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Wisconsin vs. Buffalo: Four things to watch as Luke Fickell leads the Badgers into new era

Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·4 min read

WISCONSIN VS. BUFFALO

When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Camp Randall Stadium.

TV: FS1 with Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analysis).

Radio: FM-97.3 and AM-920 in Milwaukee and a state network with Matt Lepay (play-by-play), Mark Tauscher (analysis) and Patrick Herb (sideline).

Line: Wisconsin by 27 ½.

Series: Second meeting. UW won, 35-3, in 2006 in Madison.

Coaches: Luke Fickell (1-0, first full season; 64-25, seventh season overall) vs. Buffalo’s Maurice Linguist (11-14, third season overall).

After two years as the starting quarterback at SMU, Tanner Mordecai is ready for his Wisconsin debut.
After two years as the starting quarterback at SMU, Tanner Mordecai is ready for his Wisconsin debut.

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH

How does quarterback Tanner Mordecai handle his first start at Wisconsin after transferring from SMU?

Senior quarterback Tanner Mordecai is entering his sixth college season. He started the last two seasons – 24 games – at SMU. He passed for a combined 7,152 yards and 72 touchdowns for the Mustangs. Mordecai won’t get rattled. Nevertheless, this is his first game at UW, in Fickell’s home opener. Would anyone be surprised if he is a bit jittery early before settling in. Fans have been waiting to see Mordecai perform since he signed with UW last winter.

Tanor Bortolini was expected to start at guard but with Jake Renfro out, he is set to open as the No. 1 center

When Jake Renfro transferred to UW from Cincinnati, the staff’s plan appeared to be to have Renfro anchor the line at center and let players such as Tanor Bortolini, Joe Huber, Michael Furtney and Trey Wedig battle for the two guard spots. A stress fracture in his left foot left Renfro out for almost all of spring ball and a sprained right foot knocked him out of action in camp. Barring a quick recovery, Renfro will need more time to return to practice and Bortolini, who worked at center in the spring and again in camp, will start there. The guards should be Huber on the left side and Furtney on the right side, with Jack Nelson at left tackle and Riley Mahlman at right tackle.

Will tailbacks Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi find room to roam in Phil Longo’s scheme?

Phil Longo’s version of the Air Raid is expected to spread defenses thin this season, meaning fewer defenders in the box and wider running lanes for the backs. Based on 2022 numbers, it makes sense that Buffalo will try to stop the run first. The Bulls intercepted 13 passes last season but allowed foes to average 5.0 yards per carry and 168.7 yards per game. Take away the yards lost by sacks and the per-carry average was 5.7 yards. Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi are itching to run in the new scheme.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel wants his unit to give foes myriad looks in 2023

Buffalo ran a spread attack last season but after the Bulls averaged just 28.5 points and 377.2 yards per game, head coach Maurice Linguist made a change at offensive coordinator. DJ Mangas, whose résumé includes offensive analyst and passing game coordinator at LSU and offensive assistant with the Carolina Panthers, has taken over. Linguist wants a more diverse, explosive offense. UW defensive coordinator Mike Tressel worked on myriad packages in the offseason, including two-, three- and four-man fronts. If the Bulls look to spread the field, don’t be surprised to see UW in a 2-4-5 or a 2-3-6.

HISTORY LESSON

The teams have met just one time – in the 2006 regular-season finale at Camp Randall Stadium. Quarterback Tyler Donovan got his second consecutive start with John Stocco nursing a shoulder injury and helped UW roll to a 35-3 victory to improve to 11-1. Donovan, a standout from Arrowhead High School, overcame three sacks to complete 16 of 26 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Paul Hubbard for a 26-yard score just 56 seconds into the game and found Luke Swann for a 35-yard score with just 27 seconds left in the first half to help UW build a 21-3 lead.

DID YOU KNOW?

Senior wide receiver Chimere Dike led UW in receptions (47), receiving yards (689) and receiving touchdowns (six) last season.

More impressive than those numbers is that Dike led Big Ten receivers in third-down conversions with 17 catches. He tied for second nationally in touchdown catches on third down (five) and finished sixth nationally in receiving yards on third down (331).

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin vs. Buffalo: Four things to watch in 2023 football opener