Tag: Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin adds dual-threat QB Colton Joseph from Old Dominion

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Colton Joseph, Wisconsin’s top target at quarterback, has arrived in Madison, the junior signal-caller announced on social media on Sunday.

Joseph just completed his sophomore season at Old Dominion, where he earned Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors. The Newport Beach, Calif. native threw for 2,624 yards, with 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He finished eighth in the country in total offense at 302.6 yards per contest.

The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for 1,007 yards and scored 13 touchdowns on the ground.

In two seasons with the Monarchs, Joseph accounted for 54 total touchdowns. He completed 59.8% of his passes while rushing for 6.1 yards per carry.

Wisconsin was snake-bit by injuries at the quarterback position in 2025. Opening day starter Billy Edwards Jr. — who just announced his transfer to North Carolina — suffered an injury in his first game and only appeared in one more contest.

Three quarterbacks combined to throw nine touchdowns but also 13 interceptions for Wisconsin (4-8) this season. The Badgers scored a total of 154 points (12.8 per game), with only Massachusetts scoring fewer points per game at 11.1 among all FBS teams.

Joseph joins current Badgers Danny O’Neil, Carter Smith and incoming freshman Ryan Hopkins as quarterback candidates for Wisconsin in 2026.

–Field Level Media

Pride on line as Wisconsin takes aim at Minnesota

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There is more at stake than just a win when Minnesota hosts border rival Wisconsin on Saturday in Minneapolis.

The Badgers (4-7, 2-6 Big Ten) are coming off a 27-10 upset at home over No. 21 Illinois, their second victory over a ranked team in three games.

The Golden Gophers (6-5, 4-4) lost to Northwestern 38-35 at Wrigley Field on a 33-yard field goal in the final minute. Minnesota had a chance to tie but Brady Denaburg’s 40-yard field-goal attempt on the final play was wide left.

Although bowl eligible, the Golden Gophers have lost two in a row and three of their last four games.

“It’s one of the great rivalries in college football,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said Monday. “But having it back here is going to be great, good to be back home. But we’ve got to find a way, no matter where we play, to play our best football.”

The series, which dates to 1890, is tied 63-63-8 heading into Saturday’s matchup. Minnesota has won three of the last four, including a 24-7 decision last season at Madison.

“It’s all about getting that Axe,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said Monday, referring to Paul Bunyan’s Axe which is awarded to the winner.

“It’s still the thing that makes this game, in college in particular, so special is when you have these rivalry games. And the great thing about it is, you throw out everything.”

Redshirt freshman Drake Lindsay passed for four touchdowns in the loss to Northwestern, including three to Javon Tracy.

Lindsay has completed 62.3% of his passes for 2,145 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Le’Meke Brockington is the top target with 44 catches for 460 yards and four scores.

The Badgers held Illinois to just 50 yards on the ground in 29 attempts. Wisconsin also is the first Big Ten team to have five sacks in three straight conference games since Penn State in 2007.

Wisconsin’s injury-riddled offense has shown signs of life under freshman quarterback Carter Smith. The 27 points against Illinois were the team’s most since a 38-14 loss to Alabama on Sept. 13.

Smith, the fourth different starting quarterback this season, has completed 21 of 38 passes with one touchdown and one interception in three games.

Sophomore Darrion Dupree carried 17 times for 131 yards against Illinois with two touchdowns, including an 84-yard scoring run.

Outside linebacker Darryl Peterson III was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, after recording six tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble versus the Fighting Illini.

–Field Level Media

No. 2 Indiana uses second-half surge to thump Wisconsin

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Fernando Mendoza passed for 299 yards and four touchdowns, Charlie Becker had five catches for 108 yards with a score and No. 2 Indiana rolled to a 31-7 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) navigated multiple injuries to remain unbeaten and move to 11-0 for the first time in school history. Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (hamstring) missed his second straight game while defensive end Mikail Kamara left in the first quarter with an apparent shoulder injury.

Mendoza helped the Hoosiers regroup from a shaky start against the Badgers (3-7, 1-6), who collected five sacks, including 2 1/2 from Darryl Peterson.

