Wisconsin Badgers starting quarterback’s status in doubt for Alabama showdown
Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell gave an update on the injury status of quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. ahead of the Alabama matchup.
Coming off a 2–0 start, the Wisconsin football team faces no shortage of questions heading into Week 3. But none loom larger than the status of the Badgers' starting quarterback as they prepare to face the No. 19 Alabama Crimson Tide.
Starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. was officially listed as “week-to-week” with a sprained knee after leaving the opener against Miami (OH). However, the staff's worst fears were avoided, given that Edwards had a clean MRI with no season-ending damage. But the reality is this: Edwards’ status for Saturday’s showdown at Alabama is still very much in doubt.
What’s the latest on Wisconsin’s starter?
“I don’t know a whole lot about Billy,” Luke Fickell said. “We’ll see as we continue to push forward in the week. But we’ll obviously get prepared either way. He’s throwing the ball around. He is here constantly, getting treatments and things like that. I think it is really how he feels in terms of later in the week. We’re going to have to protect Billy from himself. I know that at some point in time. I don’t know when that is, but he’s a guy that’s going to be prepared and always wants to go.”
That’s a coach carefully leaving the door open. But, if you’re listening to the chatter around the program, the expectation is that Edwards won’t be available against the Crimson Tide, and that Wisconsin will once again roll with Danny O’Neil under center and Hunter Simmons backing him up.
If that’s the case, O’Neil has at least shown he can handle the moment.
In Week 1, O'Neil was thrown into a tough spot but held his own, completing 12-of-19 passes for 120 yards with two total touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground, along with an interception. Then, in his first start against Middle Tennessee State, the San Diego State transfer delivered one of the most impressive debuts in program history: 23-of-27 passing, 283 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. It was the most passing yards by a Badgers QB in their first start since 1951.
"As you go back and look at it, I think Danny did a really good job," Fickell said. "He only had a few incompletions, and those in particular might have been things that were rushed and were open for him. But all in all, what we asked him to do, I think he did a really good job of. I was happy after evaluating the game film and watching and seeing the decisions he made, where he threw the football, and how he threw the football. He actually played a pretty clean game for us. So that's exciting, moving forward."
That’s the good news. The bad news? Alabama isn’t MTSU.
O’Neil showed he could execute the plan and give Wisconsin stability at quarterback. But as promising as that is, both now and potentially for the future, the Badgers' next challenge is a different animal entirely.
For Wisconsin to have a real shot on Saturday as more than 20-point underdogs on the road, they’ll need well-above-average quarterback play and their offensive line to find some continuity. If they’re going to get through this week and follow it up with Maryland, and then survive a brutal October stretch against Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, and Oregon, the entire operation has to take significant steps forward, and fast.
Edwards’ uneven debut against Miami (OH), where he completed 6-of-13 passes for 68 yards in 28 offensive snaps, hardly gave us a full look at what he brings to the table. But what we do know is this: Wisconsin brought him in from Maryland because they needed an answer with legitimate Power 4 experience at QB1, not another season-long audition.
The long-term health of Edwards is non-negotiable for this team to hit its ceiling, and because of that, they need to handle the situation with care. The good news is that once the knee responds in a way that both Edwards and the training staff feel confident in, it won’t take long to get him ready for live action, given his meticulous preparation and knowledge of the offense.
Still, there’s no denying how valuable those live reps against more manageable opponents would have been for building timing and chemistry with the starters before the hardest parts of the schedule.
That’s where the concern lies: without Edwards, Wisconsin has to find other ways to move the ball, but FSU showed there might be a path.
Florida State’s 31-17 win over Alabama in Week 1 offered a bit of a blueprint. The Seminoles leaned on the run game, mixing in designed quarterback keepers and smart checks at the line to keep the Tide’s defense honest. That’s an area where Wisconsin will need to find answers.
Yes, Jeff Grimes did manufacture some creativity against MTSU by involving their wide receivers in the ground game, but the shuffled offensive line struggled to create much push or open holes for the running backs. If that shows up again in Tuscaloosa, it’s the kind of weakness that only gets magnified against one of the SEC’s most talented rosters.
That’s where coaching creativity has to show up, because the margin for error against Alabama is going to be razor-thin.
And that’s really where you begin to see the value of bringing in Grimes. Through two weeks, he’s found ways to get the ball into the hands of Wisconsin’s playmakers in different spots, mixing in reverses, motion looks, and quick-strike passes that keep defenses on their heels. No, neither Miami (OH) nor MTSU is at the level of Alabama, but the creativity is noticeable.
This isn’t a system built solely around the quarterback, the way Phil Longo’s offense was. It’s one designed to highlight personnel strengths and generate chunk plays even when protection isn’t perfect.
With O’Neil steering the ship, this weekend should be a telling test of just how far Grimes’ scheme can carry the Badgers against top opponents. Because six of the next nine teams on the schedule are ranked in the AP Top 25, and coach Fickell is still searching for his first win over a ranked team at Wisconsin. If that’s going to change, the offense has to prove it can hang against better competition, no matter who is under center.
So while the attention this week turns to O’Neil making his second start and how Wisconsin handles things against Kalen DeBoer, the bigger picture is obvious. At some point, the Wisconsin Badgers offense needs Edwards back on the field, healthy and confident, if they’re going to be playing their best football, whatever that looks like, when it matters most.
"If we go down there and we do our thing, you know, if we play a full four quarters of smash mouth football, I'm really excited to see what we'll be able to do," O'Neil said. "There is some extra motivation this week, just because of how the game did go last year, that the guys are going to come out swinging, and I know we're going to fight our hardest. I'm just excited for the opportunity to go down there and try to put ourselves on the map. Everyone's been doubting us. No one really talks about us."
For now? All eyes are on practice this week, where the staff's “wait-and-see” approach will tell us if Edwards even has a realistic chance to suit up. But if the rumblings are correct, it’ll be O’Neil’s show yet again.
That means a prime opportunity to learn more about who he is and how his game holds up against a higher level of competition. At the same time, any news or updates on Edwards will be closely watched, both to gauge a realistic timetable for his return and to see if there’s even a slim chance he suits up against his former program in Week 4 if he's healthy enough.
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