The Jump Around

Wisconsin football’s loss to UCLA raises some BIG questions. Was it the questionable officiating, Colton Joseph’s struggles throwing the football, Luke Fickell’s in-game decisions — or a bigger problem with the Badgers’ offense? Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch break down Wisconsin’s frustrating loss to UCLA on The Jump Around Extra. While the Badgers had legitimate reasons to be upset with several penalty calls, the guys explain why Wisconsin still didn’t do enough to win the game. The discussion covers Colton Joseph’s passing struggles, the lack of a consistent running game, Wisconsin’s missed opportunities on fourth down, and the coaching decisions that may have cost the Badgers a chance to get back into the game. They also examine the defense’s struggles getting off the field on third down and what the loss means for Luke Fickell and the rest of the season. With tough matchups ahead, the big question is whether Wisconsin football is making enough progress — and whether the offense can improve enough to compete consistently in the Big Ten. In this episode: Why Wisconsin lost to UCLA despite questionable officiating Is Colton Joseph’s passing becoming a major concern? Why the Badgers can’t establish a consistent running game Did Luke Fickell make the right fourth-down decisions? Wisconsin’s missed opportunities and costly sacks Why the defense struggled to get off the field on third down Are the Badgers making enough progress under Fickell? What the UCLA loss means for the rest of Wisconsin’s season Join Jim and Riley for honest Wisconsin Badgers football analysis, postgame reaction and debate on The Jump Around Extra. Subscribe for more Wisconsin football coverage, Badgers analysis, interviews and discussion from ESPN Madison.

Wisconsin football is riding its first four-game winning streak of the Luke Fickell era. Can the Badgers keep it going? Coming off a dominant 31–3 win over Michigan State, Wisconsin enters the heart of its Big Ten schedule with plenty of momentum. On this episode of The Jump Around, we recap the Badgers' latest win and discuss what Wisconsin needs to continue building on as the second half of the season approaches. On this episode: 🏈 Building on the Bye Week What did Wisconsin's 31–3 win over Michigan State tell us? The Badgers' first four-game winning streak of the Luke Fickell era What has improved for Wisconsin? What still needs to improve? Can the Badgers carry their momentum into the heart of the Big Ten schedule? 🔥 Week 6 Superlatives Who is most likely to earn First-Team All-Big Ten honors? Who has been Wisconsin's most important player? Who is the biggest stock riser heading into the second half? Who is the most surprising team in the Big Ten? Who is most likely to win the national championship? 🏀 Greg Gard & Wisconsin Basketball Greg Gard discusses Wisconsin being picked 11th in the Big Ten preseason poll How difficult is it to rank teams after so much roster turnover? Riley shares his thoughts after attending media day 🏈 Rob Havenstein Joins The Jump Around The former Wisconsin All-American and Super Bowl champion joins the show His thoughts on the 2026 Badgers How does he feel about Wisconsin's offensive line? Does he trust the Badgers' offense to keep building momentum? Subscribe to The Jump Around for Wisconsin Badgers football, Wisconsin basketball, Big Ten coverage, interviews, recruiting, game reactions and more from ESPN Madison and ESPN Milwaukee.

Wisconsin shocked No. 13 Penn State 24–20 in Happy Valley. But was it just a moment—or the beginning of a movement? On this episode of The Jump Around, Jim Rutledge, Riley Jauch, and Matt Lepay react to Wisconsin's massive upset at Penn State and debate whether the Badgers have finally taken a meaningful step forward under Luke Fickell. The Badgers are now 3–1, and the energy around the program is higher than it has been during the Fickell era. But can Wisconsin build on the Penn State win, or will it ultimately become the peak moment of the 2026 season? On this episode: 🏈 Moment or Movement? Was the Penn State win a true turning point? Did Wisconsin take a legitimate step forward? Can the Badgers sustain the momentum from Happy Valley? Is Penn State the beginning of something bigger—or the peak of the season? 🎙️ Matt Lepay Returns The Wisconsin Hall of Famer and voice of the Badgers returns His biggest takeaways from the first month of the season What happened during Wisconsin's 24–20 win at Penn State What does Wisconsin need to accomplish in October? 🔥 Jack Cichy Joins The Jump Around What "3-Sack Jack" has been up to His thoughts on the 2026 Badgers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano: Is Wisconsin's next great linebacker duo already here? What Cichy sees from the current Wisconsin defense 🏆 Week 5 Superlatives Who will force multiple turnovers against Michigan State? Who is most likely to help Wisconsin clinch a shutout? Who will have a "3-Sack Jack" type of performance? Subscribe to The Jump Around for Wisconsin Badgers football, Big Ten coverage, interviews, game reactions, recruiting, and more from ESPN Madison and ESPN Milwaukee.

