What We Learned from Wisconsin’s win over Western Illinois

The Wisconsin Badgers got their first win of the season against Western Illinois Saturday night, but question marks still loom large over the program.

In their 36-9 victory, the Badgers came out strong with a 17-0 start that saw the offensive, defensive, and special team units making plays early. Once both teams settled into the game, however, Wisconsin struggled to continue their early success.

While the victory was never in true doubt for the Badgers, Wisconsin will need to clean up errors across the board before heading into Big Ten play.

Here are three things we learned from Wisconsin's win against the Leathernecks.

Colton Joseph continues shaky start to season

Coming off Wisconsin's blowout loss to Notre Dame in Green Bay, Colton Joseph needed a strong showing against Western Illinois. Unfortunately for the Badgers, it was more of the same inconsistencies from Joseph that disrupted the offense at times.

Joseph's carries dropped from 10 against the Fighting Irish to four against the Leathernecks, allowing him to focus on getting yards through the air. And while he did have some explosive throws, including a 55-yard connection with leading receiver Tyrell Henry , Joseph also had accuracy troubles throughout the game. Joseph had multiple throws to relatively open receivers that he simply missed, stalling drives and forcing the Badgers to settle.

One such case came early in the first quarter. With the Badgers just outside the 10-yard line and looking to score on third down, Joseph flew the ball over tight end Jacob Harris 's head, forcing Wisconsin to kick the field goal.

One note that might ease the minds of Badgers fans is that, despite Joseph's shaky start, his experience brings versatility to Wisconsin's offense that simply wasn't present last season.

Joseph will need to correct his accuracy errors quickly, as Big Ten defenses will be more likely to capitalize off his mistakes. But after a 2025 season where a Badger quarterback threw for 200+ yards only once all year, Joseph is a breath of fresh air for this Wisconsin offense.

The Badgers run defense stumbled against Notre Dame, especially in the second half of the contest, but at times showed signs of a unit capable of getting stops.

Against Western Illinois, however, Wisconsin simply couldn't contain the Leathernecks on the ground. Western Illinois rushed for 158 yards, a concerning statistic when looking ahead to the rushing attacks that Wisconsin will encounter later in the year.

In particular, quarterback Kennedy McGill took advantage of his mobility, rushing 18 times for 88 yards and extending drives for Western Illinois. Wisconsin looked one step behind McGill, not being prepared for his designed and improvised rushes.

Despite not allowing any touchdowns in the game, Wisconsin's defense let Western Illinois power drives through the rushing attack. One drive in particular saw the Leathernecks rush for seven consecutive plays and eventually kick a field goal.

Wisconsin's defense was undoubtedly the better unit in 2025, keeping the Badgers in games with a makeshift offense. But for the win total to improve in 2026, the defense will need to make sure winning in the trenches isn't a point of weakness.

Tyrell Henry is emerging in his increased role

Entering the 2026 season, the wide receiver group was a point of focus for many. There was no true standout option coming out of camp, with incoming transfers and tenured Badgers making up the bunch.

While there hasn't been a receiver who's claimed the title of WR1 just yet, Henry has proved to be productive for Joseph and the Badgers through two games. His four catches and 91 yards against Western Illinois led all Badgers, with Joseph targeting Henry nine times throughout the contest.

Even though Malachi Coleman got all the attention with his dazzling route and touchdown catch against Notre Dame, Henry wasn't far behind Coleman in terms of productivity. The fifth-year wideout reeled in four catches for 42 yards against the Fighting Irish, already besting his highs from 2025.

Henry possesses good size and can generate yards after the catch, as seen in his 55-yard play with Joseph mentioned earlier. Based on his activity from these first two games, it seems as if Henry will be a major contributor to the pass game moving forward.