The Wisconsin football debut didn't go according to plan for Billy Edwards Jr. Last Thursday night, the Maryland transfer got injured in the first half on a non-contact play. Immediately, Badgers fans everywhere feared the worst for the signal-caller.
Thankfully, however, a serious injury was avoided and while Edwards is going to miss the Week 2 showdown at Camp Randall Stadium, the hope is he'll be ready to rock for the Week 3 battle in Tuscaloosa against the Alabama Crimson Tide and Kalen DeBoer.
On one hand, it's a bummer Edwards won't be able to help his team out on the field on Saturday, but that doesn't mean he won't be making a difference. In a true act of selflessness, Luke Fickell revealed that Edwards' first order of business after it was confirmed he won't play was to ask his head coach how he can help QB2 Danny O'Neil moving forward. Come on, that's just awesome.
Billy Edwards Jr. shares a positive injury update but with a negative twist
Billy Edwards Jr. is wasting no time helping Danny O'Neil prep for his first Wisconsin start
"Yeah, Billy and I actually sat and talked about that last night (Monday)," Fickell said via 247Sports. "He just kind of asked to say, where can I help him? And Billy knows, but I think the truth of the matter is, it's just understanding the game, right? I mean, there's guys that sometimes, just by nature, have been really good players, whether it's been in high school.
"He goes as a freshman in college and starts, and sometimes when things come like that, you can just get used to being, 'I'm a ball player, and when the lights come on, I continue to play ball.'"
So, instead of being upset that he's dealing with this adversity, Edwards is putting the team first and doing what he can to make sure O'Neil is ready to rock for the weekend? This truly is what Badgers football is all about and fans are loving the mindset that Edwards is showcasing.
O'Neil stepped in during the win over Miami (Ohio) once Edwards got hurt and he finished the night throwing for 120 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was far from perfect, but he sure improved quite a bit in the second half to lead the Badgers to a 17-point win.
Come Week 2, O'Neil will be leading the offense out onto the field against Middle Tennessee. This is a game that the Badgers are monster favorites for and there will be no excuses to not post a dominant victory. O'Neil will be focused on doing his part there and he'll have extra confidence knowing that Edwards will be fully backing him and helping him out in any way he can while he's on the sidelines.