Wisconsin football (2-1) is limping into Big Ten play after suffering a 38-14 road loss at the hands of Alabama last weekend. This program desperately needs a boost ahead of Saturday's home game against Maryland (3-0). With increasing skepticism surrounding the Badgers, head coach Luke Fickell is under significant pressure to prevail in Camp Randall Stadium. Perhaps a healthy Billy Edwards Jr. is more likely to make that happen.
The Wisconsin starting quarterback, who is very familiar with Maryland, is still questionable entering the Week 4 matchup, per On3's Pete Nakos. He suffered a sprained knee in the squad's opener against Miami of Ohio and has missed the last two games. If Edwards is unable to go, Fickell will once again rely on Danny O'Neil to get the job done. The latter is the more accurate passer, but the former is the more versatile athlete.
This does not seem like a QB competition, though. If Edwards gets the green light, Fickell will probably slot right him back under center. Considering he threw only 13 passes in his Wisconsin debut — 46.2 completion percentage, no touchdowns and no interceptions — a possible face-off with his former team would serve as his first real test since moving to Madison.
Billy Edwards Jr. completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns in 11 games with Maryland last season. He also tossed nine interceptions, displaying some of the volatility in his game. He is a different QB now, however. Because both sides know each other so well, this could be a sneaky entertaining conference clash. The 6-foot-3 senior has to get cleared first, though.
Maybe the Badgers could use Edwards' extra motivation to their benefit. Luke Fickell said the disappointing loss to Bama serves as a measuring stick for how far the team still has to go. A strong performance against the visiting Terps, regardless of who is playing quarterback, will let fans know they are heading in the right direction.
