The Wisconsin football team finds itself in familiar territory following the blowout loss to Notre Dame. The Badgers will now look to bounce back and answer questions about everything that went wrong in Week 1.
Fortunately, Wisconsin (0-1) will have plenty of opportunity to work on what they need to when they host Western Illinois (1-1) on Saturday evening. Like the Badgers, the Leathernecks are coming off a large defeat, losing 41-10 to the No. 4 team in the FCS, Illinois State.
This is Wisconsin’s 16th game against an FCS opponent and is a perfect 15-0 all-time against FCS teams. The last time they played an FCS opponent, the Badgers defeated South Dakota State 27-13 in 2024.
Odds are, many Wisconsin football fans don’t follow Western Illinois Leathernecks football too closely.
Me neither.
So after some digging, here are some short notes about Wisconsin’s upcoming game with Western Illinois.
Wisconsin vs. Western Illinois game info and betting odds
When: Saturday, Sept. 12th — 6:15 p.m. CT
Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.
How to watch: Big Ten Network
How to listen: Badger Radio Network
Wisconsin comes into their Week 2 matchup as huge favorites over the Leathernecks. The Badgers are 36.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel.
Spread: 36.5 (-110)
Money line: --
Over/under: 49.5 (under -110)
Opposing players to know
WR Christian Anaya
Anaya has been, by all intents and purposes, the offense for the Leathernecks. Through two games, the slot receiver has nine catches for 166 yards. The next closest player on the team has just 63 yards.
Of Anaya’s 166 yards, 59 came on one play, and 47 came on another, showing he has some explosive play ability. Bryce West will draw the responsibilities of covering him while he’s in the slot and could have a busy night, as Anaya has been targeted 12 times through two games.
LB Justin Buckner
Buckner has been the Leathernecks’ most disruptive pass rusher through two games. The sophomore linebacker has tallied 13 total tackles, one sack, six pressures, and a quarterback hit.
According to PFF, Buckner’s pass-rushing grade is an elite 90.3.
While the two games Buckner has played in have been against other FCS opponents, he’s still a player the Badgers will need to keep an eye on.
Matchup history
The Badgers and Leathernecks have faced off three times before Saturday night. Wisconsin is 3-0 all-time against Western Illinois, winning by an average of about 25 points each game.
The last time the two met was in 2014, when Wisconsin defeated the Leathernecks 37-3 behind a career day from quarterback Tanner McEvoy, who completed 23-of-28 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns. He added 61 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown as well.
Beyond the past games, these two programs have several other connections. The biggest is former Wisconsin running back Aaron Stecker, who played for the Badgers in 1995-1996 before transferring to Western Illinois, where he enjoyed a historic career with the Leathernecks.
His son, Dorsett Stecker, is currently on the Badgers roster and recently converted from a wide receiver to a running back to add depth.
Additionally, former Wisconsin offensive lineman James Durand is currently on the Western Illinois roster. He will be making his return to Madison after transferring from the Badgers at the end of 2024.
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While I no longer follow Western Illinois as they play Southern Illinois (where I went to school), I used to have some knowledge of them and would go watch them in Macomb when the Salukis were there.
What I'm really here to say is that I cannot wait for 2027 when the Badgers play the Salukis. I hope the Badgers go undefeated every year, but next year...one loss would be nice.