MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin football returned to Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night and returned to the win column, defeating Western Illinois 36-9 in its home opener after nearly 300 days without a victory on its home field. The Badgers’ offense was not consistently sharp through the air. Starting quarterback Colton Joseph struggled to establish a rhythm, and coach Luke Fickell said after the game that Joseph was still dealing with injuries sustained the previous week in Wisconsin’s 41-13 loss to Notre Dame at Lambeau Field. Joseph remained in the game, however, and made one of Wisconsin’s biggest plays when the team needed an answer. He found fifth-year wide receiver Chris Brooks Jr. for a 33-yard touchdown, Brooks’ first touchdown as a Badger. Brooks said Joseph’s willingness to keep competing through mistakes and physical setbacks mattered to the team. “He knows he needs to be better for us,” Brooks said, while praising Joseph for staying engaged instead of allowing miscues to take him out of the game. Brooks described the performance as less than ideal for the offense overall but said Joseph continued to show the determination Wisconsin needs from its quarterback. The Badgers will have one more nonconference game to address those issues before Big Ten play begins. Wisconsin will host Eastern Michigan at Camp Randall on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 11:30 a.m. The Badgers then begin their conference schedule with a road trip to Penn State.