Badger Volleyball’s Trial by Fire, and Badger Football Must Get Physical
Published on Sep 2, 2026, 8:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:35:57
Published on Sep 2, 2026, 8:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:35:57
In this week's episode of The Wisconsin Sportscast, Lucas and Oates are back in the booth after meeting some friends.
Kelly Sheffield and the Badgers Volleyball Team are starting their season with a series of tough matches on the horizon. Good on Sheffield for giving the team a trial by fire to start the year, says Oates. It’ll prepare them for the year to come; more college teams should be following suit and not schedule some easy team to start the year.
Week zero of college football started last weekend, and we got to take a closer look at former Badger quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. as he helped North Carolina take down TCU. He showed some good promise we never saw in Madison, doing exactly what Bill Belichick needed him to do. Oates still isn’t sure if he’s consistent, but he at least showed some promise as a quarterback, something he never had the chance to do in Madison.
The Badgers kick off their football season this Saturday against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field. Oates has the key to at least staying competitive: focus on the defense and keep the score low. The Badgers’ defence showed some promise at the end of last year, and Notre Dame’s defence is impressive. Focus on defence and stay physical on the line, and Oates thinks they can at least stand toe-to-toe.
The Wisconsin Sportscast with Lucas & Oates is a Cap Times podcast produced by Nate Wegehaupt. The Wisconsin Sportscast is sponsored by Dupaco Credit Union, Ridge Top Exteriors and Fabiola's Spaghetti House. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
A weekly podcast with insights and analysis on the Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers and Milwaukee Bucks from two of Wisconsin’s most experienced sports journalists. Mike Lucas is a veteran sports columnist for the Cap Times and was a Badgers radio color commentator for over 25 years. Tom Oates was a sports reporter and columnist for the Wisconsin State Journal for 40 years.