Leading 10-7 at halftime, Indiana created distance with Mendoza passing touchdowns to Holden Staes (2 yards), Riley Nowakowski (21 yards), and Omar Cooper Jr. (5 yards) on three of its first five drives in the second half.

Mendoza had twice as many touchdown passes as incompletions, finishing 22-for-44 through the air. He now has 30 TD passes, the most in a single season in program history.

Wisconsin counterpart Carter Smith was 9 of 15 for 98 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Badgers leading rusher Gideon Ituka gained 32 yards on nine carries before being taken off the field on a cart midway through the third quarter wearing a brace around his head and neck.

Roman Hemby led Indiana with 58 rushing yards on 14 carries.

The Hoosiers visited the end zone on their first possession, covering 72 yards in nine plays for a 7-0 lead. Indiana punctuated the drive with a 31-yard scoring pass from Mendoza to Becker with 2:56 left in the first quarter.

After missing a 44-yard field goal attempt and punting twice to begin the day, Wisconsin broke through on its fourth possession. On fourth down and inches from the Hoosiers’ 45, The badgers scored as Smith connected with a wide-open Lance Mason for a touchdown on a play-action pass with 3:42 left in the second quarter.

Indiana responded with a 37-yard Nico Radicic field goal with 55 seconds left in the quarter to take a 10-7 lead into halftime.

The Hoosiers outgained the Badgers 388-168 while limiting Wisconsin to eight first downs.

Wisconsin has lost 11 of its past 12 conference games.

–Field Level Media

Oregon running back Jordon Davison carries the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the Wisconsin Badgers on Oct. 25, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

No. 6 Oregon overcomes QB injury, slow start to defeat Wisconsin

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Sixth-ranked Oregon survived the loss of starting quarterback Dante Moore for almost all of the second half and a slow start on offense, defeating Wisconsin 21-7 Saturday at rainy Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.

The Ducks (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) scored touchdowns on their final drive of the first half and first drive of the second, and it was more than enough to hand the Badgers their sixth consecutive loss.

Moore, who had been in the Heisman Trophy conversation earlier this season, went down with a bloody nose after being tackled on a run up the middle early in the third quarter. He returned to the sideline but was without his helmet the rest of the way.

Brock Thomas relieved Moore and led the Ducks on a pair of touchdown drives in the second half that secured the win for Oregon.

Thomas, a Eugene native in his third season in the Oregon program with no major playing time previously, threw a touchdown pass to offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson with 14:17 to play to give the Ducks a three-score lead.

Thomas completed all five of his pass attempts for 46 yards, though one was close to being picked off and was tipped for a completion.

The Ducks had a hard time with Wisconsin’s defense from the start, the Badgers getting a fourth-down stop on Oregon’s first possession and forcing three punts after that.

Oregon’s defense kept the Badgers (2-6, 0-5) off the board until Lance Mason caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Simmons with 7:57 to play in the fourth quarter. The touchdown ended Wisconsin’s run of 11 quarters without a single point in a game.

Simmons completed 7 of 21 passes for 86 yards with a touchdown and interception. Running back Gideon Ituka had 85 rushing yards on 21 carries.

Oregon put the ball in the hands of its running backs more often in the inclement weather, and Jordon Davison had a pair of touchdown runs, one from three yards and a second from 20, as part of his 102 yards on 16 carries. Noah Whittington added 97 yards on 14 carries, including a 36-yard run in the third quarter.

The Ducks executed a fake punt for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but it was nullified by a penalty. Moments later, Ducks defensive back Daylen Austin intercepted a Simmons pass to seal the win for Oregon.

Wisconsin lost its 11th straight game to a Power Four conference opponent.

–Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the third quarter of their game against the Maryland Terrapins at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images

Wisconsin AD: Luke Fickell deserves our support

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Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh said football coach Luke Fickell and the Badgers “deserve all our support” despite the program falling “well short of our standards.”

McIntosh released his statement Monday, two days after the Badgers (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) suffered their fifth straight loss — and second straight shutout — in a 34-0 home defeat against No. 1 Ohio State.

Fickell, 52, is 15-18 since replacing Paul Chryst in November 2022.

