Wisconsin
Minnesota Opponent First Look: Wisconsin Badgers
Minnesota Opponent First Look: Wisconsin Badgers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers, losers of two straight will look to finish the 2024 regular season on a high note on Friday afternoon when they travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers enter Friday with a 5-6 record and are in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time in 22 years.
Wisconsin 2024 Schedule & Betting Trends
COV = covered, DNC = Did not cover
WISCONSIN OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE RANKINGS
The second year of Luke Fickell era not going to plan
The Badgers had hoped the second year of the Luke Fickell era would be more fruitful. After a 7-6 season last year, the Badgers went into the transfer portal this offseason and upgraded their quarterback position by nabbing former Miami (FL) starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
Van Dyke would play in just two full games before suffering a season-ending injury against Alabama in the third week of the season. Since then, the Huskers have looked towards redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke to lead the offense. As with most young quarterbacks, the results have been mixed. This season, Locke has completed 56.4% of his passes for 1,806 yards and 12 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions.
Overall, the Badgers started the season off 2-0 with wins over Western Michigan and South Dakota before falling to Alabama and USC. In October, it appeared that Fickell’s program was finding its stride with four straight wins over Purdue, Rutgers, and Northwestern but have since lost four straight games.
The Badgers made a change at OC midseason
The Badgers fired their offensive coordinator, Phil Longo, earlier this month following a 16-13 loss to the Oregon Ducks. Longo came to Madison with the hopes of bringing the Air Raid offense to the Big Ten, but the transition to the offense has been largely unsuccessful for the Badgers.
This season, the Badgers are averaging just 24.7 points per game, their lowest mark since 2004. Additionally, their passing attack has only garnered 202.7 yards per game ranking 93rd nationally, their rushing attack is slightly better when it comes to nationally ranked with 164.4 yards per game, ranking 65th.
In their first game without Longo last weekend against Nebraska, the Huskers totaled 25 points and 407 yards from scrimmage including 292 passing yards.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will be the 134th meeting between the two programs since their first meeting in 1890. Through the first 133 matchups, the series is as tight as possible with Wisconsin holding a 63-8-62 advantage over the Gophers. The Gophers for a long time held the series advantage but a 14-game winning streak from 2004 through 2017, shifted the series in favor of Wisconsin. The Gophers over the P.J. Fleck era have been working to even it back up, doing so in 2022 with a a 23-16 win in Madison before the Badgers reclaimed the lead with a 28-14 win last season.
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke transferring to Arizona
TUCSON, Ariz. — Former Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke is headed to Arizona.
Locke announced his decision in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday, giving the Wildcats two veteran quarterbacks with Noah Fifita returning.
Locke sat out as a redshirt at Mississippi State in 2022 before throwing for 1,936 yards and 13 touchdowns with 10 interceptions for the Badgers last season.
Arizona will have a new-look offense with the addition of offensive coordinator Seth Doege, a disciple of late Texas Tech coach Mike Leach.
Fifita has been Arizona’s starter most of the past two seasons and announced earlier this month he would be returning to Tucson.
Wisconsin
Southeast Wisconsin weather: Fog clearing up, rain becoming likely
A Dense Fog Advisory is in effect until noon today north of I-94 including Ozaukee, Washington, Dodge, Fond Du lac and Sheboygan counties.
There’s more fog this morning, but we are already seeing improvement from this time yesterday. Most areas south of I-94 have seen the snowpack disappear and there’s some slightly drier air leading to better visibility. A dense fog advisory continues north of I-94 where some snow is still on the ground causing that thick fog to stick around early today. It will improve in these areas too with winds picking up and snow continuing to melt.
Rain will be the other big story today with scattered showers in the morning becoming a steady rain in the afternoon and evening. About a quarter to half inch of rain will be likely, with areas west picking up the highest totals. Highs will hit the upper 40s today.
Low pressure will lift north Saturday giving us a mostly dry day outside of a lingering rain shower early. We might hit close to 50 in the morning but most of the day will be spent in the 40s. Another low pressure system will pass to our southeast on Sunday bringing just the small chance for rain, mainly towards the state line. A steady cooling trend will bring our temperatures back down to normal for the New Year.
FRIDAY: AM Fog/Drizzle, Rain Becoming Likely
High: 47
Wind: SE 10-20 mph
TONIGHT: Rain Likely, Breezy
Low: 44
Wind: SE 10-20 G 25 mph
SATURDAY: Mild, Slight Rain Chance Early, Mostly Cloudy
High: 50
SUNDAY: Mostly Cloudy, Slight Rain Chance South
High: 44
MONDAY: Mostly Cloudy
High: 43
TUESDAY: Slight Mix Chance South, Mostly Cloudy
High: 39
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Wisconsin
Western Wisconsin corrections officer killed by drunk driver, sheriff’s office says
MINNEAPOLIS — Authorities in western Wisconsin say a correctional officer died after a suspected drunk driver struck his vehicle on the morning of Christmas Eve.
The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office says Jeff Reynolds was driving westbound on U.S. Highway 29 around 2:44 a.m. on Tuesday when a driver in a northbound vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign on County Highway E, striking Reynolds’s vehicle.
Reynolds had been on his way to fill in a shift at the county jail at the time of the accident.
The suspected drunk driver, a 40-year-old man from Eau Claire, has been charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, the sheriff’s office says. He had his first court appearance on Thursday, where the judge set a $75,000 bond.
Three other people, including the suspect’s wife, were also injured in the crash.
The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office says Reynolds began his career there in 2007 and will be greatly missed.
The crash is under investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol.
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