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Wisconsin Badgers biggest surprises and disappointments entering bye week

The Wisconsin Badgers' first four games brought plenty of disappointments but also some pleasant surprises along the way.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin tight ends Lance Mason (86), Tucker Ashcraft and Jackson Acker (34) leave the field after their game Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Middle Tennessee 42-10.
Wisconsin tight ends Lance Mason (86), Tucker Ashcraft and Jackson Acker (34) leave the field after their game Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Middle Tennessee 42-10. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers 2025 season hasn't started the way the fan base had hoped.

The loss to Maryland entering the bye week has the program under a lot of heat, and Luke Fickell needs to find a way to turn things around in a hurry.

The first four games brought plenty of disappointments but also some pleasant surprises along the way.

Surprise: Strong front seven

Fickell was optimistic about the changes he made to his defensive line in the transfer portal, but a bunch of new names all coming together in Madison still had to prove themselves.

Through the first four games, that group has been the strength of the team and a sorely needed bright spot.

Edge rusher Mason Reiger is in the early stages of a breakout season, and the unit as a whole has been one of the best in the country at stopping the run.

Disappointment: Another QB injury

Quarterbacks who transfer to Wisconsin seem to get cursed with an inability to stay healthy once they get to Madison.

Billy Edwards Jr. suffered a knee injury in the first game against Miami (OH) and only briefly returned against Maryland before reaggravating the issue.

This comes a year after transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending injury, and before him, Tanner Mordecai was banged up during his one year with the Badgers.

Against the Terrapins, it even extended to backup quarterback Danny O'Neil, who is also a transfer player this year.

These injuries have been a major factor in the program's lack of recent success, and it all just feels like bad luck.

Surprise: Tight ends emerging

After four games, Wisconsin's leading receiver is tight end Lance Mason.

No one expected that position to lead the passing game this season after Tucker Ashcraft went down with an injury, but Mason has stepped up and looks like a reliable weapon over the middle.

Redshirt freshman Grant Stec has also made a few nice plays from the tight end position, and Jackson Acker has been a key part of the rotation too.

Disappointment: The running game

If there's one thing the Badgers have always been able to do, year-in and year-out, it's run the football.

Even when the team has bad quarterbacks and other struggles, the ground game is usually reliable. Not this year.

A lot of the blame belongs on the offensive line struggling to run block, but the running back rotation in the backfield hasn't shown much that's special.

Dilin Jones and Darrion Dupree still have time to turn things around, but this phase of the offense is performing below expectations so far.

Surprise: Run game alternatives

The inability to run the ball consistently has forced offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes to get creative, and he's earned his paycheck.

He's tried all sorts of ideas to get the offense moving. They don't all work, but the system has been anything but stale.

Wide receivers Trech Kekahuna, Vinny Anthony II and Dekel Crowdus have all broken off nice runs on handoffs, and the QB option game with O'Neil has found some success, too.

Grimes still needs to find ways to get Jones and Dupree rolling again, but he's had some nice surprises in the meantime.

Disappointment: Ricardo Hallman

Ricardo Hallman is a leader in the Badgers secondary, and he was supposed to be their most consistent cornerback once again this season.

His dropoff has been striking, and it's not clear what is different in 2025.

According to PFF, Hallman has been Wisconsin's most-targeted defender in coverage, allowing the most catches (17) and touchdowns (3) on the team.

Through four games, he's close to matching the total number of catches, yards and touchdowns he allowed in all of 2024.

It's not as though the rest of the cornerback group has been stellar, but Hallman has not been the steadying force the Badgers need him to be.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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