6 areas to watch when Wisconsin football hosts Miami (Ohio)
A half-dozen keys to the game when the Badgers kick off their 2025 season.
Billy Edwards Jr. feels he has his routine set, but he might need a little help to rest the night before his debut as the University of Wisconsin football team’s quarterback.
Edwards transferred to Wisconsin during the winter after three seasons at Maryland. Now that spring and preseason practices have passed, he’ll help lead the Badgers into their 2025 season opener against Miami (Ohio) on Thursday (8 p.m. CT, Big Ten Network).
“I'll definitely, probably have to take at least 10 milligrams of melatonin,” Edwards said Tuesday. “But yeah, it'll be hard to sleep for a multitude of reasons. Obviously, getting to play in a place like Camp Randall, in a place like Madison, Wisconsin, to wear the jersey that I get to wear for the first real time.
“There'll be a lot of exciting nerves kind of going into the game. And it's a night game, too, so I'll be able to really sit on it for probably — what … it's 5 p.m. right now — so the next 51 hours, I'll be sitting on it, and it'll just be a slow build up.”
Badger Observer will break down what particular areas Wisconsin fans should watch for every game this season. Here are some keys to start off when the Badgers host the RedHawks.
Will Wisconsin’s offensive line assert itself early in this new scheme?
Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes brought his “NFL-style” scheme that combines an emphasis on the wide zone rushing attack with downfield passing. Wisconsin’s shown the ability to run the ball well during spring and fall camp practices with a three-headed monster of Dilin Jones, Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli.
Can the Badgers not just own the line of scrimmage, but dominate it? Center Jake Renfro is back from injury to fortify the interior of the offensive line, and guards Joe Brunner and Emerson Mandell are maulers.
Graduate right tackle Riley Mahlman could be the next NFL-bound Badgers lineman, but one key spot to focus on with this is group is how Central Michigan transfer Davis Heinzen works at left tackle with sophomore Kevin Heywood injured.
Miami (Ohio) gave up an average of 211.7 yards rushing per game against Northwestern, Cincinnati and Notre Dame last season, their lone competition that wasn’t Group of Five teams. The MAC program has some intriguing pieces returning, such as defensive lineman Adam Trick (5½ tackles for loss in 2024) and linebackers Corban Hondru and Oscar McWood (a combined 121 tackles, 10 tackles for loss last season). But gone are leading tackler Matt Salopek, fellow linebacker Ty Wise and first-team All-MAC defensive lineman Brian Ugwu.