive senior quarterback Tanner Mordecai and surround him with six experienced receivers, all of whom can get you to 100 yards on any given Saturday. That doesn’t include the same ground-and-pound run game that the Badgers haven’t exactly given up and that may still be the bread and butter of Fickell’s first year/Phil Longo Epoch.
If you’re part of the Badgers, you have to be smart and find the right balance. On one hand, you need to get this offense going enough before heading to Pullman, Washington in week two. On the other hand, you don’t have to show your ass yet.
Will UW take a conservative approach, let it all hang out, or find a healthy balance?
(Photo: Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire, USA TODAY Sports)
Buffalo is coming off a 7-6 season. The Bulls lost 31-10 to a reasonably good Maryland team in the 2022 season opener. UB has faced a Big Ten Conference opponent in five of the last six full seasons. They are 1-4 in those games. The four losses have all been by double digits, while in 2018 the Bulls defeated a Rutgers team that went 1-11, 42-13.
We don’t know what Wisconsin will necessarily look like yet. Despite all the changes, two things likely remain true. The Badgers can dominate football for most of their schedule and their defense is likely another top-25 unit nationally.
Compared to last season’s run, UB gave up 5.0 yards per carry, which ranks 114th in the FBS. The teams essentially opted to let the ball run downhill until the Bulls stopped it, as their opponents averaged 33 runs per contest. Only 17 teams in college football recorded more rushing attempts than UB.
The Bulls are doing a great job of taking care of the football and winning the turnover battle – two areas that could keep this game exciting for a while. Last season, UB was No. 15 nationally in turnover margin (+7) and fourth in takeaways (2.0). The Bulls were also second in time of possession.
UB is 1-14 all-time against a ranked opponent. That win came against Ball State in a MAC championship game in 2008.
I expect UW to give the Bulls a little taste of their offense, but save a lot for week two against Washington State. Braelon Allen And Chez Mellusi Each finished with 100 rushing yards, securing a comfortable victory.
But I think it will take some time for the Badgers to fully impose their will.
Wisconsin 31 Buffalo 7