Hunter Simmons has shown why he's a third-string quarterback the last few weeks, and yet, head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes have stuck by him. He went into the locker room at halftime with only one completion for 12 yards. He was struggling, and Wisconsin fans were calling for Danny O'Neil or, really, anyone else to try to play quarterback for the Badgers.
Luke Fickell, in the post-game press conference, defended the decision to ride the whole game with Simmons, but did indicate that maybe there were regrets with that call. In hindsight, maybe it would have worked out better for Wisconsin to switch to O'Neil.
Danny O'Neil is going to have more opportunities from Luke Fickell going forward
When asked if there was thought about switching out Simmons when he was 1-12 passing, Luke Fickell had an elaborate and thoughtful reply:
"Yeah, there was. There was and we talked about it before the game too just based on if the first couple of drives don't go, you know, we want to get Danny in there and get him an opportunity. As we were rolling, I didn't ask as much until halftime. I do think the [weather] conditions make it difficult to throw another guy in there... But it might be one of those where you kind of go back and kick yourself to say, 'I think there's some opportunities there for Danny.' And we are going to need Danny down the stretch. "Luke Fickell
The quote all but confirms what our eye test told us: there's no way Danny could play worse than Simmons was performing. There are a lot of things that Fickell has done wrong this season, but his quarterback management may be at the top of the list.
Simmons ended the game 7-21 for 86 yards for one touchdown and one interception in a very forgettable day.
It will be interesting to see whether that quote by Luke Fickell actually shows that he regrets not letting Danny O'Neil have the start, and whether that will change going forward. It does seem as if Billy Edwards Jr. isn't going to play for Wisconsin this season, as each week he's on the shelf.
For now, Fickell needs to find a way forward with either Simmons, O'Neil, or, as many Wisconsin fans are shouting, Carter Smith, the 4-star true freshman. After the bye week, when Wisconsin takes on Washington, who's under center will be the storyline for the Badgers.