Badgers Confidence Meter: How I Feel About Colton Joseph, Tressel's Defense, More Ahead of Week 3

The Badgers have one more tune-up game before they jump into the waters of Big Ten play.

Of course, Wisconsin already faced a top team and it didn't go too well, but they get a slight breather in the form of a FCS school and a MAC school before the conference slate begins.

On paper, Eastern Michigan doesn't pose much of a threat. The middling MAC program, which sits at 1-2 in 2026, hasn't had a winning season since 2022 and beat FBS newcomer Sacramento State in Week 0 before falling to San Jose State and Michigan State back-to-back. Still, it's going to take more than a win for Badgers fans to feel good about Luke Fickell's squad heading into the conference guantlet.

Below, I give my confidence level on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most confident, about a handful of pressing matters for Wisconsin football in Week 3:

QB Colton Joseph

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Confidence Level: 7

Colton Joseph needs to play better, and Badgers fans have every right to be unhappy with his performance and concerned for the remainder of the season.

However, I implore Wisconsin fans to keep their cool for at least one more week. If Joseph comes out against Eastern Michigan and can't hit the side of a barn, then we can revisit this conversation. But one game in which his accuracy wasn't on point shouldn't be enough to cry bloody murder about Joseph.

This is who Joseph is. The gunslinger isn't a surgical passer; his career completion rate is 59%. What percentage of his passes is he completing through two games with the Badgers? 59%. So forgive me if I'm not ready to panic over a handful of poorly-placed balls.

That's not to say Joseph can't throw a dime; we've already seen it with our own eyes a few times through the first two games. That's also not to say Joseph doesn't need to get better; that many misfires would surely come back to bite him in a more competitive Big Ten game.

Mike Tressel's Defense

Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Confidence Level: 5

I'm going to need a slightly bigger sample size to evaluate Tressel this season, but there's certainly been some areas of concern defensively through eight quarters. There's also some facets of his defense that I think folks are overreacting to.

Here's what I think you should be genuinely concerned about with the Badgers' defense: the lack of takeaways and the scheme.

As I wrote earlier this week, takeaways come and go and sometimes simply have to do with how the ball bounces. Still, a defense that has a recurring problem forcing turnovers isn't pressuring the ball enough in the pass-rush, the secondary or any area of the field.

I'm also still not sold on Tressel's scheme three-plus years into his tenure in Madison. His zone coverage was completely ineffective against Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr in the second half of Week 1. It's also a widely accepted fact at this point that he hardly ever schemes up pressure. That becomes a problem when, like last week, his outside linebackers can't get home.

In terms of the pass-rush, or lack thereof, I keep going back and fourth. The Badgers would've liked to keep the pressure coming on Carr all night in Week 1, but we can also acknowledge Notre Dame is a very good team against whom you're simply not going to win every rep.

Not recording a sack against Western Illinois looks much worse on paper, but the Badgers did create presusre on 17 of 28 Leathernecks' drop-backs, or 61%. Their quarterback Kennedy McGill — who, to his credit, is quite elusive — simply ran for his life at the slightest hint of a collapsing pocket.

RB Abu Sama's running style

Wisconsin Badgers running back Abu Sama III. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Confidence Level: 8

Watching Sama run these first two weeks has been a tad frustrating. The back is clearly pressing to break off big runs, oftentimes bouncing carries to the outside when it's ill-advised — and when four, five, six or possibly more yards are available up the A and B gaps.

That didn't result in any big runs against Notre Dame, as the Irish defense is too fast and disciplined. Against Western Illinois, it immediately resulted in a 72-yard touchdown run on Wisconsin's first play from scrimmage.

Such is the duality of man, or shall we say extremely talented running backs hungry for highlight plays. Sama obviously has the ability to create breakaway runs, but it's better for the offense as a whole if he consistently creates positive yards, wearing the defense down. If he does that, the big runs will come naturally.

Wisconsin coaches love to talk about being consistently good, not ocassionally great. That phrase is extremely applicable to Sama. Getting four, five or six yards when you can and setting up long runs once the defense is worn out is much better than getting repeatedly stuffed on the edge because there's the slightest chance you could turn the corner and explode for 75 yards.

Regardless, I believe Sama is an extremely gifted ball-carrier who will find the balance between on-schedule runs and hunting the big play.

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