Why the Badgers were more conservative in Week 1

The Wisconsin Badgers cruised to a comfortable 38-17 win over the Buffalo Bulls in Week 1, pulling away in the second half after leading just 14-10 heading into halftime.

It was an up-and-down day for the offense, as quarterback Tanner Mordecai had a shaky two-interception start to his Badgers career, while the running game flourished to the tune of 298 yards and four touchdowns.

However, another area of conversation was some of the decisions from head coach Luke Fickell to be more conservative, rather than attempt some fourth-down situations with the offense.

Specifically, the Badgers elected to punt on a 4th & 3 at the Buffalo 42-yard line before throwing a 1-yard screen later on 3rd & 6 and…