Wisconsin Shows Grit Against Middle Tennessee in Week 2 Win, 42-10

A lackluster first half combined with a dominating second half led the Wisconsin Badgers to a sloppy 42-10 win in Week 2 over Middle Tennessee. Saturday’s matchup was a tale of two halves for the Badgers, and a tackle on a fourth-down play changed the momentum of the game. MTSU fought hard, but the Badgers are a far more physical and talented team and prevailed in the end.

Wisconsin vs. Middle Tennessee 2025: Week 2 Recap

Have Yourself a Day, Danny O’Neil

There was a collective “here we go again” feeling amongst Wisconsin fans when Billy Edwards Jr. went down last week against Miami (OH) with an injury. Danny O’Neil was thrown into the fire and handled himself quite nicely last week.

After a full week of practice, O’Neil not only handled himself nicely, but he played lights out. He finished 23-of-27 for 283 yards and three touchdowns with 11 yards on the ground.

O’Neil was making quick and decisive decisions, getting the ball out to open receivers. When he had pressure in his face, he remained poised and delivered the ball under pressure.

It was interesting to see before the game in how much, if any, the playbook would be opened up for O’Neil. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes didn’t throw the kitchen sink at Middle Tennessee, but it also wasn’t your everyday offense. There was a lot of preset motion, eye candy, and different route concepts that show the trust that head coach Luke Fickell and Grimes have in O’Neil.

The quarterback’s first touchdown came on a 3-yard switch release route to Tyrell Henry. O’Neil delivered a perfect ball, and he was able to score easily.

He made some of his best passes to Missouri State transfer Lance Mason. Mason finished with seven receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown. The score came after getting the MTSU defense to flow to the left, and O’Neil made a great pass to Mason up the right hash mark for a 17-yard touchdown.

O’Neil also connected on a 58-yard touchdown with transfer Jayden Ballard. Ballard ran an out and up, and the corner bit on the out route. O’Neil was able to deliver a perfect ball, and Ballard was able to walk into the endzone.

O’Neil’s one blemish on his stat sheet was an interception with 1:24 left in the first half. The Badgers were trying to get some points before half and tried to run a middle screen to Dilin Jones. Unfortunately, Jones got stuck on a defensive lineman, and the pass was picked off.

Other than that one blemish, O’Neil played lights out against the Blue Raiders.

Defensive Pressure and Tenacity

The Badgers played pretty mediocre in the first half. They didn’t come out with the edge and effort that most thought they would in Week 2. Wisconsin’s defense kept them in it and righted the ship, especially in the first half.

The offense wasn’t able to move the ball at all for the first 30 minutes, and the defense had its back.

The Blue Raiders got the ball to start the second half and drove down the field deep into Wisconsin territory. On a 4th-and-1 play with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter, MTSU ran a zone play to the left. Badgers linebacker Christian Alliegro filled the hole perfectly and tackled Jekail Middlebrook for a 1-yard loss.

That single play completely shifted the momentum of the game. The Badgers were on the verge of going down 17-14. Yet after that play, the Badgers scored 28 unanswered points, cruising to a victory.

Tackett Curtis, Christian Alliegro, and Preston Zachman all played well for the Badgers’ defense, and Omilio Agard was able to secure his first career interception.

It’s vital for the Badgers to establish a clear outside corner opposite Ricardo Hallman as they enter Big Ten play. After Agard’s play on Saturday, expect him to take over that outside corner role opposite Hallman indefinitely.

The Wisconsin defense is a lot faster and more physical than in years past, and it’s showing.

Offensive Line Play

To the surprise of most, center Jake Rrenfro was out with a foot injury that he suffered in practice. With Renfro out and Fickell hinting at Riley Mahlman taking over left tackle, the Badgers’ offensive line looked a lot different in Week 2. With all the moving around and new positions, it showed, especially in the first half.

Pass-blocking was much better this week; however, run-blocking needs a lot of work still. Running backs Dilin Jones and Darion Dupree only averaged 3.6 and 4.2 yards per carry, respectively. The Badgers did rush for 153 yards in total, but 61 of those yards came on a Trech Kekahuna end-around.

Botched snaps, poor blocking, and missed assignments plagued the group in the first half. However, the second half was a lot better.

Jeff Grimes’ offenses have to be able to run the ball to be successful, and Wisconsin has always prided itself on being physical at the line of scrimmage.

This position group will get better as the season goes on and they gain more continuity. However, next week will be a completely different test for them.

What’s Next for Wisconsin?

There was some good and some bad in the Wisconsin Week 2 win against Middle Tennessee. The Badgers travel to Alabama for Week 3, and fans will get a better idea of how good this Badgers team is.

As of right now, we don’t know the status of Billy Edwards Jr., but if he is out again, Danny O’Neil should be just fine manning the offense.

This will be a very important week of practice for the Badgers before they get into the meat of their schedule. MTSU and Miami (OH) are not on the level of Alabama. Wisconsin will have less talent than the Crimson Tide, but if the Badgers have a good week of practice and the offensive line works out the kinks, look forward to a fun game in Tuscaloosa next Saturday.