The Wisconsin Badgers got out to an early 7-0 lead over the #20 Michigan Wolverines after returning to old school football for the first drive.
Coming into the contest against the Wolverines, the biggest questions surrounding Wisconsin involved the center and quarterback duo. Starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and starting center Jake Renfro were both notably absent all week during practice and unsurprisingly were kept out of the game against Michigan. Both players participated in the past two weeks and aggravated injuries while doing so, which led to the decision to fully shutdown the pair of starters for the week.
Head coach Luke Fickell has been criticized for the last two weeks since losing to the Maryland Terrapins at home in a game where the Badgers had been double-digit point favorites. Despite the loss, Fickell again delivered the same speech and vowed to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to win moving forward.
The Wisconsin staff settled on two key decisions which involved starting Hunter Simmons at quarterback and Davis Heinzen at center. Simmons is a transfer from SIU who had been considered to be the third-string quarterback coming into the game. Heinzen is a tackle naturally but was benched after the opener against Miami (OH) and now aims to solidify himself as a center for the rest of the season.
Wisconsin Badgers Attack the Ground, Put Together Scoring Drive to Start Clash Against Michigan Wolverines
By all accounts, Wisconsin was supposed to be blown out by Michigan in the first-half due to the clear differences between both teams. However, the Badgers went directly down the field and put together a very physical drive while doing so which is something that has been absent in Madison since the hiring of coach Luke Fickell.
Offense has been something that Fickell has struggled to figure out fully in the Big Ten Conference, but Wisconsin still managed to blow out weaker opponents during his tenure. Against top teams, the offense has been far different as Fickell still does not have a ranked win through eight attempts.
During the first drive of the game, Wisconsin ran the football ten times as part of a 12 play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a Dilin Jones touchdown. The Badgers fed Jones the football, having the running back carry the ball eight out of a possible ten times during the drive. Wisconsin also notably used the hybrid fullback position that has been created, which is a position that had been absent during the tenure of former offensive coordinator Phil Longo.
Wisconsin entered the second-half of play with the same attitude, but the old school playing style has been something the Wolverines have quickly adapted to. Eventually quarterback Hunter Simmons, who is making his first Badgers’ start, will have to air the ball out but the question is whether or not the Wisconsin staff will allow him to do so.
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