Wisconsin Badgers rout Miami (OH), 17-0 in Week 1

The Wisconsin Badgers opened their 2025 season with a 17-0 victory against Miami (OH) in Week 1 of the 2025 season. Miami (OH) hung tough throughout, but the Badgers were able to salt the game away late. Although it’s only Week 1, this 2025 edition of Wisconsin Badgers football looks a lot more physical and talented than the past few years – which bodes well for them in the Big Ten. However, the Badgers suffered yet another injury to a starting QB, which seems to be a theme in the Fickell era.

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Miami (OH) Week 1 Recap

Insert Danny O’Neil

Billy Edwards Jr. came to Wisconsin after a very successful 2024 season at Maryland. Unfortunately, Edwards would suffer a non-contact lower leg injury after handing the ball off with 9:29 left in the second quarter. In his limited amount of time, Edwards commanded and orchestrated the offense quite nicely.

He finished 6-of-13 for 68 yards before having to leave the game. With Edwards in at QB, the Badgers ran a lot of play action on first down after having success establishing the run early in the game. He was able to get the ball out quickly and even took some deep shots to Vinny Anthony, but was unable to connect.

After his unfortunate injury, Sophomore Danny O’Neil, a transfer from San Diego State, was thrust into the game. For being thrown into the fire, O’Neil played with supreme confidence at the QB position. The offensive play calling didn’t seem to change a whole lot after the injury, and O’Neil finished the day 12-of-19 for 120 passing yards. He threw a touchdown and an interception, too.

O’Neil was able to show off his quick twitch and athleticism, finishing with 13 rushing yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run. The one blemish on O’Neil’s day was an interception on 4th-and-3 early in the second half.

The Badgers tried to fake an outside zone to the left and throw backside. However, RedHawks safety Silas Walters made a great play and came up with an interception. Yet for the limited amount of reps in fall camp and for being thrown into a tough position, O’Neil handled himself very well.

As of right now, with the severity of Edwards injury unknown, look for O’Neil to take control of this team. For what it’s worth, Edwards was able to spend the entire second half on the sideline, earpiece in and fully engaged with what was going on. He seemed to be in good spirits.

Edwards injury also adds to the weirdness of the QB position at Wisconsin since Fickell took over – with the starting quarterbacks suffering injuries in 2023 and 2024.

Badgers’ Defensive Physicality

Yes, it’s early in the season, and Miami (OH) is not Ohio State. However, this Badgers team is way more physical than the other two previous Luke Fickell teams. This was extremely evident within the defensive line. Wisconsin brought in six defensive line transfers, all bigger, faster, and stronger than last year’s players, and it showed.

RedHawks QB, Dequan Finn, was under constant pressure, and at times seemed flustered by the Badgers’ pressure. The former 2023 MAC player of the year at Toledo and Baylor transfer only finished 9-of-18 for a total of 83 yards passing.

The RedHawks’ ground game was also kept in check, only finishing with 34 yards.

Mason Reiger and Sebastian Cheeks both played great and are high-level players on the edge. Meanwhile, Preston Zachman secured two interceptions on the backend.

The Badgers’ defense was absolutely suffocating on Thursday, and featured more players around the line of scrimmage and players in a three-point stance. The defense last year almost always featured two down linemen with two standup edge players. Yet in yesterday’s game, we saw as many as five players with their hands on the dirt. This was a major discussion and focus in fall camp, and we saw it come into fruition in Week 1.

Fans heard all offseason about the work the defense was putting in, and we got to see it yesterday with the RedHawks unable to score any points and only securing 117 yards of total offense.

Jeff Grimes’ First Game

Yesterday was the first time we got to see Jeff Grimes coordinate the Badgers’ offense. Grimes was brought in to establish the run-first mentality that all great Wisconsin teams have had in the past. Although it wasn’t the prettiest offensive showing of all time, it felt like a true Wisconsin game. Methodical, pick you apart and run the ball down your throat. The offensive line was a lot more physical and quick off the ball than last year, and the team finished with 165 total rushing yards.

Dilin Jones looked quick and physical as the lead back and finished with 73 yards, and Darrion Dupree added 41 yards. Establishing the run to get to play-action was the game plan, with a lot of heavy offensive line packages and pre-snap motion.

Vinny Anothony had a good game, finishing with 57 yards and a touchdown. Grimes has a lot up his sleeve offensively, and even though the offense was quite vanilla yesterday, which is understandable, look for the offense to continue to grow and improve as the season goes on.

Looking Ahead to MTSU

The Badgers face off against Middle Tennessee State next Saturday for Week 2. MTSU opens its season on Saturday at home against Austin Peay.

The health of Billy Edwards Jr is still up in the air, and I am sure we will learn more about his health in the coming days. If he is unable to play, look for O’Neil to have even more confidence going into Week 2 as he learns more of the offense and gets even more comfortable as QB1 of the Badgers.

Week 2 will be another tune-up style game before they face the gauntlet in front of them. That starts in Week 3, when Wisconsin goes on the road to Tuscaloosa and play Alabama.