“I share in the disappointment with this football season to date; it has fallen well short of our standards,” McIntosh said. “At Wisconsin, we do not shy away from setting lofty expectations — for our teams, our coaches, and for myself. We embrace them and accept the responsibility of meeting those goals. While our coaches, staff and student-athletes continue to demonstrate the work ethic and values that represent UW Football, the results simply are not where any of us want them to be.

“Coach Fickell sees the potential in what this team can be, as do I, and he shares the same disappointment and frustration. Our student-athletes continue to stand and fight with character and pride as they battle through this moment of adversity, and they deserve all our support.”

In his message to “Badger Nation,” McIntosh also vowed to increase the financial investment in the program and its infrastructure, staffing and student-athlete recruiting and retention.

“I bleed red and white, and I will not rest in the pursuit of our goals: fielding championship-caliber teams and delivering the pride and joy of success to a new generation of Badgers. You have my unrelenting commitment to do what is necessary to make that happen.”

The Badgers will owe Fickell a reported buyout of $25.4 million if they part ways after the 2025 season.

Fickell compiled a 57-18 record at Cincinnati from 2017-22 before coming to Madison, earning consensus Coach of the Year honors after a 13-1 season in 2021.

Wisconsin’s season continues Saturday with a trip to No. 6 Oregon (6-1, 3-1).

–Field Level Media

Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Logan Jones (65) celebrates a touchdown in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ross Harried-Imagn Images

Iowa jumps out to big lead, dominates Wisconsin 37-0

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Iowa’s defense forced three turnovers and shut down Wisconsin in a 37-0 Big 10 victory on Saturday night in Madison, Wis.

The Badgers’ turnovers led to 17 points as the Hawkeyes won the Heartland Trophy for the fourth straight year. Kamari Moulton rushed for 96 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown and Xavier Williams added 55 rushing yards and two scores.

The Hawkeyes (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) outrushed the Badgers 210-127 and held a 319-209 edge in total yards.

Bryce Hawthorne and Aaron Graves had first-quarter interceptions for Iowa and Mark Gronowski completed 17 of 24 passes for 107 yards and an interception.

Iowa’s Drew Stevens connected on field goals of 32, 25 and 49 yards.

Wisconsin’s Hunter Simmons completed 8 of 21 passes for 82 yards and two interceptions. Dilin Jones rushed for 69 yards and Ricardo Hallman had an interception for the Badgers (2-4, 0-3). Wisconsin’s offense only crossed midfield four times, with its deepest penetration at the Hawkeyes’ 35-yard line.

After a Stevens field goal opened the scoring, Brian Allen deflected a Simmons’ pass that Hawthorne intercepted. The turnover set up Moulton’s 6-yard touchdown run to put Iowa up 10-0.

On the next Wisconsin drive, Graves returned an interception to the 1-yard line. Gronowski’s quarterback sneak pushed the Iowa lead to 17-0 with 1:30 left in the first quarter. Hallman ended the first quarter with an interception, but Simmons threw a backwards pass that Zach Lutmer recovered for a fumble on the next play and the Hawkeyes reclaimed possession.

Stevens’ third field goal of the first half sent Iowa to the locker room with a 23-0 lead. The rout was on when Williams burst through the Badgers’ line for a 29-yard touchdown scamper to put the Hawkeyes up 30-0 with 10:34 left in the third. In the fourth quarter, Williams punched it in with a 19-yard run for a 37-0 lead.

It was the 99th meeting between the longtime rivals. Wisconsin leads 49-48-2.

–Field Level Media

Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. (9) is shown during spring football practice Wednesday, April 23, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin unveils new QB, RB and OC against Miami (Ohio)

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Visiting Miami (Ohio) should provide a solid measuring stick for the Wisconsin Badgers and coach Luke Fickell, looking to bounce back from a disappointing season, in the nonconference opener for both teams Thursday night in Madison, Wis.

Wisconsin dropped its final five games last season to finish 5-7 in Fickell’s second year at the helm, snapping a streak of 22 consecutive winning seasons.

