3 Storylines I'm Following Closely in Wisconsin's Homecoming Matchup Versus Michigan State

It’s homecoming week in Madison and the Badgers are preparing for what should be a victory in Camp Randall, but it’s never that easy. Michigan State is sliding in recent weeks and just lost its best offensive player for the season, with its best defensive player’s status in serious doubt for Saturday.

Wisconsin should have every opportunity to capitalize, win in front of a fan base that seems genuinely excited for the first time in some time and take a 2-0 conference record into the bye. I’ll never count out a Pat Fitzgerald team, however, so here are the storylines I’ll be following as the Badgers look to fend off a let-down game.

Will Camp Randall be… full?

As I just mentioned, it feels like the sentiment around the program from the fan base has turned a corner. In recent years, Camp Randall has been full and loud, but it’s mainly been because of the quality of opponents visiting.

While fans need to see Luke Fickell sustain the success his group found on Saturday, it feels like this may be the most excited Badger fans have been about the on-field product since he arrived in 2023. Now, Wisconsin needs to avoid a hangover game after a big win in Happy Valley to keep it that way.

Wisconsin mascot Bucky Badger runs onto the field. — Sep 19, 2026; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers mascot Bucky Badger runs onto the field prior to the game against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout for the home-opener against Western Illinois, but against Eastern Michigan, for a number of reasons including weather and a lack of optimism about the team, the turnout wasn’t great. I’m not going to go on record predicting that every seat has a person in it come Saturday at 11:30, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we see Camp Randall nearly entirely full.

Wisconsin’s homecoming game last season went, well, legitimately as bad as possible. The Badgers were drubbed by Iowa, losing 37-0. The only thing that salvaged the night for the state was the Brewers taking down the Cubs in the NLDs.

This year, the Badgers have a chance, against a team that is inferior on paper, to redeem themselves and put forth a quality effort to continue building on the momentum they created at Penn State.

Can the Badgers continue establishing the run?

The run game was by no means dominant on Saturday, but against the best defense Wisconsin has faced since the season-opener, there was reason to be encouraged. Darrion Dupree was especially good in Happy Valley, but Abu Sama seemed to be finding a groove before he went down.

At 4.3 yards per carry, ironically, the Badgers found more success on the ground last week than they had against Eastern Michigan, but regardless, hopefully it is a sign to come.

Wisconsin's Darrion Dupree. — Sep 26, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Darrion Dupree (6) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite Colton Joseph’s poor performance through the air until the fourth quarter, the offense did enough to win the game, but I think there’s still plenty of room to improve on the ground. Dupree and Sama combined for just 13 carries last Saturday.

Jeff Grimes likely was forced into running less than he’d like given his group was playing from behind, but this week, especially should Wisconsin jump out to an early lead, I’d like to see an emphasis on the ground.

Ideally, Joseph won’t be as bad as he was for the first three quarters last week, but if the Badgers are playing from in front, continuing to establish Dupree and Sama — if he’s available — as primary options going forward. Everyone wants to see Joseph bounce back, which would be great, but continuing to prove that running the ball can be the anchor of the offense is equally as important in my eyes.

The defensive encore performance

Simply put, the Wisconsin defense single-handedly kept the Badgers in the game at Penn State, giving the offense a chance to redeem itself late. This week, Mike Tressel’s squad needs to avoid the aforementioned hangover game coming off of the program’s biggest win in years.

Since questions were raised about the defense’s ability to force turnovers, it forced four of them, including a huge momentum-swinging interception from Charles Perkins last week.

Going from a game against one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the nation in Rocco Becht, to a matchup with an inexperienced signal-caller in Alessio Milivojevic and a backfield without its bell cow, it would be easy for the Badgers to overlook the Spartans.

Wisconsin's Hammond Russell IV. — Wisconsin defensive lineman Hammond Russell IV (91) is shown after making a stop during the second quarter of their game against Eastern Michigan Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After completely shutting down the run and forcing Becht into an uncharacteristic day passing the ball, anything short of a dominant effort would be slightly disappointing for this defense. I expect Michigan State to try to muck this game up to account for the talent disparity, so I’m not calling for a shutout, just maintaining a similar level of dominance as last week.

Once you get to conference play, nothing besides winning matters. There’s a world where the defense doesn’t look stout but the Badgers win, which would be acceptable in Fickell’s eyes, but given how it played last week, you’d like to see that success sustained.

This is a defense that’s capable of being one of the better units in the league, so avoiding the trap of getting complacent in a week against a lesser opponent is crucial.

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