Hunter Simmons began the season as Wisconsin’s third-string quarterback. Now, he’ll start against top-ranked Ohio State.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Simmons is expected to make his third consecutive start for the Badgers. An offseason transfer from Southern Illinois, Simmons opened the year behind Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. and San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil on the depth chart.
Edwards started Wisconsin’s season opener against Miami (OH) before leaving with a knee injury, completing seven of 16 passes for 113 yards. O’Neil took over and led the Badgers to a 17-10 win, finishing 12 of 19 for 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
For a brief stretch, Wisconsin’s offense appeared to be in good hands with O’Neil. The sophomore went 23 of 27 for 283 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 42-10 win over Middle Tennessee State. But the unit sputtered in back-to-back losses to Alabama and Maryland, as O’Neil completed just 25 of 39 passes for 237 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Fickell benched him in the second half against the Terrapins, turning to Simmons, who has since gone 33 of 59 for 329 yards, one touchdown and three picks in appearances against Maryland, Michigan and Iowa.
Fickell had Simmons and O'Neil battle to be Wisconsin's starting quarterback this week. According to Thamel, there's still no timeline slated for Edwards' return.
With Simmons expected to start against Ohio State, Fickell has had his intended starting quarterback play and remain healthy in only 11 of 31 games during his tenure as Wisconsin's head coach, according to Thamel. The former Buckeye defensive lineman and assistant coach is currently 15-17 as leader of the Badgers, with an 8-13 mark in Big Ten competition.
