Badger Countdown: Current No. 87 scored a highlight TD in last year’s bowl game
Wisconsin football is now only 87 days away from kicking its season off against the Buffalo Bulls.
The Buffalo–Washington State–Georgia Southern out-of-conference stretch to start the season reminds me of the 2019 slate when the Jack Coan-led Badgers defeated South Florida and Central Michigan on its way to a Big Ten West title and Rose Bowl appearance. That team opened conference play with ranked Michigan, while this one gets Purdue and Rutgers before a big contest against Iowa.
Related: Wisconsin has a scary trap game on its 2023 schedule
Both early-season stretches give the team a perfect chance to work out issues and gain momentum before conference play–unlike 2021 with Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame all in the first four weeks of the season. For a program with a new head coach, a new offense and several new starters, out-of-conference play should serve as a real benefit. We’re now 87 days away from that quest beginning.
Today’s season countdown turns focus to senior TE Hayden Rucci, who caught a highlight touchdown against Oklahoma State in last year’s bowl game.
8️⃣7️⃣ days ‘til kickoff @haydenrucci | #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/vd8VB8f4Tl
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) June 7, 2023
Rucci returns as a 5th-year senior in a tight-end room that has been hampered by injuries in recent seasons. The former three-star recruit has a chance to be a big contributor this season as Phil Longo’s air raid offense is implemented.
