Wisconsin was asleep at the wheel against Middle Tennessee to start the game. The Blue Raiders were the first on the board with an early field goal. It was about then that Wisconsin started to wake up, but the offensive line was terrible. It came into the game as an absolute makeshift, thrown-together group, and it showed.
The Wisconsin offensive coordinator had to work some magic to compensate for what was going on up front. The line couldn't really run block or pass block, and so what can you do? Especially with a backup quarterback at the helm. Quick passes and movement. It wasn't pretty, but after Grimes realized what he was working with, he pieced together a drive that ended in a touchdown on a 4th down gamble.
The makeshift offensive line had Jeff Grimes working overtime to figure out an attack
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The line wasn't run-blocking at all, and the offensive line gave O'Neil slightly more time with the passes, so it became an offensive attack. However, that's highly alarming to the Badgers to not have a line that can do much of anything.
Even the quick passes backfired on the Badgers at the end of the first half with a screen dump off that landed in a defensive lineman's hand. Led to a Blue Raider touchdown.
Jeff Grimes has done something in both games that Phil Longo never did... MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.
— Badger of Honor (@BadgerOfHonorFS) September 6, 2025
The running stats should alarm any Badger fan for the first half. Wisconsin had 16 total carries for 17 yards. Yes, you read that right, less than 20 yards in a whole half. Granted, -15 are attributed to Danny O'Neil. But still, pitiful. So the quick passing was the only thing that seemed to work, and Danny O'Neil went 14/18 with 137 yards and a quick toss to Tyrell Henry for the touchdown.
The Badgers went into the locker room with a 14-3 lead and two touchdowns on the day, but it took an impressive play-calling and in-game adjustments to make it happen. Jeff Grimes was doing everything to make sure this game didn't get any more embarrassing than it already was to start.