The Wisconsin Badgers have dealt with injuries at quarterback yet again this season, as starting quarterback Billy Edwards has yet to play a full half of football this season.
Edwards initially suffered
a knee sprain in an awkward way in Wisconsin’s Week 1 win over Miami (OH). He had dealt with a knee issue in fall camp. Then, the quarterback re-aggravated the injury when returning too early for Wisconsin’s Big Ten opener against the Maryland Terrapins.
Now, after the bye week, the senior is still rehabbing with hopes of playing this week against the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines. But, will he actually be available?
Earlier in the week, head coach Luke Fickell said that Edwards was still day-to-day, with uncertainty about his status for Saturday.
“That’s where, when you ask, where is Billy, is he good? I don’t know right now, and we just got to be able to see,” Fickell said on Monday. “Because that’s one of those things that each and every week, they’re better, but how much better are they? And can you test it during the week to figure out where they are, so you don’t get in a situation like we did against Maryland?”
The Badgers don’t want a repeat of the Maryland game, where Edwards clearly looked labored after the team’s first drive before exiting for good after a dropback on the second drive. But, they are also looking for stable quarterback play, which hasn’t been there consistently this season.
With Edwards still recovering, sophomore quarterback Danny O’Neil revealed he has been taking a majority of the first-team snaps this week.
That has been the case in most weeks this season, aside from the season opener, and provides an eye into where the Badgers currently are at quarterback. Of course, Edwards could still go without much practice time, but Wisconsin will want to make sure he’s 100 percent before putting him back out on the field.
At the moment, though, it feels like O’Neil is trending to be the starter at the Big House.
