New places, new faces. That could be a sign of good things to come for the Wisconsin Badgers and their new starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. After spending the three previous seasons playing for Mike Locksley at Maryland, Edwards has switched Big Ten allegiances to suit up for Luck Fickell's team to run Jeff Grimes' offense. Edwards threw for nearly 3,000 yards last season for the Terrapins.
While Maryland has a strong history for producing proven collegiate passers, playing in College Park is not like playing at Camp Randall. In less than 48 hours, Edwards will get to lead the Badgers out of the tunnel for the first time. Maybe his Madison arrival will help the Badgers be more than just a bowl-caliber team under Fickell? If all goes according to plan, maybe Wisconsin surprises some folks?
Of course, none of it is going to matter if Edwards is not able to get a good night's sleep Wednesday.
Billy Edwards Jr. may need the power of melatonin to get some shuteye
Edwards spoke with the media during his availability on Tuesday, citing he is bursting with excitement.
"100 percent, yeah. You try to get in that routine. I feel like I have my routine set in place. I'll definitely have to take at least 10 milligrams of melatonin. But yeah, it will be hard to sleep for a multitude of reasons. Obviously, getting to play in a place like Camp Randall and in a place like Madison, Wisconsin, to wear the jersey that I get to wear for the first real time."
The fact he is already counting down the hours until kickoff on Thursday night is quite hilarious.
"There will be a lot of exciting nerves going into the game. It's a night game too, so I'll be able to really sit on it for what, the next 51 hours? I'll be sitting on it and it'll just be a slow build-up."
Here is everything Edwards said when speaking to the media during his availability on Tuesday.
Edwards needs to get some rest because he will have to go toe-to-toe with Miami's Dequan Finn.
How Billy Edwards Jr. can help bridge the gap offensively for Wisconsin
There are five things working in Edwards' favor to have a great season at Wisconsin. The first is he knows what it is like to compete in the Big Ten from his time in Maryland. The second is he was well-coached by Locksley in College Park. A third is he has the maturity of an upperclassmen in college. A fourth is he will be playing in Grimes' system, as opposed to Phil Longo's. The fifth, well, he wants this.
There is a lot of pressure on Fickell and the entire coaching staff to get the most out of this team. Few people outside of Wisconsin are really expecting this year's team to do much. Miami (OH) is not on their level, but the Badgers can gain a ton of confidence from their Week 1 victory to try and rattle off some big conference wins later. They must beat Middle Tennessee and hold on vs. Alabama in a bit...
Overall, we are looking a quarterback who is confident in his game and who he is as a man. It may take a total team effort for Wisconsin to approach upwards of eight or nine wins this year. Then again, Edwards came to Madison to win games. Locksley may be a fantastic offensive mind, but his teams never play any defense. It is why he might be sitting on the hottest seat across the entire Power Four.
For now, Edwards may need more than 10 milligrams of melatonin to get the type of sleep he needs.