Wisconsin vs. Middle Tennessee: Key Players and Predictions

It’s Wisconsin vs. Middle Tennessee at Camp Randall on Saturday for a 2025 Week 2 matchup. The Badgers are coming off a 17-0 victory against Miami (OH), while MTSU struggled against Austin Peay, losing 34-14.

Week 2 will be another tune-up game before fans really get an idea of what Wisconsin is made of. But before looking ahead, let’s dive into this Week 2 showdown.

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: Matchup History

Saturday will mark the first time that Wisconsin and Middle Tennessee have ever matched up in a football game.

Wisconsin has also never played a CUSA opponent in their football program’s history. Meanwhile, the Blue Raiders have played a Big Ten team nine times in program history. Unfortunately, they have not won in any of those matchups.

Wisconsin vs. Middle Tennessee 2025: Keys to the Game and Predictions

Key Players for Middle Tennessee

Playing out of Conference USA, Middle Tennessee suffered a 34-14 defeat in Week 1 to Austin Peay. The Blue Raiders could only muster 153 yards of total offense. MTSU is coached by former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason and finished 3-9 in 2024.

Redshirt senior quarterback Nicholas Vattiato has played and started every game for the Blue Raiders since 2023 and brings a wealth of experience. In Week 1, Vattiato finished 15-of36 for 104 yards and two touchdowns.

The Blue Raiders’ best player in Week 1 was junior wide receiver Nahzae Cox. Cox finished with six receptions for 50 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s matchup. Another receiver to keep an eye on is Michigan transfer Amorion Walker, who could be a difference-maker for the Blue Raiders.

Lead running back Jekail Middlebrook, a 2025 preseason CUSA watch list member, finished with 48 rushing yards and added 2 receptions for 21 yards in Week 1.

Parker Hughes, Damonte Smith, and Zeion Simpson-Smith were three bright spots on defense last week for MTSU. Hughes led the team with nine tackles. Meanwhile, Damonte Smith and Zeion Simpson-Smith both finished with a sack.

Middle Tennessee really struggled on both sides of the ball last week against Austin Peay. They fell down 21-0 fairly quickly before Cox caught a 5-yard touchdown pass with 48 seconds left in the first half.

MTSU did make the game a little more interesting after another Cox touchdown, cutting the lead to 24-14. Unfortunately for the Blue Raiders, Austin Peay was able to regain control and cruised to a 34-14 victory.

Key Players for Wisconsin

In head coach Luke Fickell’s weekly presser, he pretty much ruled out the chance of quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. having the chance to play. With Edwards out, Danny O’Neil will get the start for the Badgers with Hunter Simmons as the backup.

O’Neil handled himself nicely after coming in for Edwards after his injury. The backup finished 12-of-19 for 120 yards with a touchdown and interception last week. Look for O’Neil to have more confidence this week, as he had a full week of practice.

It’ll be interesting to see how the offense operates under O’Neil and if the playbook will be opened up. He had a lot of short, quick throws and didn’t press the ball down the field at all last week. Some of that was due to the Badgers being in control against Miami (OH), and not wanting to put the ball in harm’s way. However, with a full week of practice, expect the ball to be spread around a little bit more.

The Badgers had issues at left tackle last week, especially in passing situations. Coach Fickell hinted that there would be some changes made across the line. Look for Riley Mahlman to move from right tackle to left tackle to protect O’Neil’s blindside. Moving Mahlman over puts the two best Badger linemen on the same side. With that in mind, fans should expect a heavy dose of outside zones to the left side.

Fickell and offensive line coach AJ Blazek will have an interesting and important decision on who will now play RT if, in fact, Mahlman moves to the left side.

The Badgers will look to establish the run like they did in Week 1. Running back Dilin Jones should have another quality game after finishing with 73 yards last week.

If the Badgers can establish the run, look for play-action attempts to Vinny Anthony. Anthony finished with 57 yards and a touchdown reception against Miami (OH).

True Freshman wide receiver Eugene Wilson could also be a key contributor as he gets more reps in practice. He has been excelling and garnering praise ever since he stepped onto campus.

Defensively, the Badgers should be able to bring the same pressure and tenacity against an undermanned and less talented MTSU offense. Sebastian Cheeks and Mason Reiger should be able to tee off on the edge. Meanwhile, ball-hawking safety Preston Zachman should make plays this week after securing two interceptions against Miami (OH).

How Wisconsin Wins in Week 2

Wisconsin is a 28.5 favorite against Middle Tennessee. MTSU is far less talented and is coming off a 34-14 loss to an FCS team. The Badgers will try to impose their will early and should cruise to a victory.

This Badger team is not built to blow teams out, so don’t expect a 50-0 avalanche. However, expect them to be in control the entire game.

Fickell and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes have one or two avenues they can go down on Saturday. They can keep the offense vanilla as to not show anything to Alabama for Week 3. Or, they can open the playbook up to O’Neil with RPOs, play action passing, and deep attempts.

Both the offensive and defensive line for the Badgers should be able to dominate. Suspect Badgers defensive coordinator Jim Tressel to dial up a lot of blitzes like he did in Week 1. Wisconsin should dominate both lines of scrimmage, and as long as they can contain the duo of Middlebrook and Cox, look for the Badgers to cruise to a victory.