3 Badgers Expectations During Important Middle Tennessee Clash

Middle Tennessee is coming off of one of the ugliest losses in recent program history after being dominated by FCS program Austin Peay, 34-14. Enter the Badgers defense, and those two touchdowns may not exist as the Blue Raiders truly struggled to gain any sort of momentum.

The Blue Raiders offensive line had a remarkably bad performance, with the best blocker during the game being running back Jekail Middlebrook who recorded a pass blocking grade of 78. Guard Mateo Guevara had the best showing along the line, with a grade of 62.9 overall on offense. Guevara is also the only lineman who did not allow a pressure, with the other four allowing 12 pressures and five sacks.

Given the talent Wisconsin has on defense and the performance the Badgers put together against Miami (OH), who were supposed to have a much improved offense, the Blue Raiders may also not score against Wisconsin. Both Mason Reiger and Corey Walker should have clear paths to the quarterback during the upcoming game and the two are expected to cause chaos.

Wisconsin Badgers Expectation #2: Offense Rolls Despite No Billy Edwards Jr.

Edwards Jr. was brought into the program to serve as the heart and soul of the offense for the 2025 season. However, for a third season in a row, the starting quarterback for Wisconsin will miss a game due to an injury and the Badgers prepared for such a fate. Backups Danny O’Neil and Hunter Simmons were added specifically to provide both depth and starting experience as the position in the event that an injury would occur.

Without Edwards Jr. in the lineup for Wisconsin, nothing will change in regard to preparation and game-plan, which is why the offense is expected to run through the Blue Raiders. Wisconsin is currently a near 29 point favorite to defeat Middle Tennessee, who allowed 34 points to be scored by Austin Peay, an FCS program. The Badgers have an offense full of speed, talent, and power that should not have any issues getting started against arguably one of the worst defenses in the FBS.

Wisconsin Badgers Expectation #3: Danny O’Neil Puts Together a Solid Performance

As stated in the previous expectation, O’Neil was brought into the team specifically for this kind of situation, and the quarterback is expected to step-up without any issues. O’Neil will return to a starting role against Middle Tennessee as the program hit a new low of holding the worst FBS ranking. The Blue Raiders appear to be fully in disarray after losing to Austin Peay, and even with Wisconsin not being a program known for blowouts, the Badgers are still expected to dominate.

The offense will start and end with O’Neil as the quarterback position was what Middle Tennessee struggled to defend last game. The Blue Raiders generated inconsistent pressure and allowed both big completions down the field and open running lanes for the quarterback. Agility and speed likely will allow O’Neil to perform well against a defense that does not have a real identity currently.