Ahead of MTSU’s week two matchup against the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mark Stewart of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provided the scoop on the Badgers.
Wisconsin defeated Miami (Ohio) University 17-0 in week one, and will be the Blue Raiders only Power 4 matchup this season.
The opposing coach
The Badgers are led by head coach Luke Fickell, who is in his third season at the helm of the program. Fickell came to Wisconsin after six seasons with the University of Cincinnati, where he guided the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff in 2021. It was the program’s first appearance in the CFP, while also becoming the first non-Power 5 team to make an appearance in the playoffs.
Since making the transition to the BIG 10, Fickell has led the Badgers to a 14-13 record, finishing 7-6 in his first full season in 2023 and 5-7 in a disappointing 2024 campaign.
“It’s definitely not what people expected,” Stewart said. “Anytime you get a new coach, there’s a lot of excitement and there’s a lot of energy. Especially with Luke [Fickell], given the success he had at Cincinnati. People were thinking automatically that it was going to happen here, and obviously it hasn’t.”
Although Fickell and the Badgers haven’t met the standard set for a BIG 10 team, they’ll pose a tall task for MTSU on Saturday afternoon.
“We have a chance to travel to Camp Randall Stadium and play the Wisconsin Badgers, a good football team,” MTSU head coach Derek Mason said. “Luke Fickell, and that group, they’re big and they’re physical.”
The Blue Raiders will look to overcome the gap that is typically displayed between a power conference team and a Group of Six squad in a “guarantee game,” while also being ranked 136 out of 136 Football Bowl Subdivision schools according to USA Today.
Players to watch
Quarterback: Danny O’Neil
In Wisconsin’s week one win over Miami, starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. sustained an injury, forcing backup quarterback O’Neil to step in.
A sophomore from Indianapolis, O’Neil went 12/19 with 120 passing yards and a touchdown against the RedHawks, while adding another score with his legs.
“O’Neil, the transfer, he’s got a good arm,” Mason said. “Extremely elusive at times as a runner, but a little smaller in the pocket [compared to Edwards].”
The Badgers’ projected starting quarterback against MTSU spent his freshman year with San Diego State University, where he served as the Aztecs’ starter in 2024. Across 11 games as a true freshman, O’Neil threw for 2,181 yards and 12 passing touchdowns.
“I’m intrigued to see how Danny O’Neil, the backup quarterback, does because this is almost like an audition for maybe next year,” Stewart said. “Is Danny O’Neil a guy you can win with? That’s one of the questions we will get an idea of this week. Let’s see how he does with a full week of first-team reps.”
While it seems that the sophomore quarterback’s future could be impacted by his performance against the Blue Raiders, MTSU’s defense is more focused on fixing problems that were exposed last week against Austin Peay State University.
“We’re going to prepare the same because it’s really about us,” MTSU linebacker Muazz Byard said. “We have got to work on us because last week was not what we wanted … Doing our job and understanding what we are trying to get done [is the goal].”
Safety: Preston Zachman
The reigning BIG 10 defensive player of the week, Zachman, looks to quiet the Middle Tennessee offense on Saturday.
“Preston [Zachman] is one of their best players,” Stewart said. “He’s a sixth-year player, he started last year, and he’s a guy that’s played a lot over the years.”
Zachman put that experience to work last week as he tallied two tackles and two interceptions against Miami (Ohio), playing a pivotal role in Wisconsin’s shutout of the RedHawks.
“You look at what they did last week defensively, outside of [Zachman’s] interceptions, no one really stood out,” Stewart said. “There were some guys that made nice individual plays, and they got some pressure on the quarterback while doing well on third down.”
Running backs: Dilin Jones, Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli
Wisconsin’s football program has historically relied heavily on rushing the ball to find offensive success. They’ve produced some strong NFL running back talents, such as Melvin Gordon and Jonathon Taylor, along with dominant offensive linemen like Joe Thomas.
Since Fickell has led the program, Stewart said that the Badgers have gotten away from the typical ground-and-pound ideology expected from their offense.
After struggling through the air with O’Neil replacing Edwards, Wisconsin heavily relied upon the running back room against Miami.
Jones was the standout of the three backs, leading the team with 73 rushing yards.
“[Jones] had a solid debut last week,” Stewart said. “I’m interested to see how he does.”
Dupree and Yacamelli added 61 rushing yards against the Redhawks and will look to do even more against the Blue Raiders.
“Really, that whole running back room overall [stands out], like sophomore Darrion Dupree, who’s going to get some snaps,” Stewart said. “Redshirt junior Cade Yacamelli – he’s going to get some snaps, too. A storyline with this team this year is how are they going to divvy up or how are they going to work the running backs.”
Where to watch
The Blue Raiders and Badgers matchup will be broadcast nationally on FS1, with a 3 p.m. CDT kickoff.
Odds/Point Spread
According to ESPN BET, MTSU enters the game as +28.5 underdogs against Wisconsin.
Editor Picks
Willie Phaler, Lead sports reporter (0-1)
UW 42, MTSU 10
Brett Walker, Co-sports editor (0-1)
UW 28, MTSU 10
Jacob Burgess, Co-sports editor (0-1)
UW 41, MTSU 14
Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, University of Wisconsin-Madison sports reporter
UW 38, MTSU 7
To contact the sports editor, email [email protected].
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