The Michigan Wolverines are back from the bye week to host the Wisconsin Badgers. This is not your father’s Wisconsin program — since Luke Fickell took over as head coach, the Badgers are 0-7 against ranked opponents and 3-15 against teams with a winning record.
Fickell has ongoing injury concerns at quarterback. Billy Edwards Jr. re-aggravated his knee injury early in the game against Maryland, and even with two weeks to rest, he isn’t expected to play. Backup Danny O’Neill has been careless with the football
throwing five interceptions in less than four games, but he took a hit against Maryland that took him out of the game. Fickell had no update on him for Saturday’s game, so if he can’t go, that would force Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons to be the starter.
No matter who gets the call, the Badgers are in a tough spot for Saturday. But it’s not just the quarterback position — Wisconsin is expected to be without starting safety Preston Zachman, arguably its best defensive player. Starting center Jake Renfro and starting running back Dilin Jones are also questionable.
In short, it’s getting pretty difficult to find three players to look for in this game given the uncertainty at key positions. But we’re giving it our best shot in a game where the Wolverines are favored by 17.5 points.
WR Trech Kekahuna
The Wolverines are expected to dominate this game in the trenches, and Michigan’s pass rush should feast on an inexperienced quarterback that is behind an offensive line that has allowed 13 sacks this season, 10 coming the past two weeks.
The great equalizer is to get weird and have some gadget plays that can pick up chunk yardage. That guy for the Badgers is Trech Kekahuna. The sophomore has five rushes for 72 yards and a touchdown, along with 11 catches for 123 yards, and is averaging more than 12 yards per touch.
This clip is from last year, but it shows what Kekahuna is capable of when he gets the ball in space.
In the unlikely scenario Wisconsin’s defense stands up to the Wolverines, big plays on either side could be the difference in this game. Kekahuna is turning into the guy Fickell is turning to for those moments.
LB Christian Alliegro
The Wisconsin defense has been inconsistent this season, but one outlier is Christian Alliegro. He’s a 6-foot-4, 245-pound linebacker that has been a menace — he leads the team in tackles with 19 and is tied for the team lead with two sacks.
Against the top half of the Big Ten, Alliegro has had some big performances. Last season, he had three consecutive games with double-digit tackles, highlighted by a 16 tackle performance at Iowa.
Against mobile quarterbacks in the past, Wisconsin has used Alliegro as a spy, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him in that role against Bryce Underwood. While I don’t think Michigan needs Underwood’s legs to win this game, he has been extremely effective in his last two performances on the ground and it has opened up the Wolverines’ offense to put up some big points against Nebraska and Central Michigan. For this offense to be playing at the optimum level, getting a head on Alliegro will be a priority.
CB Ricardo Hallman
Underwood is coming off a bye week for the first time in his college career. It’s important he and the Michigan offense comes out hot against a team they are much better than on paper. If they start out of sync, a player like Ricardo Hallman can turn things rather quickly.
Hallman led the Big Ten in interception in 2023 with seven and was an AP Third-Team All-American. Outsiders have been saying that season was a fluke, but defensive coordinator Mike Tressel says it’s a testament to opposing quarterbacks not throwing the ball his way.
The facts are that Hallman hasn’t recorded an interception since 2023, whether the ball is being thrown his way often or not. But he is a fifth-year senior on the opposite side of a wide receiver corps that is struggling. That’s the kind of player to be concerned about in this contest.
