MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Badgers hosted the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers for a non-conference matchup at Camp Randall on Friday evening. After the Badgers' 34-3 victory, BadgerBlitz.com crunched the numbers, analyzed the statistics and has the first Stat Pack of 2018 to show for it.

1. Much of the same?

Once again, Wisconsin tailback Jonathan Taylor grabbed headlines at Camp Randall. On Friday, his first quarter, 47-yard touchdown propelled the Badgers to an early lead. By the time the final whistle sounded, Taylor had finished with 145 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 attempts. One statistic that may shock you: Taylor's two-touchdown performance on Friday was his first game with multiple rushing TD's since Oct. 7, 2017 (against Nebraska).

Last season, Taylor had his fair share of highlight plays and touchdowns. However, Taylor must continue to work on ball security. Last season, Taylor fumbled eight times and the Badgers failed to recover six of his drops.

He finished with one fumble against WKU on Friday.

2. Brand-New Nine

In Wisconsin's 2018 home opener, nine Badgers saw the first start of their collegiate careers against the Hilltoppers. Those players were FB Alec Ingold, TE Luke Benzschawel, DE Matt Henningsen, OLB Zack Baun, DE Kayden Lyles, CB Caesar Williams, CB Faion Hicks, S Scott Nelson and OLB Andrew Van Ginkel.

It's a cluster of players, obviously. However, the list of new faces helps one appreciate the team's depth, especially after losing veterans on defense and some notable offensive names from last year's Orange Bowl roster.

3. On the Receiving End

Although Wisconsin is without two of its talented wide receivers (Danny Davis and Quintez Cephus) for different periods of time, quarterback Alex Hornibrook did a fine job of targeting his wide outs against the Hilltoppers. Lead by AJ Taylor (85 yards), the receiving corps combined for 257 yards and averaged 15.1 yards/reception. Even with Jonathan Taylor's strong night, I saw it to be a pass-first offense at Camp Randall.

4. Beginning to Remove Doubts on Defense

Perhaps Wisconsin's question marks on defense can be answered after the unit bested the Hilltopper offense. Check out some notable first half numbers below:

However, this was only the first obstacle. Bigger tests lie ahead on Wisconsin's 2018 schedule.

5. Kicking for Consistency

Senior Rafael Gaglianone continues racking up a ton of points while healthy. In fact, he's made over 90 percent of his field goals since UW's 2017 Cotton Bowl appearance.

On Friday it was more of the same for Gaglianone. The kicker finished 2-2 on FGs (39/42) and 3-3 on extra points.

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Jonathan Mills covers Wisconsin football and basketball for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @therealJMlLLS