Wisconsin · Big TenHenry gives Wisconsin a new weapon after record-setting game
Henry caught 14 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown before Wisconsin’s Sept. 26 trip to No. 7 Penn State.
SEP 20, 2026
Henry’s school-record game
Henry through three games
Henry entering September
01 · The NewsHenry Gives Wisconsin a New Weapon
On Saturday, Sept. 19, Wisconsin’s Henry set a school record with 14 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown in a 54–10 win over Eastern Michigan, giving the Badgers a new passing threat before Big Ten play.
Henry surpassed Matt Nyquist’s mark of 13 receptions, which had stood since 1995. The record was striking on its own. So was the jump behind it: Henry entered the season with six catches across his first two seasons at Wisconsin and now has 22 receptions for 293 yards through three games.
Henry’s touchdown came on a 13-yard pass from quarterback Colton Joseph during Wisconsin’s 28-point second quarter. The Badgers took a 31–7 lead into halftime and improved to 2–1.
Joseph finished with 362 passing yards and accounted for four total touchdowns, giving Wisconsin’s passing game a strong afternoon to match Henry’s record. The quarterback now has another receiver capable of carrying a large share of the offense, a change from the player who had six career catches entering September.
The Penn State game is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Sept. 26. It will put Henry’s production against a projected playoff team and give Wisconsin its first meaningful answer about whether the connection with Joseph travels into conference play.
Henry does not need another 14-catch game to change the offense. After three games, Joseph has a new high-volume option—and Penn State is the first serious test of what that means.
02 · The StakesThe First Big Ten Test
That breakout goes straight into Wisconsin’s first Big Ten test at Penn State on Saturday, Sept. 26. Josh Pate’s preseason bracket placed Penn State at No. 7 in the playoff field, so Wisconsin will find out immediately whether Henry can remain a high-volume option against one of the site’s projected contenders after producing against Eastern Michigan.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The scale of Henry’s leap should be separated from the opponent that allowed it. Eastern Michigan is 1–3, and its two games against Big Ten teams ended in a 35–7 loss at Michigan State and a 54–10 loss at Wisconsin. Henry’s volume therefore changed the Badgers’ options, but did not settle how those options function against the conference’s stronger teams.
From Sept. 26 through Oct. 31, Wisconsin plays at Penn State, UCLA and Iowa, with Michigan State and USC at home, a five-game run that can establish whether the change lasts.
04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
How much of Wisconsin’s passing game will still run through Henry at Penn State?
Henry’s reception total on Sept. 26 will set expectations for the five-game run through Iowa on Oct. 31. His share of Joseph’s completed passes will be the cleanest tell: another substantial share would show that Wisconsin preserved the new connection when the opponent changed, rather than abandoning it at the start of Big Ten play.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Does Henry remain a high-volume option?
His reception total against Penn State will show whether the breakout carries into conference play.
Does the Joseph-Henry connection travel?
Henry’s production against a projected playoff team will give Wisconsin its first meaningful answer.