The Wisconsin football team did what it needed to do against Western Illinois on Saturday night. Just don’t confuse that with everything looking the way it needed to look.
The Badgers handled the Leathernecks 36-9 in their home opener at Camp Randall Stadium, giving Luke Fickell and Co. their first win of the season. There were some positives, particularly on special teams and in a rushing attack that badly needed a response after Notre Dame. There were also long stretches where the talent gap between Wisconsin and an overmatched FCS opponent wasn’t as obvious as it should have been.
That’s what makes this one a little more complicated to grade. Wisconsin was never seriously threatened in this game, but winning comfortably was the expectation. In theory, the Badgers checked that box in Week 2. How they got there deserves a little more scrutiny.
With that as the backdrop, let’s hand out some grades.
