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4 things we learned from Wisconsin Badgers' 24-10 loss to Michigan Wolverines

Changes at quarterback and along the offensive line helped the Wisconsin Badgers look a lot more competitive against the Michigan Wolverines.
Cam Wilhorn|
Oct 4, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Dilin Jones (7) celebrates after scoring in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium.
Oct 4, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Dilin Jones (7) celebrates after scoring in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers went on the road for a pivotal Week 6 matchup against the No. 20 Wolverines.

Coming out of a bye week, Wisconsin needed to recover from an embarrassing loss to Maryland at Camp Randall that put Luke Fickell firmly on the hot seat.

While they weren't able to pull off the upset and claim Fickell's first win over a ranked opponent as the Badgers' head coach, the team showed some growth and signs of life ahead of a difficult stretch in the schedule.

Here's what we learned from the game:

Wisconsin showed they can walk the walk

Fickell has spoken ad nauseam this season about staying consistent in practice as the key to overall growth, using the phrase "pound the rock" to exemplify the Badgers' mentality.

After noting this week that team and staff "did what we needed to do" during the bye, the Badgers' play finally backed up the positive practice reports.

The offensive line opened up holes for running backs, and third-string quarterback Hunter Simmons hit receivers on time and on target. The defensive front rose to the occasion and slowed down a potent rush offense, while limiting big plays through the air.

Wisconsin's efforts injected some life into the fan base and proved that the Badgers are capable of recovering from a rocky start to the 2025 campaign.

What that recovery looks like remains unknown, but they showed a level of competitiveness they didn't possess against Alabama or Maryland.

Hunter Simmons shows he can handle the moment (mostly)

Simmons is entering his fifth season of college football, but he's never seen anything quite like the Big House, and he certainly hadn't faced a defense like Michigan's.

The Southern Illinois transfer looked like he belonged during the first half, despite it being just the fourth start of his collegiate career. He wasn't perfect, but Simmons did exactly what Wisconsin needed him to do early on: make the right decisions and complete the easy passes.

That changed after halftime.

His interception late in the third quarter came on an under-thrown deep ball into double coverage. The Badgers were looking for a defensive pass interference penalty on the play, but it still wasn't a good throw.

Simmons nearly threw another third-down interception early in the fourth, with a low snap turning a run-pass option into a straight passing play. He threw the ball right at a Wolverine defender, who dropped the would-be turnover.

Overall, it was a step forward from what we had seen recently from Danny O'Neil, which is a positive development.

The run defense is legit

Wisconsin came into the game leading the country with 50 rushing yards per game allowed, holding opponents to just 2.11 yards per carry.

That number may have been inflated by facing some weak opposing rushing attacks, but the Badgers run defense showed up Saturday and proved they're an elite unit.

Justice Haynes shook free for a 43-yard run on Michigan's opening drive, but he was bottled up for the rest of the contest, finishing with 19 carries for 117 yards.

The Badgers' defense had minimal time to rest due to the offense's failure to sustain drives, which allowed Haynes to pad his stats in the fourth quarter. Still, it was a strong effort by the front seven against the run.

Offensive line was better, but still not good enough

More changes were made to the offensive line ahead of the Badgers' trip to Ann Arbor, with Davis Heinzen sliding from a backup left tackle role to fill in for Jake Renfro at center, allowing for Kerry Kodanko to move from center to right guard.

It looked like a Badgers offensive line of the past on the opening possession, mauling the Wolverines on a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

Wisconsin ran for 39 yards on nine carries during the possession, but finished the game with 87 yards on 27 carries, excluding sacks.

The Badgers also didn't surrender a sack until near the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter, a stark improvement from the past two weeks.

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Cam Wilhorn
CAM WILHORN

Cam Wilhorn is a University of Wisconsin School of Journalism Graduate and Wisconsin native. He's been covering Wisconsin sports since 2023 for outlets like BadgerBlitz.com, Badger of Honor and The Badger Herald.

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