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Wisconsin Badgers Safety Acknowledges 2024 Struggles Ahead of Season – 'Even Our Own Fans Count Us Out'
Wisconsin Badgers Safety Acknowledges 2024 Struggles Ahead of Season - Oct 26, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers safety Austin Brown (9) during the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

During a recent moment with the media ahead of practice, a Wisconsin Badgers safety was brutally honest about the program and the upcoming season.

Last season, the Badgers went 5-7 which was unfortunately not good enough to secure a bowl game even under academic exceptions. The absence of a bowl game was something the fans had become unaware of after two decades straight of playing in the post-season. Snapping the bowl streak was something the fans did not take lightly, and Wisconsin players and staff members saw the ugliest of the comments.

However, the past is the past for the Badgers and the sights of the program and players has been set on the upcoming season. The only issue standing in the way of Wisconsin is a mightily difficult schedule that has been widely considered to be one of the hardest schedules in the country. Wisconsin needs more than five wins to return to bowl play during the season, but doing so is a task that many fans doubt will be completed.

Wisconsin Badgers Safety Austin Brown States Fans “Count Us Out” With “One of the Hardest” Schedules Looming

Austin Brown took a moment before practice the other day to speak with the media about last season as well as the expectations of the upcoming season. The safety spoke about the difficulty of the upcoming season and stated, “It’s one of the hardest if not the hardest [schedule], but who would want it any other way.”

The Wisconsin Badgers will start the season at home against Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee State before traveling down to Tuscaloosa where the real challenge begins. Madison is a tough environment to play in, but SEC football environments are different and the crowd will almost certainly be filled with Crimson Tide fans.

Following the Tuscaloosa trip, the schedule does not ease up as the Badgers play Maryland (Home), Michigan (Away), Iowa (Home), Ohio State (Home), Oregon (Away), Washington (Home), Indiana (Away), Illinois (Home), and Minnesota (Away). Currently, most experts expect Wisconsin to walk away from the season with less win than last season, which would be a tough blow for the program.


Wisconsin Badgers Safety Acknowledges 2024 Struggles Ahead of Season - Oct 5, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Devin Mockobee (45) rushes with the football as Wisconsin Badgers safety Austin Brown (9) reaches from behind during the second quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Brown understands the challenges ahead and acknowledges that “even our own fans count us out” on the heels of the struggles seen last season. For Brown and the rest of the Badgers, the safety sees the tough schedule as motivation.

The defender is someone Wisconsin will be relying heavily upon moving forward with the potential loss of Nyzier Fourqurean being finalized in the coming weeks. Brown is a versatile defender and someone who can serve in a similar role and help the defense in the wake of Fourqurean losing his additional year of eligibility.


Wisconsin Badgers Tasked With Finding Next Man Up Following Brutal 5th-Year Loss 3 Wisconsin safety Austin Brown (9) is shown during spring football practice Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Badgers football team plays their season opener against Western Michigan on August 30.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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