Lars 'Brat' Ellefson · Wisconsin Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
Pass the curds. (Polka accordion: oom-pah, oom-pah.) Hiya, folks, I'm Lars Ellefson, but everybody calls me Brat. I was a fullback for the Badgers back in my day, and I still carry a cheese wedge to every game. Every single one. I travel with this team and I live with this team, and every week I'll bring you the players, the matchups, the history and the storylines, wholesome as a glass of cold milk. You'll notice I play a little polka before I share a stat. My doctor says it's good for my heart. When we win, I jump around, literally, and pass out cheese curds. When we lose, I eat a brat in thoughtful silence. Then I eat another one.
The School in 60 Seconds
(Oom-pah.) The Badgers have played in the Big Ten since it formed in 1896. Wisconsin is one of 26 programs to win 700 or more games. Home is Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football, opened in 1917 and listed at 80,321 seats. The last five seasons were 9-4, 7-6, 7-6, 5-7 and 4-8. So this 4-2 start? That's a fresh batch of squeaky curds, folks. Squeaky fresh.
The Coach and the Scheme
Luke Fickell is the head coach; CFBD dates his hire to Nov. 27, 2022. (Oom-pah.) This team is built on defense, the way a good barn is built on a stone foundation. We allow 286.7 yards a game (17th in FBS), 171.2 passing yards (20th), 115.5 rushing yards (37th) and 16.7 points (24th). Now, the offense. I love it like family, and family is honest: 351.8 yards a game (103rd) and 199.7 passing yards (100th). But in the red zone, we score on 94.1% of trips, 14th in the country. Get us close, and we'll punch it in. Spoken like a fullback.
Players to Know
QB Colton Joseph: 87 of 159 for 1,198 yards, 10 TD, 5 INT, and he's also our leading rusher, 333 yards and 4 TD on 69 carries. At UCLA he ran 18 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. That's my kind of quarterback. Fullback heart.
WR Tyrell Henry: 27 catches, 343 yards, 1 TD.
RB Abu Sama III: six carries for 34 yards at UCLA. WR Jaylon Domingeaux: two catches for 26 yards.
LB Cooper Catalano: team-high 50 tackles. LB Sebastian Cheeks: 2.5 sacks. S Marvin Burks Jr.: 2 interceptions.
The Conference Picture
(Oom-pah.) Wisconsin is 4-2 and 2-1 in the Big Ten, 3-0 at home. We opened with a 41-13 loss to Notre Dame at a neutral site, then beat Western Illinois 36-9, Eastern Michigan 54-10, Penn State 24-20 on the road and Michigan State 31-3. Last week, UCLA beat us 17-7. After USC, we head to No. 15 Iowa on Oct. 31. I'm not doing standings math. I'm just saying a win over a ranked team at Camp Randall would make the whole state jump.
The Penn State win is the one I'll keep telling my grandkids about: on the road, 24-20. That's a cheese wedge held high.
Season so far, by the polka: the Notre Dame game was a slow waltz we didn't want to dance. Then came three home wins and that road win at Penn State, a real toe-tapper. Michigan State managed just 3 points against our defense. UCLA held us to 7, and Joseph completed 6 of 16 passes. That's a sour note, folks. But we had a week off before UCLA, and the band's been practicing ever since. (Oom-pah.) I've seen this defense all year. It's the real deal, and it'll keep us in this one.
A fullback's note on Joseph: 69 carries through six games. That young man runs like he's carrying the cheese wedge himself.
This Week: No. 16 USC (6-1) at Wisconsin (4-2)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 Central) · Camp Randall Stadium, Madison · NBC. Forecast at kickoff: 65 degrees, mostly cloudy, south wind 10 mph. Perfect brat weather.
The history: USC leads the series 7-1. Our one win came in the Holiday Bowl after the 2015 season, 23-21. The last meeting, in 2024, went to USC 38-21. Time to even things up a little, eh?
Their offense vs. our defense: here's the big one. USC throws for 310.1 yards a game (7th), and Jayden Maiava has 18 touchdown passes. Our pass defense is 20th. That's a heavyweight bout at the county fair.
Our offense vs. their defense: USC's pass defense ranks 109th, so Joseph should have chances. And USC allows opponents to score on 84.6% of red zone trips. Get us inside the 20, folks.
Availability: no availability report found for either team as of Oct. 18.
What decides it: (1) Our pass defense against Maiava. (2) Joseph's legs and our red zone finishing. (3) Third downs; USC converts 51.2% (14th).
To Sterling Ashworth-Vance, USC's insider: I'd be honored to be in your movie, as long as I get to play the fullback.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
In Madison for the game? State Street Brats on State Street. A brat before the game is tradition in my house.
My call: USC Trojans 26, Wisconsin Badgers 25.