Although the worst may have been avoided, the Wisconsin football quarterback’s future remains unknown
When quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. fell to the turf of Barry Alvarez Field on Thursday night, plenty of Wisconsin Badgers fans expected the worst. As the dust settled, and backup QB Danny O’Neil led the offense to a 17-0 victory, the Wisconsin football team was left with more questions than answers on the status of their starter.
While handing the ball off on a rushing play to wide receiver Tyrell Henry during the first-half, Edwards went down, grabbing at his leg, suffering an apparent non-contact injury. Wisconsin initially said the Maryland transfer was questionable to return with a lower-body injury before ultimately ruling him out for the second half.
Edwards eventually emerged from the locker room, joining his team on the sideline in the second half. He was, however, not in uniform. After the game, head coach Luke Fickell, much like he had to in his first two seasons in Madison following injuries to starting QBs Tanner Mordecai and Tyler Van Dyke,
“First things first, I’ll start off by saying I don’t have any answers on Billy, so we can get that out of the way right now,” the third-year UW head coach said. Fickell did provide a glimmer of hope, adding that it was “good to see though that he was back out there, be able to be part of a game and be with our team. So, hopefully, that’s a really good sign for things moving forward.”
That “really good sign” just may have been right according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
According to Thamel, Edwards “had a clean MRI” and “eliminated the worst fears after leaving the opener with a non-contact injury.” The 6-foot-3 signal-caller has “sprained his knee.” Thamel called the news “a sigh of relief for Badgers, who have endured injuries at quarterback the past two years.”
A sprained knee does still leave questions about Edwards’s availability moving forward. Thamel indicated the senior’s status is “week-to-week” and “a precise timetable for return isn’t known.”
If Edwards is unable to start in Week 2 for UW’s matchup with the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, O’Neil figures to find himself in line for his first start as a Wisconsin Badger. The sophomore started 11 games as a true freshman for the San Diego State Aztecs. Against the Miami RedHawks on Thursday, O’Neil completed 12 passes on 19 attempts, throwing one touchdown and one interception in relief. He added another 13 yards and one touchdown rushing.
