The Wisconsin Badgers are coming off their bye week and have hit the reset button after a rough start to the season.
They play the Michigan Wolverines at the “Big House” in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday, where a sellout crowd of more than 105,000 is expected.
Following a pair of non-conference wins the Badgers were dominated by Alabama and Maryland, leaving “Badger Nation” in a collective ornery mood calling for Head Coach Luke Fickell’s job.
Offensive linemen and Manitowoc Lincoln alum Davis Heinzen says the bye week was a breath of fresh air.
We have not played our best ball in the first four games of the season, especially against Maryland,” he admitted. “The bye couldn’t have come at a better time as we’ve hit the reset button and it’s on to Michigan.”
Heinzen took last weekend to come home to see family and friends before returning to work on Monday.
The Badgers are still a bit banged up.
In fact, Davis took quite a few snaps at center this week with the starters, as Zac Renfro continues to be hobbled by an ankle injury.
His status may be a game-time decision, and if he can’t go, it’s quite possible that Heinzen would start at center on Saturday.
Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr is still dealing with a knee injury, and backup Danny O’Brien also got hurt in the Maryland game.
Hunter Simmons finished up and may play some on Saturday.
O’Brien said he’s ready, and we asked Heinzen about the uncertainty surrounding the health of the quarterback room.
“We’ve played enough with all three quarterbacks to where we are used to their cadence and their skill sets,” he explained. “Any one of them can give us the spark we need to right the ship.”
The student section at Camp Randall Stadium was nearly empty with the Badgers trailing Maryland 27 to 3 in the fourth quarter two weeks ago.
Heinzen responds to some, even calling for Head Coach Luke Fickell to be fired.
”We understand they are frustrated and hear the fire Fickell chants as well. We as players need to own up to what’s going on,” he said. “Coaches coach and players play, and we need to take the burden off them and can do that by just simply playing and executing better.”
They’ll have to be against a Michigan team ranked 20th in the nation and led by one of the top quarterbacks in the country, Bryce Robinson.
“It’ll be loud, but we as players have gone through this before,” Heinzen noted. “It was loud in Alabama and expect more of that on Saturday. Bryce (Robinson) is a great player, but coaches will have a plan ready to stop him.”
After the Wolverines, the Badgers go from the frying pan into the fire, hosting Iowa and Ohio State, then travelling to Oregon to play the Ducks to round out October.
”We’ve got our backs against the wall and have the chance to shock the world,” Heinzen said. “We’ll be playing teams that no one gives us a chance so let’s win and surprise a lot of people.”
The Badgers and Wolverines kickoff at 11 a.m. Saturday morning.
