Wisconsin had a frustrating day against the UCLA Bruins, going up against one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, the refs, and... well, according to Kevin Heywood, maybe even their own teammates. The Wisconsin players were visibly frustrated after the game, and many of them had the right things to say, forward-thinking but with a "We got work to do" mantra. There was clearly a bad taste in their mouths after losing to the Bruins in Pasadena.
Yet, Heywood was frustrated with one of his own teammates and let a quote that should have stayed in the locker room slip into the media. Seamus Rohrer of Badgers on SI quoted Heywood as saying, "What it felt like, for the O-line specifically, was four guys doing the right thing and one guy doing the wrong thing." Womp womp.
Heywood may be right, but yikes, don't say that once the locker room doors are open. Because now you've allowed us to see a schism and a culture problem that needs to be addressed on the offensive line. There's clearly one player who isn't getting it right, and it's frustrating the other offensive linemen.
#Badgers OT Kevin Heywood;
— Seamus (@seamus_rohrer) October 18, 2026
“What it felt like, for the O-line specifically, was four guys doing the right thing and one guy doing the wrong thing.”
Kevin Heywood may be right about PJ Wilkins but it needs to stay behind closed doors
Most likely, Heywood was talking about PJ Wilkins. A player who's already been benched for a game this season but made his return tonight when Austin Kawecki was injured. Stylz Blackmon got the start at center, which vaulted Wilkins back into the starting unit at right guard. Once again, though, Wilkins was the weak link on the line.
His problem isn't talent or a high ceiling; his problem seems to be effort, which, of course, will grind the other offensive linemen. They need to know their brothers on the line are battling just as hard as they are. A good offensive line needs to know the guy next to them has their back. If you think there is a weak link in the line, and especially if there actually is a weak link, the whole unit may break down.
Heywood's frustration isn't misguided; it's simply mistimed and shouldn't be broadcast. Eric Mateos needs to figure out what to do with Wilkins, and Luke Fickell has even said that they have to motivate Wilkins differently. Thus, there's clearly a problem there. However, maybe it's time to pull the plug completely on Wilkins; if his own teammates are throwing him under the bus, it's a problem.
It's both a Wilkins problem and a Heywood problem. Heywood has to keep that in the locker room and handle it first with his teammates and second with his coaches. But it's also a Wilkins problem: if he isn't going to work hard and he's going to be a weak link, then he needs to ride the bench. Coddling a really talented but lazy player costs more than just the lazy player; it costs those around him and the players wanting reps underneath him on the depth chart.
The UCLA loss may have presented a bigger problem in the locker room and along the line that Fickell has to fix this week.
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