Five things and one Marquette-related fun fact to know about Wisconsin football opponent Western Michigan

MADISON – Finally, it’s game week.

The Wisconsin football team opens the season Friday under the lights of Camp Randall Stadium against Western Michigan (8 p.m. kickoff).

Here is what you need to know about the Broncos, who were picked to finish seventh out of 12 teams in the Mid-American Conference preseason coaches poll released last month. Seventeen full-time starters and 24 players who got at least one start return.

Count on Jalen Buckley getting his touches

Buckley, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound redshirt sophomore was one of two freshmen in the nation who had a 1,000-yard season in 2023. He gained 1,003 yards in 189 carries, a 5.3-yard average, and scored 10 times and when you include his 18 receptions he touched the ball almost 19 times per game. His production should be aided by the return of a veteran offensive line that features returning starters at center, right guard and right tackle and further bolstered by the addition of Notre Dame transfer Quinn Murphy, who is poised to help at tackle.

QB Hayden Wolff is the No. 2 returning passer in the MAC

It wasn't until the second half of the season, but coach Lance Taylor settled on a quarterback and the decision has put the Broncos in good position this year. Wolff, a redshirt senior, started the final five games and led the Broncos to victories over Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. He completed 65% of his passes for 1,505 yards last season, a 188.1-yard average that is second only to Miami’s Brett Gabbert (204.3) among returning players.

The Broncos took no hits from the transfer portal

Western Michigan went 5-7 overall and 2-5 in the MAC last season, but the foundation established during Taylor's first season paid off in player retention. The Broncos had five players with eligibility remaining named to the all-conference team and all five returned: Buckley, graduate student receiver Kenneth Womack, senior linemen Jacob Gideon and Addison West, and senior receiver Anthony Sambucci. In fact, no starters were lost to the portal. On the flip side, the Broncos added 13 players from the transfer portal with a focus on the defensive line and secondary.

Western Michigan has three new coordinators, including one from Indiana

The Broncos have three new coordinators, a group that includes Walt Bell, who ran Indiana’s offense the past two seasons. Expect some fine-tuning to the offense and significant changes to the defense.  On offense that means making some tweaks to the run game and being more aggressive with downfield throws. The defense needs more work. That unit ranked 84 ^th nationally in yards allowed (393.3) and 106 ^th in scoring defense (31.75). The emphasis there, according to Taylor, has been to simplify the scheme so that the players can play faster.

There are four Wisconsin natives on the roster

There are four Wisconsin-bred players on the Western Michigan roster: senior offensive lineman Adam Vandervest from Verona High School, junior offensive lineman Calvin Muraski (Bay Port), sophomore offensive lineman Chad Schuster (Franklin) and junior defensive lineman Marcel Tyler (Racine St. Catherine’s). Vandervest started one game last season (at right tackle) and played in nine games overall. Tyler played in every game last season and recorded six tackles.

Fun fact: Marquette played a role in Western Michigan’s decision to change its nickname

A few MAC schools have changed their original or long-time nicknames to remove Native American references. Western Michigan’s mascot change in 1939 had nothing to do with that. The university simply wanted to distinguish itself.

The school’s teams were initially called Hilltoppers because many of the school’s buildings were built on a part of Kalamazoo, Michigan, called Prospect Hill, but according to collegefootballhistory.com , school leaders thought the nickname was too common. Marquette was using Hilltoppers at the time. Western Kentucky was also using it, and continues to do so.

The Bronco nickname was the idea of John Gill, an assistant football coach who went on to become Western Michigan’s head coach and associate athletic director. He was given a $10 check for his contribution.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Five things and one Marquette-related fun fact to know about Wisconsin football opponent Western Michigan