Miami, 9-5 last season, has appeared in the last two MAC championship games. The RedHawks lost to Ohio 38-3 in the conference title game last year, then defeated Colorado State 43-17 in the Arizona Bowl.

Wisconsin, which averaged just 22.6 points per game last season, has some major changes on offense. Jeff Grimes, offensive coordinator at Kansas last season, replaces Phil Longo in the same role.

For the third consecutive season under Fickell, the Badgers will have a veteran transfer starting at quarterback. Billy Edwards Jr. threw for 2,881 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions for Maryland last season, completing 65 percent of his passes.

Redshirt freshman Dilin Jones has been tabbed the starter at running back, with returnees Darrion Dupree (317 yards) and Cade Yacamelli (274 yards) as back-ups.

The Badgers will be without injured tight end Tucker Ashcraft vs. Miami.

“Ultimately, game one in particular, is about focusing on yourself,” Fickell said Monday. “For us, it’s about us going out there playing with some confidence and playing clean. We’ve got a lot to prove to ourselves.”

The RedHawks also will rely on a veteran transfer at quarterback, seventh-year senior Dequan Finn, who was at Baylor last seasons after five years at MAC rival Toledo.

Finn started the first two games at Baylor last season before suffering a shoulder injury. At Toledo, Finn passed for 7,074 yards and 63 touchdowns, while adding 1,840 yards rushing with 25 scores and was the MAC’s Most Valuable Player in 2023.

The RedHawks are still trying to figure out their rotations, coach Chuck Martin said last week.

“We’ve still got a hodgepodge mess of talented kids that are inconsistent,” Martin said. “We’re going to play a ton of Wisconsin on offense. I think there’s definitely some guys that we know on defense, our elder statesmen on defense, that are our guys.”

The Badgers face a tough challenge to improve under Fickell, 12-13 in his first two full seasons after going 53-10 in his final five seasons at Cincinnati, including one College Football Playoff appearance.

After home games against Miami and Middle Tennessee, the Badgers travel to eighth-ranked Alabama — the first of six games against teams in the preseason top 20, including four on the road.

It will be the first meeting between Wisconsin and the RedHawks since 2015 when the Badgers rolled to a 58-0 victory at home.

–Field Level Media

Wisconsin offensive lineman Kevin Heywood (55) is shown during the fourth quarter of their game Saturday October 19, 2024 at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. Wisconsin beat Northwestern 23-3.

Wisconsin LT Kevin Heywood (ACL) out for 2025 season

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Wisconsin left tackle Kevin Heywood will miss the 2025 season with an ACL injury, Badgers coach Luke Fickell said on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-8, 325-pound sophomore had been in line to replace Jack Nelson, a four-year starter and projected late-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

Heywood was a four-star recruit in the 2024 class, ranked No. 50 in the nation, No. 4 at his position and No. 1 in Pennsylvania by 247Sports.

Heywood appeared in all 12 games for the Badgers as a freshman last season, mostly on special teams.

–Field Level Media

Nov 29, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Darrion Dupree (13) is tackled by Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman Danny Striggow (92) during the second quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Minnesota defense dominates as Wisconsin dealt rare losing season

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Max Brosmer passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead Minnesota past archrival Wisconsin 24-7 in the annual battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe on Friday afternoon, ending the Badgers’ streak of consecutive winning seasons at 22.

Brosmer completed 17 of 26 passes for 191 yards without an interception for the Gophers (7-5, 5-4 Big Ten).

Wisconsin (5-7, 3-6) closed the season with five consecutive defeats and its first losing season since going 5-7 under Barry Alvarez in 2001. It was the longest active streak of winning seasons among Power 4 teams.

The defeat also likely snapped Wisconsin’s streak of 22 consecutive bowl games, as there is almost no chance the Badgers get a bid as a five-win team because of Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Darius Taylor rushed for 143 yards on 32 carries for the Gophers, who had a 374-166 advantage in total yards.

Wisconsin was held to just 36 yards rushing on 24 attempts. Braedyn Locke completed just 15 of 32 passes for 130 yards.