Wisconsin football finally enters Big Ten play. Can the Badgers pass their biggest test yet at Penn State? The non-conference schedule is over, and Wisconsin heads to Happy Valley for its first Big Ten game of the 2026 season. On this episode of The Jump Around, Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch debate how important this game really is and whether the result could change the way we view the Badgers for the rest of the season. On this episode: 🏈 Wisconsin vs. Penn State How important is Wisconsin's first Big Ten game? Is this a must-win for the Badgers? Will the result determine how Wisconsin is viewed for the rest of the season? How does Wisconsin compare with Penn State in the NIL era? 🔥 Can Wisconsin's Offense Keep Up? Wisconsin's surprising wide receiver production Malachi Coleman and Tyrell Henry emerging as big performers Can the Badgers' passing game survive against Penn State? Will Wisconsin finally get its running game going? Is the lack of rushing holding the offense back? 🏆 Week 4 Superlatives Who is most likely to break a record? Who will get the first pick-six? Who is most likely to gain 100 total yards? 🎙️ Matt Bernstein Returns Former Wisconsin fullback Matt Bernstein joins The Jump Around to look back at his incredible 2004 performance against Penn State, when he rushed for 123 yards on 27 carries in Wisconsin's 16-3 victory. 📺 Plus: The debut of The Jump Around Extra: Roommates Edition with Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano Twitter Portal featuring the latest Wisconsin and college athletics conversations Subscribe for Wisconsin Badgers football, Penn State coverage, Big Ten football, game previews, interviews, recruiting, and more from The Jump Around on ESPN Madison and ESPN Milwaukee.

Was this the Wisconsin football team we've been waiting to see? Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch react to the Badgers' 54-10 win over Eastern Michigan, a game that finally gave Wisconsin fans a glimpse of what this team can be. After a shaky opening quarter, Wisconsin exploded offensively and dominated the rest of the game. Colton Joseph bounced back from an early interception to throw for a huge afternoon, while Tyrell Henry set a Wisconsin single-game record with 14 receptions for 160 yards. The defense also turned the game around with a flurry of takeaways, including interceptions from Mason Posa and Matt Jung and a fumble recovery touchdown from Cooper Catalano. For the first time this season, Jim and Riley saw the version of the Badgers they've been talking about all offseason. But does a 54-10 win over Eastern Michigan prove Wisconsin is ready for No. 13 Penn State? Not necessarily. The guys discuss what the victory actually tells us about the Badgers — and why the next game will be the real test. In this Jump Around Extra: 🦡 What Wisconsin finally showed against Eastern Michigan 💥 Colton Joseph's massive bounce-back performance 🔥 Tyrell Henry's record-setting game 🛡️ Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano and the Badgers' opportunistic defense 🏈 Why the response after a terrible first quarter may matter more than the final score ⚠️ The one major concern: Wisconsin's running game 📈 Why the Badgers now have a “proof of concept” 🏟️ What the Eastern Michigan win means heading into Penn State The Eastern Michigan game didn't prove that Wisconsin is a good team. But it did prove the Badgers can be a good team. Subscribe for more Wisconsin Badgers football reactions, analysis and interviews from The Jump Around.

Wisconsin football is 1-1, but The Jump Around crew has some serious questions after the Badgers' uneven performance against Western Illinois. The defense and special teams deserve plenty of credit, but the biggest concerns are on offense — particularly Colton Joseph, the running game and Wisconsin's ability to find consistency. Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch discuss Joseph's accuracy, his ability to stay healthy while using his legs and why his performance could ultimately define Wisconsin's ceiling this season. But the bigger conversation is about Luke Fickell and Wisconsin's identity. Fickell described the Badgers as “arrogant and delusional” when explaining why the team struggled to maintain its early momentum against Western Illinois. The Jump Around crew breaks down what Fickell meant — and whether his mentality and coaching philosophy are actually the right fit for Wisconsin. They also debate what Wisconsin's identity has historically been, whether the Badgers need more of an underdog mentality and whether Fickell's approach can work in Madison. Plus, a closer look at Abu Sama, the Wisconsin running back room, the defense, special teams and what the Badgers need to show against Eastern Michigan.

Can Wisconsin football become OLineU again? On this episode of The Jump Around, Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch sit down with new Wisconsin offensive line coach Eric Mateos to discuss why he came to Madison, his relationship with offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, and his vision for rebuilding one of college football's most respected position groups. We also discuss: Takeaways from Wisconsin basketball's open practice Which newcomers stood out the most Our Top 5 defensive instant-impact players for the Badgers in 2026 Why Eric Mateos believes Wisconsin can return to its OLineU identity His coaching philosophy and expectations for the offensive line room Tyler Herro's comments about decommitting from Wisconsin and how different his career might have been Twitter Portal featuring the biggest Wisconsin Badgers conversations If you're a Wisconsin Badgers fan, subscribe for weekly football and basketball coverage, recruiting updates, exclusive interviews, and Big Ten analysis from The Jump Around on ESPN Madison and ESPN Milwaukee.

Wisconsin has officially named Shawn Eichorst as its next athletic director. Was this the right move for the future of Badger athletics? On this episode of The Jump Around, Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch react to Wisconsin's biggest offseason decision and discuss what the hire means for football, basketball, NIL, and the future of the athletic department. In this episode: Our reaction to Wisconsin officially hiring Shawn Eichorst Why the fan reaction has been so mixed What Eichorst's track record says about his leadership and NIL strategy How Wisconsin compares to Eichorst's previous stops The domino effect this hire could have on Luke Fickell, Marcus Sedberry, and the rest of the athletic department Whether fans place too much importance on the athletic director position Lane Grindle's perspective after working with Eichorst at Nebraska Twitter Portal featuring the latest Wisconsin Badgers discussions Jim Polzin joins the show to explain how Wisconsin's athletic director search unfolded, why Eichorst was chosen, and what comes next for UW athletics Subscribe for Wisconsin Badgers football, basketball, recruiting, NIL, and Big Ten coverage from The Jump Around on ESPN Madison and ESPN Milwaukee.