Behind enemy lines: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
BadgerNotes spoke to Middle Tennessee insider Jake Bolden for an opposing writer's take on the Wisconsin Badgers Week 2 matchup.
Wisconsin football, off to a 1-0 start following a win over Miami (OH), plays its second and final buy game of the season Saturday afternoon as it welcomes the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders to Camp Randall Stadium.
Middle Tennessee is coming off a brutal loss in its opener to FCS foe Austin Peay. As the Badgers look to build momentum and the Blue Raiders look for win No. 1, BadgerNotes spoke with Middle Tennessee insider Jake Bolden to get his thoughts on the Week 2 showdown.
Q: What’s the confidence level in QB Nicholas Vattiato after he struggled in Week 1?
Bolden: “As far as his confidence goes, I’ve never really been concerned about it. He’s just always been that kinda guy, even after bad games he seems to bounce back really well. Even last year, he had games where he was sick pre-game and ended up playing.
“The numbers last week are shocking on paper. He’s been the starter here for the third straight year, and that was the lowest completion percentage of his entire career as a starting quarterback, so alarming is kinda the nicest way to put it. But, I don’t know how much of that I put on him as opposed to the play-calling… I think confidence he’s gonna be fine, it’s just a matter of getting into a grove with their scheme.”
Q: What went wrong in the loss to Austin Peay?
Bolden: “The offense couldn’t stay on the field. They had eight three-and-outs against an FCS defense that replaced nine of their 11 starters, which is concerning. Maybe when it’s all said and done, Austin Peay’s defense might be better than we thought, but I didn’t see anything from Austin Peay’s defense that made me thing we shouldn’t be scoring tons on these guys.
“On the offensive side, there was no consistency, no rhythm, we couldn’t piece together drives. And then the other side of it too is the big play on defense. I thought overall, the defense played really well. But over half their yards came on eight plays, and that’s not even including a 55-yard punt return that put them in prime position to score a touchdown… it all amounts to a couple plays here and there and you probably have a different outcome.”
Q: After you lose to an FCS opponent to start the season, what’s the message to the fanbase and the team?
Bolden: “I think collectively, the attitude was very apologetic in the post-game presser on Saturday. It was one of those things where, you couldn’t really pinpoint ‘oh, we did this, we did that.’ Collectively, it was just a stinker, to be quite honest with you.
“The fanbase itself was pretty upset, but they’re no strangers to losing to an FCS opponent. The last time they did that was in 2012, they lost to McNeese State at home and then proceeded to win eight of their next 11 games, including a road win at Georgia Tech…Losing the FCS game doesn’t mean your season is over. Fortunately it only counts as one game, and unfortunately for Wisconsin, if history repeats itself, you’re the lone P4 on the schedule. So they have the opportunity ahead of them to do one of the funniest things ever and that’s lose to Austin Peay and then beat a Big Ten team on the road.
“I think (the Blue Raiders) think they have the ability, and again, you guys having to replace your quarterback in Week 2 may give them some sort of false hope. But I wouldn’t say they’re already shipping it in, I just think there’s a lot that has to get corrected from Week 1 to Week 2, and they say that’s where the most growth happens, but they need to do an awful lot on the offensive side of the ball to feel better, especially against Wisconsin’s defense.”