University of Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst met the media Thursday on the field inside the McClain Center as the Badgers get ready for Saturday's Big Ten opener vs. Michigan.

Prepare for kick off of the University of Wisconsin's football season on Friday night against the South Florida Bulls with the Wisconsin State Journal's annual Badgers season preview. 

Our Wisconsin State Journal team offers a closer look at the athletes that have committed to playing football at the University of Wisconsin beginning in the 2020 season. 

Review the University of Wisconsin 2019 football season, with players to watch and Big 10 stats comparison. Test your Badgers knowledge with the jersey number quiz!

Fullbacks and extra offensive linemen have taken on different roles for UW as injuries plague tight ends.

Cristian Driver is a four-star safety out of Texas with a slew of scholarship offers.

Having Quintez Cephus back in the lineup gives the Badgers a true No. 1 receiver, something they lacked in 2018, and obviously is a boost to the offense.

The former Madison Edgewood standout said he’s feeling more at ease returning punts this season, and with the calmness comes better production.

With No. 13 Wisconsin opening Big Ten play Saturday against No. 11 Michigan, State Journal reporters Jim Polzin and Colten Bartholomew sat down for a Facebook Live chat. 

Gattis comes to the Wolverines from Alabama, which averaged 45.6 points a game last season.

The Wolverines defense has been terrific under coordinator Don Brown, who joined the staff following the 2015 season. Michigan hasn’t found a way to shut down UW tailback Jonathan Taylor (above) — 233 yards on 36 carries in two games — but it has made the Badgers one-dimensional in three games under Brown’s direction.

Michigan rushed for 320 yards against the Badgers last season, the most by a UW opponent since Oregon had 345 in the 2012 Rose Bowl.

Michigan kicker Jake Moody is 3 of 3 on field goals. Quinn Nordin handles long field goals for the Wolverines, while Will Hart is a solid punter with a 44.8-yard average.

UW’s Paul Chryst and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh re-entered the Big Ten at same time in 2015 and have produced similar records; Chryst is 44-12, while Harbaugh is 40-14.

Michigan hasn’t won at Camp Randall Stadium since 2001, losing 23-20 in 2005, 37-21 in 2007, 45-24 in 2009 and 24-10 in 2017.

Things have come so easily for the Badgers in the first two games, and it’s fair to wonder how they’ll respond when faced with adversity. There figures to be some against the Wolverines, who will test UW in all three phases.

With the 2019 NFL regular season rolling along, here's a look at some notable performances from former Wisconsin Badgers players in Week 2.

UW completed just seven passes in last season's loss to the Wolverines.

With Bryson Williams out with a left leg injury, Keeanu Benton — a freshman from Janesville Craig — will get the start at nose tackle vs. Michigan.

Bryson Williams will miss his second consecutive game with a left leg injury. True freshman Keeanu Benton started in Williams’ place in a 61-0 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 7.

The University of Wisconsin's football game against Northwestern on Sept. 28 at Camp Randall Stadium will start at 11 a.m., it was announced on Monday.

Coming off a bye week, University of Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst met with the media Monday to preview Saturday's home game against Michigan.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson took a hard hit to the helmet in the fourth quarter Sunday but hung in the game to lead the Seahawks to a 30-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road.

Pittsburgh outside linebacker T.J. Watt recorded his first sack of the season and recovered a fumble while turning in another strong defensive performance Sunday, but it wasn't enough as the Steelers fell short against the Seattle Seahawks in a 28-26 loss at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. 

Even though Houston came away with a narrow win over Jacksonville on Sunday, defensive end J.J. Watt did not leave the field happy. 

Cleveland linebacker Joe Schobert had 10 solo tackles and three assisted tackles while also forcing a fumble by New York Jets running back Le'Veon Bell on Monday night in the Browns' 23-3 win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. 

Jacksonville linebacker Leon Jacobs (above left) had one solo tackle and four assisted tackles, including a shared sack of Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson, on Sunday in Texans' 13-12 win over the Jaguars at NRG Stadium in Houston. 

Philadelphia running back Corey Clement was forced out early with a shoulder injury Sunday before the Eagles fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 24-20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

New England running back James White carried the ball three times for 10 yards and caught three passes for 19 yards and a touchdown on Sunday as the Patriots blew out the Miami Dolphins, 43-0. 

Buccaneers running back Dare Ogunbowale caught one pass for 9 yards on Thursday night in Tampa Bay's 20-14 win over the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Field in Charlotte, N.C. 

The Badgers will play New Mexico State in 2022 and Western Michigan in 2024, according to a report.

When the Badgers beat Michigan 13-10 at Camp Randall Stadium on Oct. 30, 1993, elated UW fans tried to rush the field. But euphoria quickly turned to tragedy when 69 people were injured in a crush of human bodies against metal railings. No one died, but many people were crushed or trampled i…

Zander Neuville tweeted Wednesday afternoon he had “sustained another injury” and it would mean the end of his football career.

Isaac Smith is the 16th known commitment in UW's 2020 class and the second this week, joining Ohio defensive end James Thompson Jr.

The Badgers experienced a net loss of 1,391 season ticket packages over last season, most of it coming from general seating areas as opposed to suites, clubs and student sections.

With the 2019 NFL regular season now in full swing, here's a look at some notable performances from former Wisconsin Badgers players in Week 1.

James Thompson Jr. also had scholarship offers from Iowa State, Akron, Ball State and Navy, among others, and was receiving interest from Michigan State, Northwestern and Purdue.

In a game that went back and forth before being decided as time expired, right tackle Ryan Ramczyk played a key role in slowing down fellow former Badger J.J. Watt as the Saints edged the Houston Texans, 30-28, in New Orleans. 

Quarterback Russell Wilson, kicking off his eighth season with Seattle, completed 14 of 20 passes for 196 yards with two touchdowns in the Seahawks' 21-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Seattle. Russell, who finished with a quarterback rating of 134.6, also ran the ball four times for 8 yards. 

Linebacker T.J. Watt, starting his third season in the NFL since being drafted by Pittsburgh in 2017, had a solo and assisted tackle before leaving with a hip injury Sunday night in the Steelers' 33-3 loss to the New England Patriots on the road. 

Linebacker Joe Schobert, starting his fourth NFL season since being drafted by Cleveland in 2016, had seven solo tackles and two assisted tackles Sunday in the Browns' 43-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland. 

Linebacker Leon Jacobs, starting his second season in the NFL since being drafted by Jacksonville in 2018, had two solo tackles on Sunday in the Jaguars' 40-26 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Jacksonville. 

Wide receiver Alex Erickson, kicking off his fourth season in Cincinnati, caught four passes for 28 yards while surrendering a fumble Sunday in the Bengals' 21-20 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle. 

Running back James White, kicking off his sixth season in the NFL since being drafted by the Patriots in 2014, ran the ball four times for 26 yards and caught five passes for 56 yards on Sunday in New England's 33-3 win over Pittsburgh in Foxborough, Mass. 

Running back Dare Ogunbowale, who appeared in two games last season for Tampa Bay, caught four passes for 33 yards on Sunday in the Buccaneers' 31-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at home. 

They've shut out their first two opponents en route to the Sept. 21 Big Ten Conference opener at home against Michigan.

A player can take part in up to four games and still redshirt, and Mertz said after the game that “I am redshirting. It’s more just getting my opportunity in those four games.”

Wisconsin State Journal reporter Jim Polzin asked Badgers fans on Twitter what they thought of No. 17 Wisconsin's 61-0 win over the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.