Wisconsin Football Report Card: Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated Western Michigan 28-14 in a game that was closer than the score indicated.

The Badgers eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter giving them a two-touchdown victory, but the Broncos gave the Badgers all they could handle.

Let's take a look at how the Wisconsin offense, defense, and special teams performed in the Badgers' first game of the season.

Wisconsin Football Offense Grade: C

This was a tough one to grade. The offense on Friday night was very methodical. There weren't many shot plays or explosiveness to speak of.

Luke Fickell talked about that a bit in his postgame press conference.

"Sometimes you have to take what they give you," Fickell told reporters. "I think that sometimes when you have a perception of what it should look like based on what someone else thinks or says and then it doesn't look like that, you can get a little bit, you know, worried."

I think most fans were hoping for a more explosive offense than what we saw last year and that wasn't the case Friday night.

On the plus side, the Badgers kept their drives alive, picking up first downs as they methodically moved down the field. Because the possessions for both teams ate a lot of clock, there weren't a whole lot of possessions to go around. Wisconsin had just nine possessions and had the ball for 35:18 of the game.

The coaching staff talked a lot about the year-two jump with this offense. But after one game, I think the jury is still out on the new system.

Wisconsin Football Defense Grade: C-

The defense for the Badgers was stout to start the game, forcing a three-and-out on the Broncos' first possession.

But after that, they struggled to stop a methodical Western Michigan offense. The Broncos were in scoring position in three of their next four possessions that resulted in a missed field goal and two touchdowns.

The defense didn't force another stop until the fourth quarter.

The defensive line looks like it's going to be a problem. The Badgers were consistently getting pushed off the line. The group also struggled to put any kind of pressure on the quarterback until late in the game.

A positive for the defense, however, was the secondary. They allowed just 141 yards through the air. Ricardo Hallman wasn't even thrown at, and true freshman Xavier Lucas made an impressive interception late in the game.

Wisconsin Football Special Teams Grade: C

I don't think there was anything special about the special teams on Friday night.

Nathanial Vakos missed a 36-yard field goal on the Badgers' first. After the missed kick, he made two more field goals and two extra points.

The defensive field goal unit allowed a fake field goal that put the Broncos down within the Wisocnsin four yard line, eventually leading to a touchdown giving the Broncos the lead in the fourth quarter.

Atticus Bertrum's lone punt led to a change in momentum when the kick bounced off a Bronco player which was recovered by the Badgers. That momentum lead to two-straight Wisconsin touchdowns, putting the game away.

Related: Wisconsin Football Fans React to the Badgers' Win Over Western Michigan

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