What We Learned: Wisconsin 17 Miami (OH) 0

MADISON, Wis. — It wasn’t easy, but Wisconsin (1-0) collected its 28th consecutive season-opening non-conference win, hanging on for a 17-0 win over Miami (OH) on Thursday. The Badgers played through some adversity, including a key injury at the quarterback position that could have huge implications on their season going forward…

Wisconsin Lost Billy Edwards in the Second Quarter

For the sixth consecutive season, Wisconsin has had to turn to a backup quarterback at some point during the year due to injury. In the second quarter, senior quarterback Billy Edwards went down and limped off the field for what appeared to be a non-contact injury following a handoff. Edwards was originally ruled questionable, but did not rejoin the team following halftime and was later downgraded to out.

In place of Edwards, sophomore Danny O’Neil took the reins of the offense. The San Diego State transfer, who started 11 games as a true freshman, went 12-of-19 passing for 120 yards and two total touchdowns to one interception. After his fourth and goal pick in the end zone, O’Neil bounced back by leading Wisconsin to a 7-play drive. 54-yard touchdown drive in just 2:56. O’Neil had three consecutive great plays, hitting Eugene Hilton for 11 yards, Grant Stec for 22 yards, and a 3-yard touchdown pass to Vinny Anthony.

“I think he stepped up to the plate,” said Anthony. “I saw him in the locker room, I was like, ‘I’m very proud of you for stepping up and not really flinching.’ You could tell he was confident in himself.”

No Fast Start For the Badgers

I came in harping that Wisconsin needed a fast start and a blowout win on Thursday. The Badgers came in riding a five-game losing streak dating back to last season, and in a little more than two weeks, they have a huge road test at Alabama. UW also struggled mightily in their first early-season non-conference games at home in 2024 as well, grinding out wins over Western Michigan and South Dakota.

Head coach Luke Fickell hung his hat on Wisconsin being able to stick together during some adverse moments and continue to dominate the game, at least from a defensive standpoint. He’s not wrong. The Badgers out-gained Miami (OH) 353-117 and played fairly clean with five penalties and one turnover. It’s year three of the Fickell era. These are mostly his recruits/transfers, and the ones who aren’t clearly have bought in and decided not to go anywhere. From a roster-building standpoint, think you’d just feel better about this win — Edwards injured or not — if Wisconsin did more on the scoreboard with 39 minutes plus of possession time, two takeaways, 3.0 sacks, and holding the Redhawks to a 0-9 mark on third down.

“You can have a struggle, you can have a tough game, obviously having adversity like having a quarterback go down, but you can still play the game the way you expect to play it,” said Fickell. “That’s what I thought we looked like tonight. There was nothing we did to beat ourselves.”

Mixed Results For the Rushing Attack

We knew Wisconsin was going to get back to a violent rushing attack. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes looked to establish a presence between the tackles early, calling 11 runs on the first 17 plays, including a fullback dive to Jackson Acker on 3rd and short, which was successful.

As a team, Wisconsin ran the ball 43 times for 165 yards on Thursday night. 13 of those yards came on the legs of O’Neil. The running backs all averaged at least 4.0 yards per game. Both Dilin Jones, who had a game-high 73 yards on 14 carries, and Darrion Dupree, were each above 5.0. Miami (OH) also only got to a UW tailback behind the line of scrimmage once for the entire game.

However, the Badgers just couldn’t really hit the home run on the ground. Not including a 17-yard scamper from O’Neil, UW had just one run of 10 yards or more (Jones – 11). But for the most part, it looked like what had been advertised. Downhill, aggressive, attacking, and getting the wide receivers involved as runners.

“I could have told you they were going to make it very, very difficult to run the football,” said Fickell. “If you look at the beginning of the year last year, they played Notre Dame, and they (Notre Dame) don’t run the football. I played them for six years straight and know the consistency of what they do.”

Wisconsin Front Seven Led the Shutout Charge

Wisconsin’s season high for sacks last season was 3.0. By halftime, they had already tied that mark. I know it’s Miami (OH), but the Badgers weren’t getting this play from their front seven, specifically their defensive linemen in 2024. And if UW has to play without Edwards, the defense is going to need to continue to be special.

Christian Alliegro (1.0), Darryl Peterson (1.0), Mason Reiger (.5), and Brandon Lane (.5) all had sacks on Thursday. More importantly, you saw a push from Wisconsin’s defense that you weren’t seeing last season. On top of that, the Badgers were able to keep Miami (OH) star quarterback Dequan Finn in the pocket and not allow him to improvise, where he’s at his best. Finn finished just 9-of-18 passing for 83 yards and two interceptions, both of which came from Preston Zachman in the fourth quarter. Finn was also limited to 13 rushing yards on 12 attempts.

“That was our plan all week, make him play quarterback,” said Reiger. “We definitely affected him tonight in that way.”

Wisconsin May Need a Change at Left Tackle

It’s one game. You’re also dealing with a guy who came in after the spring and is trying to play catch-up, but senior left tackle Davis Heinzen did not have a particularly encouraging Wisconsin debut. This spot was arguably our biggest question mark going into the season, and it remains as such. Miami (OH) teed off on the Central Michigan transfer for most of the night and was able to get 2.0 sacks and a pass breakup against him as well as bottling up a few run plays off the left side.

The Badgers do have options, even after sophomore Kevin Heywood went down with what’s expected to be a season-ending ACL injury. Junior Joe Brunner could hop outside, where he has experience, and slide Heinzen to guard, where he started 36 games for the Chippewas. Redshirt freshman Collin Cubberly, Brunner’s backup, is one of the best young players on the roster. Seniors Kerry Kodanko and JP Benzschawel have also paid their dues and been terrific program guys over the years.

Following the game, Fickell was asked about the left tackle position and pretty much went to bat for Heinzen.

“There’s a lot of things we’ve gotta continue to get back to and get better at,” said Fickell. “Look, everybody had their moments in game one. We know we’ve got to make sure that the biggest improvement continues to come from that game one or two.”