Danny O'Neil earns his first win as a Wisconsin football quarterback, and while his performance had strong moments, it overall left a lot to work on. He ended the day with a 123.1 passer rating, which would make him the 15th-best Big Ten quarterback in that category. There's one stat that he is one of three in the Big Ten, and it's a bit of a strange one that may say more about his receivers than him.
He is one of three quarterbacks in the Big Ten who didn't have a receiver drop a pass on him. Iowa's Mark Gronokowski and Washington's Demond Williams are the other two.
There's something to be said about Danny O'Neil putting the ball either out of reach or in a spot that the receivers can cleanly haul it in. However, it seems to say more about the Wisconsin wide receivers, who, when able to catch the ball, do a good job of completing the catch.
Big Ten Quarterbacks who didn't have a receiver drop a pass in week 1: pic.twitter.com/jb68LPz94e
— The Big Ten Huddle 🎙️ (@TheBigTenHuddle) September 1, 2025
Danny O'Neil's wide receivers didn't drop a single pass from him in Week 1
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This isn't to say that O'Neil completed every pass he threw. He had seven incompletions, but instead, it says that none of those incompletions were the receiver's fault. They caught the balls that O'Neil made catchable, which is a good sign for both him and Wisconsin football.
O'Neil's day wasn't amazing in the air, finishing with a 47.3 QBR, 12/19 for 120 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. However, he found ways to keep drives alive, scramble around when the pocket didn't hold up, and make some timely throws.
While he had three sacks, so his 13 rushing yards aren't all that impressive on paper, he did have a 17-yard scamper with a touchdown. It will be interesting to see how O'Neil fares in week two after he's had a week of practice reps with the number one offense.