The Wisconsin football team’s emphatic 54-10 win over Eastern Michigan to wrap up nonconference play included a feat the Badgers had never accomplished.
Receiver Tyrell Henry, who notched 14 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, set a new program record for receptions in a single game.
But it was also the kind of performance head coach Luke Fickell hasn’t been able to orchestrate in Madison: a truly convincing, blowout win over an out-of-conference opponent. It was also the most points he’s scored as the Badgers’ skipper, besting his previous high of 52 points against Purdue in 2024.
In many ways, Saturday afternoon against the Eagles looked and felt different. After a first quarter that was all too familiar and left Wisconsin down 7-3 with a turnover on downs and an interception, the collective groans coming from Badgers fans were as loud as ever. But after a four-yard touchdown scamper on a read option settled Colton Joseph into the game, Wisconsin started to fire on all cylinders.
You could tell Joseph had started to feel himself when, on the very next drive, he laced a deep ball over the middle to Chris Brooks Jr., who adjusted to the slight under-throw and easily shook an Eastern Michigan defensive back for a 75-yard touchdown.
On the next drive, it took Wisconsin only two plays to score. The next drive? Four plays. By that point, Wisconsin was up 31-7 heading into halftime. Joseph already had 302 passing yards.
Stop me if you… haven’t heard this before. What’s that? A Wisconsin offense rattling off explosive plays and lightning-quick scoring drives? A quarterback racking up over 300 passing yards in the first half? The Badgers didn’t have a 300-yard passer at all last season, let alone in one half.
