What we learned from Luke Fickell before Wisconsin football takes on Middle Tennessee
Wisconsin faces Middle Tennessee in Week 2. Here’s what we learned from Luke Fickell on Billy Edwards’ injury, how the Badgers plan to spread the ball around on offense, and more.
Week 1 is in the books, and Wisconsin football walked away with a 17–0 win over Miami (OH) to start the 2025 season. It wasn’t flawless, but it was a reminder of just how different this team looks compared to a year ago. The defense turned in a dominant performance, pitching a shutout while holding the RedHawks to 117 total yards and 0-for-9 on third down.
On the other side, the offense moved the ball on the ground (165 yards) but lost starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. to a sprained knee, forcing sophomore transfer Danny O’Neil to step in and finish the game.
The result extended Wisconsin’s streak of season-opening nonconference wins to 28, but the bigger storyline was how the Badgers went out and handled adversity. In Luke Fickell’s first two seasons, losing the starting quarterback completely derailed the team's rhythm. But in the opener, Wisconsin managed to steady itself, lean on its defense, and close out a win playing complementary football despite being shorthanded.
"I think that was really good for us, handling some adversity, with Billy going down," Fickell said. "I can tell you, it was definitely a different vibe than it had been in the past. There were things we obviously could get better at and need to get better at. I think offensively and defensively, I was not surprised. I was happy with where we continued to progress through the entire game. Special teams was the one [phase] that stood out to me, which was not the standard we want to be able to play."
With that in mind, here’s what we learned from coach Fickell ahead of Saturday’s Week 2 matchup against Middle Tennessee State.
Billy Edwards Jr. is OUT for Week 2
After a brief debut that ended with a sprained knee, Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. won’t be available against Middle Tennessee State.
“I don’t believe that Billy will be playing. He didn’t practice. So obviously, Danny would be the guy we would go with, and Hunter [Simmons] would be the backup, and we would just proceed from there,” Fickell said.
Edwards completed just 6-of-13 passes for 68 yards before exiting, and now it’s Danny O’Neil stepping in as the starter with Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons preparing as the No. 2 option behind him.
The bigger picture here is that so much of Wisconsin’s offensive ceiling is still tied to the health of Edwards. His arm strength, knowledge of the system, and Big Ten experience give the Badgers an element that’s tough to replicate, and preserving that long-term is far more important than rushing him back for a nonconference game. Sitting him is the right call.
The good news is that O’Neil largely proved capable in relief, and the hope now is that Wisconsin can navigate this week while also getting its backup some valuable live reps to keep him sharp. The staff feels more confident that this group can overcome adversity without its starter, and O’Neil deserves some of the credit for that. But the bottom line remains: the Wisconsin Badgers are going to be without Edwards, and everything this offense hopes to become still hinges on his eventual return.
Danny O'Neil showed confidence in relief
When Fickell was asked about O’Neil, he kept coming back to one thing: confidence.
“Well, I think it’s authentic,” Fickell said. “I love an athletic arrogance. There are borderlines on some things that can become cocky … but I think he straddles the line, and I think he does a really good job. I think it’s authentic. I think he really does have a confidence in what he does, and you can see it every single day.”
That confidence showed up in spots on Thursday night. O’Neil came in cold and still managed to complete 12-of-19 passes for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also added 13 yards rushing and a score on the ground, showing a little bit of mobility to extend plays.
The other side of the ledger was far from flawless. O'Neil took three sacks, floated a couple of passes that could’ve easily gone the other way, and his pocket awareness left something to be desired. But considering the circumstances, he looked like a guy who belonged, and that matters.
Fickell admitted there’s still plenty of room to grow.
“I’m sure he will be the first to tell you that, while he was prepared, he also probably recognized some areas where, okay, I kind of need to do a better job in my opportunities to run this team and run this offense. So there’ll be a lot of growth,” Fickell said.
That growth is exactly what you expect to see between Week 1 and Week 2, especially for players stepping into key roles for the first time.
The staff clearly believes O’Neil straddles that fine line between confidence and cockiness, and that belief has rubbed off on the locker room. He’s not perfect — far from it — but there’s no denying that Wisconsin feels more comfortable with him under center than they’ve felt with their backup options (Braedyn Locke) in the past.
Wisconsin's offense intends to spread the ball around
In Jeff Grimes' debut as Wisconsin's offensive coordinator, plenty of Badgers were involved in the offensive game plan. Fickell made it clear he views that balance as a real strength for this football team.
"I really do believe that the strength of the skill positions offensively is that there's some depth to what we're doing," Fickell explained. "Guys have different skill sets, and we can use them in different ways. And if you get a hot hand, whether it's at the tailback position or even at a wideout position, you would be able to kind of roll with those things. But I think the offense allows us to move the ball around, so people can't focus on one specific thing. The number of personnel that you use, the guys that you use, does kind of divvy up some of the opportunities on the field."
