The Wisconsin Badgers faced a tough day at Michigan Stadium. The 24-10 loss to the No. 20 Wolverines felt like a major gut punch to Luke Fickell and the Badgers. Fickell’s squad started strong with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, but after that, their offense stalled. Then the third-string QB, Hunter Simmons, couldn’t find rhythm against Michigan’s stout defense. Meanwhile, the Wolverines found their stride in the second half. Running back Justice Haynes rushed for 117 yards, while freshman QB Bryce Underwood took command, making big-time throws and calm decisions that turned the game Michigan’s way.

Naturally, Underwood’s performance became the focal point of Fickell’s post-game presser. Fickell, on his part, didn’t avoid them at all. “I know who that is,” Fickell said about Bryce. “He’s a good football player. I think they do a good job with him and being smart, putting him in situations where, you know, it’s not too much on him right now. He’ll grow and grow and grow, but he’s as talented as there is. And not just rolling football, running the football, and giving credit. He made some of those plays today.” You can tell it by the tone he set that it isn’t just a frustrated rival coach talking, but an impressed one.

For all the pain of loss, Fickell knew he had just faced one of the sport’s rising stars. And judging by his words, Bryce Underwood has already earned his respect. Sure, Michigan’s offense looked a bit sluggish at the very beginning. The first half saw Bryce Underwood throwing for a mere 55 yards with only nine passes attempted. You won’t expect such a performance from a freshman who literally owned the offseason hype and even backed it up with his performance so far. But it felt like the Wolverines were testing the waters. But then, magic happened.

Underwood started hitting his rhythm in the second half of the game. He completed 19 of 28 passes for a solid 270 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over. That’s key, because he’s thrown just two picks in five starts this season. And then you could see Underwood spreading out the defense, picking his moments perfectly, converting third downs, and making the offense look way sharper than in the first half. Those precision throws to guys like Donaven McCulley, including a crucial touchdown pass, broke the game open for Michigan. It’s a major jump for Bryce Underwood, who couldn’t find his footing in the Oklahoma game, completing just 9 out of 24 passes for 142 yards.

His potential wasn’t even used completely against the Sooners. But then the game against Central Michigan and Nebraska set him free. Also, in this game, Underwood didn’t even have to unleash his dual-threat capabilities. Justice Haynes took care of that department sincerely. The Alabama transfer absolutely ran wild, racking up 117 yards on 19 carries and punching in two touchdowns. The day started with a signature Haynes moment. He took off for a massive 43-yard run that bulldozed through Wisconsin’s stingy defense. And that’s not it, he also added a crucial short touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to seal the deal.

After this performance, Haynes marked his fifth straight 100-yard game to start his career with the Wolverines. That makes him the first Michigan back since 2010 to hit over 100 yards in each of the first five games, a feat only Denard Robinson matched, a tough act to follow.

Luke Fickell doubling down on the Badgers’ painful loss

The Badgers’ loss against Michigan was a bag full of missed opportunities and mistakes that ultimately stung too much to overcome. And Luke Fickell didn’t really shy away from owning up to them. “Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell says it’s ‘going to take a hell of a lot of effort, a hell of a lot of toughness and most importantly a hell of a lot of competitive spirit’ to get through these tough times,” Badgers reporter Jesse Temple writes on X. The Badgers had a really good and promising start, to be honest.

RB, Dillon Jones started with a TD that gave them the 7-0 edge against Michigan. But after that, Michigan’s defense clamped down. The defence allowed just 36 rushing yards on 19 attempts the rest of the game. That was a problem because Wisconsin leaned heavily on the run but couldn’t sustain it. Third-string QB Hunter Simmons showed flashes, but it was clearly not enough. He connected well with Vinny Anthony, who led the receivers with nine catches for 97 yards, showing some playmaking after the catch.

But the passing game overall was limited. And then Simmons, who was carrying the momentum with 18 of 29 passes for 177 yards, was also shuffled in and out of the game due to a quirky two-quarterback experiment by the coaching staff. So you can imagine how that disrupts the rhythm of a QB who is trying to prove himself. Backup Danny O’Neil got a few snaps, but it didn’t lead to much. And then the Badgers’ secondary faced some rough patches.

Matthew Jung, who was filling in for the injured Preston Zachman, struggled with tackling and gave up some key downfield catches. He also missed a tackle on a short slant pass, which led directly to a Michigan touchdown. This struggle in coverage magnified problems since he was often the last line of defense.