The Wisconsin Badgers shut out the Miami (OH) Redhawks 17-0 to start the season on Thursday night, getting to 1-0 in an ugly, but effective victory.
The Badgers faced adversity when quarterback Billy Edwards went down with a non-contact injury on the team’s third drive of the game, but were able to rally behind a strong defensive performance to pitch a shutout in the season opener.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s 17-0 win over Miami (OH).
3 years, 3 QB injuries
The Wisconsin Badgers’
quarterback injury luck can’t seem to go away. After some positive moments in the first half, starter Billy Edwards Jr. went down with a non-contact injury on a handoff. He walked to the injury tent, then went into the locker room and did not return.
Edwards’s injury doesn’t seem to be overly major, but it’s still a major blow to rely on QB2 in the first game of the season.
After an early punt, Edwards and the Badgers offense seemed to be settling down behind the creativity of Jeff Grimes’s offense (more on that later). The starting quarterback was executing the quick passing game well, which led to several long drives and Wisconsin moving the ball into opponent territory several times.
However, Wisconsin wasn’t able to capitalize much on its long drives. Edwards led a 15-play, 69-yard field goal drive and then was in the midst of what ended up as a 13-play, 43-yard drive where the Badgers punted at Miami’s 37-yard line.
Edwards did have a couple of misses on deeper passes, getting hit on a throw and slightly overthrowing Vinny Anthony on a deep post. A couple of plays later, he took another deep shot and overthrew his intended target once again. That touch and connection will have to be worked on when Edwards is back, but there were opportunities for deeper passes.
Danny O’Neil’s part of the game was more of an up-and-down story. Getting thrust into a tough position, O’Neil took an early sack, which would become a theme. The sophomore quarterback often held the ball too long in the pocket, and Miami (OH) looked to take advantage by constantly sending extra pressure for O’Neil to handle.
Miami (OH) had three sacks on the night, and a couple were killer for O’Neil and the Badgers, derailing potential scoring opportunities.
The Badgers quarterback was also errant on several throws, struggling with his touch and arm strength at times, leading to a couple of turnover-worthy plays. He missed a few screen passes, underthrew a potential touchdown to Jayden Ballard, and had another open miss to Vinny Anthony off play-action.
O’Neil gets flustered in the pocket quite often, which only gets exacerbated with pressure. Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes tried to make things easier with the quick passing game, but there were also some timing issues that need to be ironed out.
Still, there were several positives to take away. O’Neil’s rushing ability is a clear threat, as he had several quality keepers, including a fourth-down conversion. That opens up the offense and the run game when the passing game struggles. When the quick game was working, the Badgers were moving, which is a good sign as O’Neil let his receivers do the work for him.
He also had a couple of sweet throws, including a nice back-shoulder pass over the middle to Grant Stec in between levels with defenders on both sides of the tight end. So, there are definitely areas to build off, but Wisconsin will need much more stable quarterback play if it’s to see its offensive potential in 2025.
Defense shines
While the quarterback room obviously drew headlines, one of the biggest questions heading into the season was regarding the defense and how much it improved this offseason.
Well, in its first game of the season, Wisconsin pitched a shutout and dominated on that side of the ball, holding Miami (OH) to 117 total yards.
Against the run, Wisconsin did a great job setting edges, with players like Mason Reiger and Sebastian Cheeks especially standing out. They also got disruption up front, as Miami (OH) couldn’t get much going in between the tackles either.
Then, against a very inexperienced Miami (OH) offensive line, Wisconsin teed off. Reiger and Cheeks both had a field day with pressures, constantly beating their opponents to force Redhawks quarterback Daequan Finn into unfavorable situations.
And, when Finn broke tackles and tried to display his rushing threat, the Badgers were very disciplined, cleaning up and not allowing first downs.
In the air, Wisconsin’s pass defense was relatively sound, limiting explosives completely, while forcing two turnovers in the fourth quarter as safety Preston Zachman picked off a couple of passes.
Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel called a phenomenal game with well-timed blitzes, even if tackles were missed, and effectively shut out Miami’s developing offense.
This defensive front is deep. Wisconsin was constantly rotating well into their two-deep at outside linebacker and along the defensive line, keeping players fresh.
Creativity from Jeff Grimes
Yes, Wisconsin had only 17 points and underwhelmed offensively overall.
But, in the short time that Billy Edwards was on the field, we saw what a Jeff Grimes pro-style offense could look like at Wisconsin.
After a questionable early third-down run call, Grimes made the necessary adjustments to counter Miami’s uber-aggressive defensive approach by going for the quick passing game.
Edwards, presenting good timing and accuracy, was able to execute that game plan, slowly marching the Badgers down the field on the two consecutive drives after the opener. That execution opened up Wisconsin’s run game, where Grimes showed creativity with motions and different ways to get skill position players the ball.
The deep passing attack was also opened up, with Wisconsin having a few opportunities to create explosive plays, although errant throws kept them from capitalizing. The play-action was especially effective in creating open passes for wide receivers, although there were a few misses from both quarterbacks there.
Wisconsin needs Edwards to hit that ceiling offensively, but there’s definitely potential with Grimes’s offensive scheme with a quarterback who plays with good timing, poise, and takes what’s given to him.
