Breaking down Wisconsin's season openers since 2000

No. 12 Wisconsin kicks off its 2021 campaign next Saturday against No. 19 Penn State in a season opener that will test both conference programs in an early cross-divisional clash.

UW last faced a conference opponent to begin the season last year, of course, during the Big Ten's truncated 2020 campaign. Paul Chryst's program took care of Illinois, 45-7, thanks to the arm of Graham Mertz and a stifling defense.

Before that, the last time Wisconsin faced a Big Ten program to kick off a season came in 1982, when it lost to No. 12 Michigan in Ann Arbor by a 20-9 score. The year prior, the Badgers had upset the No. 1 Wolverines inside Camp Randall Stadium with a 21-14 victory.

UW has won 19 of its 21 season openers dating back to the 2000 season. BadgerBlitz.com decided to peruse Wisconsin's 2020 Fact Book, along with the various box scores since that year, to bring interesting facts to light as the program hopes to start 2021 with a spark.

[writer's note: all research, as noted above, has come via UW's Fact Book from last season and all box scores seen on UWBadgers.com]

Wisconsin boasts a 19-2 record in season openers since 2000. The only two losses came in consecutive seasons, 2014 and 2015, the last year of the Gary Andersen era and the beginning of Chryst's. The program faced SEC powerhouses in LSU and Alabama, respectively, with the Crimson Tide later going on that year to win the national championship over Clemson.

UW holds a 14-0 record at Camp Randall Stadium in season openers, a 3-0 mark in true away games, and 2-2 in games played at other sites. The three away contests included West Virginia (2003), UNLV (2010) and South Florida (2019).

Wisconsin also played at some NFL stadiums during this time span. The Badgers defeated the Bowling Green Falcons inside then-Cleveland Browns Stadium (now FirstEnergy Stadium) to open Bret Bielema's reign as head coach in 2006. UW faced LSU first at NRG Stadium in Houston to start the 2014 season, then traveled to Arlington, Tex., to play Alabama in AT&T Stadium the next year.

Then, the Badgers and Tigers dueled at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., in what emerged as an electric atmosphere and a signature win for Chryst's program in 2016. Of course, South Florida also plays its home games inside Raymond James Stadium -- the same home as the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- and UW traveled to Tampa to start its eventual Rose Bowl campaign in August 2019.

*Wisconsin averaged 34.9 points per game in the 21 contests since 2000, while it has only given up 16.1 per outing in that period.

*Wisconsin scored 40 points or more eight times since 2000, hitting the 50-point mark or higher in just three games. The most points put up on the scoreboard came in 2017 against Utah State when the Badgers hung 59 on the Aggies.

*The most points Wisconsin allowed in a season opener since 2000 happened in 2005 when Bowling Green hit 42 points during an offensive extravaganza inside Camp Randall Stadium (UW still won by 14 points). However, the Badgers gave up fewer than 20 points per game in 13 of the 21 season openers, and opponents have scored 21 or fewer points in 18 of the 21.

*In the Chryst head coaching era, Wisconsin has fared better in both categories. UW has averaged 36.7 points per game while only allowing 11.5.

*The Badgers have not allowed more than 15 points in five of the six season openers during Chryst's tenure as head coach.

*Fifteen (15) times a Badger has rushed for over 100 yards in a season opener since 2000, according to BadgerBlitz.com's research.

*That comes from 10 players -- Michael Bennett, Anthony Davis (3x), Brian Calhoun, P.J. Hill (2x), John Clay, Montee Ball, Melvin Gordon (2x), James White, Corey Clement and Jonathan Taylor (2x)

*Out of all those performances, Calhoun's 43-carry, 258-yard, five-touchdown day against Bowling Green in 2005 is the most in carries, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

*Wisconsin actually boasted three 100-plus yard rushers in the 2013 opener against UMass with Gordon (144), White (146) and Clement (102) each going over the century mark in yardage, and each scored a touchdown as well.

*In the Chryst head coaching era (2015-present), only one back has rushed for over 100 yards. Taylor did so in 2018 (145 yards against Western Kentucky) and 2019 (135 yards against South Florida).

*Eleven times a Badger has thrown for over 200 yards in a season opener since 200.

*That includes Jim Sorgi, Tyler Donovan, Scott Tolzien, Russell Wilson, Danny O'Brien, Joel Stave, Bart Houston, Alex Hornibrook (2x), Jack Coan, and Graham Mertz.

*Mertz broke the school's single-game completion percentage record last season against Illinois, completing 20-of-21 passes for 248 yards and five touchdowns. He also tied the program's single-game marks for consecutive completions (17) and touchdown passes (five), according to UW's game notes.

*For that matter, every starting quarterback in the Chryst head coaching era since 2015 has thrown for at least 200 yards in the season opener.

*Wisconsin quarterbacks have not thrown an interception in a season opener since Houston threw two against LSU in 2016.

*Outside of Houston's zero-touchdown pass performance against the No. 5 Tigers, each Wisconsin starter since 2015 threw at least two touchdowns (Mertz's five being the high).

*Only five Badgers have reached this plateau in the 21 season-openers. That includes four wide receivers (Lee Evans in 2001, Luke Swan in 2007, Isaac Anderson in 2009, and Jared Abbrederis in 2013) and one tight end.

*Who's the tight end? That would be Troy Fumagalli, who is the only two-time, 100-yard recipient in this particular category. The former walk-on recorded 100 yards on seven receptions against LSU in 2016, then 105 yards on five catches versus Utah State a year later.

Wisconsin has seen three defensive coordinators in the Chryst era -- Dave Aranda (2015), Justin Wilcox (2016) and Jim Leonhard (2017-present). Two of the three, Aranda and Wilcox, both developed into Power Five head coaches, while Leonhard continues to deliver as one of college football's best assistants.

In that time, Wisconsin has tallied 14 sacks (about 2.3 per game). The most came against South Florida (four) in 2019.

UW holds a plus-5 turnover margin in season openers under Chryst as head coach. The defenses combined to intercept nine passes and recover five fumbles (while the offenses committed nine turnovers total -- three interceptions and six lost fumbles).

The 2017 and 2019 defenses also contributed to Wisconsin's scoring during season openers. Most recently, Matt Henningsen's fumble recovery for a touchdown against South Florida came two seasons ago, while Joe Ferguson's 99-yard pick-six lifted UW to a 42-point advantage a couple years prior to that.

Other defensive scoring in season openers since 2000 include Aaron Henry's 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown in 2010 against UNLV and Ross Kolodziej's safety against Western Michigan in 2000.

Kolodziej's safety in 2000 got BadgerBlitz.com thinking -- with a few Wisconsin assistants being former Badgers on the field -- how did they fare in season openers? Come down the rabbit hole with us further:

Defensive lineman Ross Kolodziej (current defensive line coach)

*1997 -- two tackles

*1998 -- six tackles, one tackle for loss, one breakup

*1999 -- two tackles

*2000 -- three tackles, one sack, one safety, two quarterback hurries

Safety Jim Leonhard (current defensive coordinator and safeties coach)

*2001 -- one tackle

*2002 -- six tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups (this game announced Leonhard's presence to the college football world)

*2003 -- 10 tackles, one tackle for loss

*2004 -- seven tackles

Tight End Mickey Turner (current tight ends coach)

*2007 -- one kickoff return for 13 yards

*2009 -- one reception, three yards

Kicker Taylor Mehlhaff (current analyst)

*2005 -- 8-for-8 on extra points

*2006 -- 5-for-5 on extra points

*2007 -- 6-for-6 on extra points