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Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, left, talks with head coach Luke Fickell during practice Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

4 Middle Tennessee stars the Wisconsin Badgers need to stop

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Kedrick Stumbris | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 7:07 PM ET

The Wisconsin Badgers are seeking their first win inside Camp Randall Stadium on a college football Saturday in a long time. With Wisconsin closing its 2024 season on a four-game losing skid, its last two wins of that campaign coming on the road, and playing the 2025 season-opener on a Thursday, it has been 11 full months since Badgers fans were treated to a proper Saturday afternoon victory in Madison.

On the other side of that matchup, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are trying to right their own ship. After dropping their Week 1 matchup to in-state rival Austin Peay, head coach Derek Mason is relying on some veteran leaders to help his team bounce back.

Middle Tennessee has one of the most-experienced quarterbacks in college football

Blue Raiders quarterback Nicholas Vattiato did not have his best day against Austin Peay. He passed for only 104 yards on 36 attempts, averaging a mere 2.9 yards per throw. Throughout his career, however, Vattiato has put many more impressive performances on tape.

Vattiato currently sits in the top four all-time in passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns for Middle Tennessee. He needs just 222 yards to eclipse former Blue Raiders QB Logan Kilgore for the third-most passing yards in MTSU history. Vattiato has averaged 231 yards per game in 33 appearances.

Vattiato is in his third season as Middle Tennessee's full-time starter. Not only has he started in 25 consecutive games for the Blue Raiders, but he is also one of only two quarterbacks in the country to make at least one start in each season dating back to 2021. Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels is the only other player in the country who can say the same. Daniels has started at least one game at KU every season since 2020.

The veteran has been honored with numerous preseason accolades. He was named to the Preseason Conference USA (CUSA) Watch List, Manning Award Watch List, and Johnny Unites Golden Arm Award Watch List, among others.

Blue Raiders safety Brendon Harris: The eighth-year man

Shockingly, there is a player in Murfreesboro with three more seasons of experience than Vattiato. Journeyman Brendon Harris backstops the Blue Raider Defense.

Harris began his time in college football down the road in Nashville. In 2018, the Chattanooga, Tennessee native appeared in four games for the Vanderbilt Commodores–preserving his redshirt. Harris remained with Vanderbilt through 2021, by which time he had used only two years of eligibility due, in-part, to the NCAA's COVID eligibility waiver in 2020.

Harris then transferred to Wake Forest. In 2022, he appeared in all 12 games for the Demon Deacons, recording a pick-six on senior night in Winston-Salem. The following year, would would have been Harris' final year of eligibility, however, did not go according to plan. He sustained an injury in the second game of the season that sidelined him the remainder of the year.

With an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt in hand, Harris returned closer to home in 2024, joining the Bleu Raiders. There, he reunited with Mason, who had initially recruited Harris to the Commodores in 2018. Harris again suffered a season-ending injury two games into the season; 2025 figures to be his third attempt at using his final year of eligibility as he pursues an MBA in Strategic Leadership.

Jekail Middlebrook seeks breakout season

Much like his quarterback, Jekail Middlebrook appears on the Preseason CUSA Watch List. The redshirt sophomore earned All-Freshman conference honors in 2024 after averaging 4.6 yards on 60 rushing attempts. Now, Middlebrook is being asked to carry more of the load.

After finishing with the second-most rushing yards on his team in 2024, Middlebrook has stepped into the starting role in a young backfield. All seven of the running backs on the Blue Raiders roster are redshirt sophomores or younger.

Middlebrook has a strong ability to make a cut and get off the edge from the backfield. It is an explosive ability that has made him a multi-faceted threat in the Blue Raiders offense. He totaled 163 yards on 22 catches in nine games in 2024. Plus, MTSU gave him punt return duties in Week 1.

Middle Tennessee football's big man up front

The Blue Raiders will enter their first game ever in the state of Wisconsin at an undeniable size disadvantage. Only one player in MTSU's defensive rotation weighs in at 300+ pounds. That one, however, is among Middle Tennessee's best players.

Damonte Smith is in his fourth season in Murfreesboro. In 2024, the defensive tackle appeared in all 12 games, tallying career highs in solo tackles, combined tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks. Smith is an integral part of Middle Tennessee's even-front defense, causing havoc up the middle of the line.

Against Austin Peay, Smith racked up five tackles, including three solo, and a game-high 2.5 tackles for loss with a sack. Smith will be a notable test for a Wisconsin football offensive line, apparently headed for some "shuffling".