That depth showed up in Week 1. Seven different players carried the football, and eight different players recorded a reception. Six of those caught multiple passes, and in total, 11 players were targeted in the passing game. That’s not the picture of an offense leaning on one or two guys; it’s a staff trying to build multiplicity into everything it does.
Fickell went on to note that no one tailback dominated the workload.
“There’s not one tailback, whether he’s carrying the ball or not, that played 70% of the snaps," Fickell said. "My vision is that in the long run, that’s what gives you the opportunity to continue to get better and play your best ball at the end of the year, and we’re going to continue to do it.”
Dilin Jones led the backfield with 31 snaps, while Darrion Dupree logged 28 and Cade Yacamelli added 23. If Fickell’s comments are any indication, this rotation isn’t going anywhere. You can expect a steady mix all season.
That vision has meshed with Grimes’ scheme in a way that Phil Longo's never really did, emphasizing plenty of variety, pre-snap motion, and keeping defenses from keying in on one player or tendency.
The explosive plays weren’t there in the opener, and that’s a concern moving forward. But the offense stayed ahead of schedule, avoided the third-and-long situations that plagued this team a year ago, and moved the chains by leaning on a wide cast of contributors. If nothing else, the versatility of this group looks like a legitimate strength, and one Wisconsin intends to carry forward.
Preston Zachman is becoming more aggressive
Fickell’s message on senior safety Preston Zachman this week was simple: he’s playing more aggressively, and it’s changing everything.
“After last year, not that I had a ton of conversations about it, but sitting down with him, and challenging him," Fickell said, "you know the game, you understand the game, you’ve got to be more aggressive in the things that you are doing. In Fall Camp, it's just the nature of a guy out there taking charge. I've always kind of been a guy that the middle linebacker takes charge and makes all the calls. We still have that, but there is a nature on the back end of who is helping with some of those calls, and the leadership on the field. But it’s come with his ability to be aggressive, whether that's in his leadership, taking charge, and in his play.”
That growth has turned Zachman into one of the most indispensable players on this defense. He’s been in the program a long time, has steadily improved each year, and now Wisconsin needs him to be both a stabilizing force and a playmaker. Against Miami (OH), he delivered both.
Zachman earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting a 93.7 overall grade and a 92.8 in coverage. He was targeted three times, allowed zero completions, and picked off two passes.
Just as important was where he did it. Zachman moved all over the formation, logging 18 snaps at safety, 10 in the box, and 8 in the slot. That kind of versatility gives Wisconsin a Swiss Army knife on the back end, and with the Badgers needing to generate more takeaways this year, Zachman’s instincts and experience are crucial. As Fickell noted, some of the aggressive plays Zachman made are a product of his growth.
If this defense is going to reach its ceiling, Zachman has to be one of the engines. He’s become a steady, trustworthy piece that can cover ground, make calls, and create momentum-changing plays. For Wisconsin, that’s exactly the kind of leadership and production they’ll need all season long.
Emptying the clip
Sebastian Cheeks at home on the edge. The move from inside to outside linebacker has clicked. Coaches call it his “natural position,” and it’s clear why — he can rush the passer, set the edge, and create problems even when it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
O-line shuffling coming. Wisconsin's offensive line allowed three sacks and 13 pressures to Miami (OH) in the opener, and Davis Heinzen, in particular, was well below the standard. That's not good enough. Because this staff didn’t get all the mix-and-match reps they wanted in fall camp, “you’ll see some shuffling” the next couple of weeks. Watch for JP Benzschawel/Kerry Kodanko to see the field and different combinations to get some opportunities as they search for the best five on the line before Big Ten play begins.
Jackson Acker usage tweak. Staff admitted Acker’s Week 1 load was a lot and “put a little too much on his plate." With Grant Stec flashing, expect Acker’s role to narrow so he can be featured more cleanly at fullback/H-back and actually touch the ball more. “He’s dynamic with the ball,” Fickell said, and they want to show it.
Freshmen are in the fire. Early enrollees aren’t being slow-played; the staff views several as every-week contributors, not four-game redshirt cameos. “By Week 2, 3, 4… you’re not a freshman.” Expect those edges-of-the-two-deep snaps to keep coming.
QB reps distribution. With Edwards out, the plan is still for QB1 to get roughly 70–75% of practice reps, with the No. 2 locked in mentally even if he gets only “30-some percent.” Translation: O’Neil takes the lion’s share this week to prepare for Middle Tennessee, and Hunter Simmons must be dialed without starter-level snaps.
The Badgers (1-0) will host Middle Tennessee on Saturday for their first meeting with the Blue Raiders. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. (CT) on FS1.
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