Brosmer’s 1-yard plunge put Minnesota up 7-0 late in the first quarter, capping a nine-play, 89-yard drive. Brosmer completed 4 of 5 passes for 71 yards on the march, including a 21-yard completion on third-and-7 to the 1-yard line.

The Gophers made it 14-0 on their next possession when Brosmer capped the 75-yard drive with a 7-yard scoring pass to Daniel Jackson.

Minnesota pushed the lead to 21-0 with a methodical 11-play drive that consumed the first 6:02 of the third quarter. Brosmer completed all six of his passes on the drive, including a 15-yard touchdown to tight end Jameson Geers.

Wisconsin answered with its first sustained drive, kept alive by a late hit penalty on third-and-15. Locke’s 15-yard pass to Vinny Anthony II made it 21-7 with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.

The Badgers drove to the Minnesota 10, but Nathanial Vakos was wide right on a 37-yard field-goal attempt with 12:10 remaining.

Dragin Kesich’s 43-yard field goal put the Gophers up 24-7 with 3:19 left.

–Field Level Media

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel throws out a pass as the Oregon Ducks host the Maryland Terrapins at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Eugene, Ore.

No. 1 Oregon looks to hang on to top spot at Wisconsin

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Record-setting quarterback Dillon Gabriel and undefeated Oregon will be out to solidify the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings when the Ducks visit inconsistent Wisconsin in a Big Ten matchup at Madison, Wis., on Saturday.

Oregon (10-0, 7-0), No. 1 in the CFP rankings released Tuesday, routed Maryland 39-18 last weekend behind three scoring passes by Gabriel, who broke the NCAA record for total career touchdowns.

Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3) is coming off a bye after a 42-10 loss at Iowa, one of the worst defeats in Luke Fickell’s two years as coach.

“We’re still having a lot of fun, coming up every single day to get better and find ways to improve,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Monday. “The challenge of this new conference, the travel and some of the teams that we got to play, it’s been a lot of fun for us.”

Gabriel, a sixth-year transfer from Oklahoma, completed 23 of 34 passes for 183 yards against the Terrapins. That gave him 180 total touchdowns (147 passing, 33 rushing), surpassing the 178 touchdowns (155 passing, 23 rushing) that Case Keenum produced for Houston from 2007-11.

Gabriel leads the nation in pass completion percentage at 74.1 percent (237 of 320) for 284.8 yards per game, with 22 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Gabriel and the Ducks’ passing game present obvious difficulties for the Badgers’ secondary.

“They’re going to be challenged in different ways,” Fickell said Monday. “That’s the beauty of college football. You can be challenged each and every week in a lot of different ways and this one may be one we haven’t seen really the entire year.

“The ability for them to throw the ball downfield. The dynamic of the wide receivers that they have. Obviously, the quarterback and the ability of him to make plays both with his feet and in the air.”

James Jordan paces the Ducks’ ground game with 946 yards (5.7 per carry) and 10 touchdowns.

Oregon has been efficient in the red zone with 39 scores in 44 opportunities, including 32 touchdowns.

The Ducks, who have scored 30 or more points in each of their past nine games, average 35.7 points while allowing 16. Oregon averages 457 yards per contest and is giving up 293.7.

Wisconsin took consecutive early-season losses to Alabama and Southern California, then dominated Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern during a three-game winning streak. However, the Badgers have since lost to Penn State, now No. 4 in the CFP rankings, and Iowa.

In their five victories, the Badgers outscored opponents 34.4 to 8.6 per game, with a 454-239 average advantage in total yards. In four losses, Wisconsin was outscored 37.5 to 13.5.

Redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke, who took over at quarterback when Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending knee injury against Alabama, threw two costly interceptions against Iowa. Locke has completed 56.8 percent of his passes for 177.3 yards per game, but he has eight picks along with eight touchdown tosses.

Against Iowa, the Badgers allowed 329 rushing yards, 6.1 yards per carry.

In the teams’ most matchup, Oregon edged Wisconsin 28-27 in the 2020 Rose Bowl when the Ducks were still in the Pac-12. The Badgers have not defeated a No. 1-ranked team since a 31-18 upset of Ohio State in 2010.

–Field Level Media