What Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said about Michigan: 'A challenge that I don't think you see every week'

The Wisconsin offense has struggled mightily this season, due in large part to uncertainty at quarterback. Starter and Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. sprained his left knee in the season-opening win over Miami (Ohio) and has appeared in only two games, while backup Danny O’Neil — a San Diego State transfer — has taken most of the reps.

The Badgers rank 117th in the FBS with only 5 yards per play. The passing offense hasn’t been stellar given the quarterback situation, and he rushing attack has also been poor. Wisconsin checks in 126th in the country by averaging just 3.1 yards per attempt.

Michigan, meanwhile, is the 10th-best run defense in America, at least on paper, holding opponents to 77.5 yards per game on the ground. Additionally, Michigan slots seventh in the nation with a 43.5-percent pass rush pressure rate, while Wisconsin has allowed 13 sacks (tied 117th).

In his Monday press conference, Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell discussed how the Badgers must be ready to wrestle with Michigan’s strong defensive front this weekend in Ann Arbor.

“It is a strength of, obviously, this week with Michigan,” Fickell said. “They’ve done a phenomenal job the last few years defensively. They’re as talented as anybody up front, even though they lost two first-round draft picks on the interior. There is a definite challenge with those guys up front.

“This past week, it was something that we had obviously talked about. Not that we were getting into Michigan, but it was a focus on ourselves and ways we can get better while knowing what was out there.”

Luke Fickell discusses Michigan rushing attack, QB Bryce Underwood

Michigan’s rushing attack is elite offensively, producing 253.5 yards per contest, which is good for eighth in the country. Junior running back Justice Haynes has carried 66 times for a Big Ten-best 537 yards and 6 touchdowns, and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood has also been involved with his legs, rushing for 169 yards and 3 scores.

Wisconsin ranks first in the nation by allowing only 50 rushing yards per game, but the level of competition will take a step up this week, per the head coach.

“It’ll be a test,” Fickell acknowledged. “I don’t know what we’ve had, by any means, a test like this in the running game this year. We have done a good job up front. We’ve done a good job of controlling the run and giving ourselves a better opportunity to win football games, when you can stop the run. But this is definitely going to be a different challenge.

“That is definitely the strength of the offense, but at times when you do that, you’ve also got to recognize that they’ve got opportunities to make big plays in the passing game, as well — whether it’s the quarterback’s feet, the quarterback’s arm. They’ve got talented players on the outside. I think maybe what they don’t get as much credit for is the balance that they have.

“It’s maybe overlooked sometimes when they run the ball as well as they have with the backs that they’ve got, but it’s going to be a different challenge for us defensively, that’s for sure, with our ability to eliminate the big play in the run game more so than anything else.”

Underwood being a dual-threat quarterback, displayed by his 37-yard touchdown run on a draw play in a 30-27 win over Nebraska, adds another element to stopping the run. The 6-foot-4, 228-pounder has completed 56.9 percent of his passes for 733 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception, in addition to the damage he’s inflicted on the ground.

“Being a defensive guy in general, quarterbacks that are able to beat you with their arm and legs always make it difficult,” the Wisconsin head coach said. “And even for a younger guy, he has a lot of poise, a guy that has some weapons around him.

“He hasn’t overdone it — that’s the thing that I would say is impressive. They haven’t run him a ton. He hasn’t just taken off and scrambled when something wasn’t there. But his ability to pick and choose when he does is, obviously as you saw a week ago for them with some huge, huge plays in the quarterback run game, whether it was a called Q draw or improvising on some things that broke down.

“That’s why I said that, when we talked about the run game: You can’t just say, hey, we’re just going to pile the box and stop the run. You do those things, you pile everybody up in size, and Underwood can make you pay on the edges with his speed, as well as being able to get the ball down the field.

“There’s a balance to it. That’s why he obviously was as highly touted as he is. And I think they’ve done a good job of being smart with what they’ve asked him to do but still allowing his ability to show. It’s another challenge that I don’t think you see every week.”