Wisconsin football is making another quarterback change.
San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil is expected to start at quarterback for Wisconsin in Week 11 against Washington, coach Luke Fickell said in his pregame radio interview, while ballyhooed freshman Carter Smith may also see the field.
«He’s still a little bit dinged up, but I feel like he’s what we need,» Fickell said of O’Neil. «And so there could be a little bit of a rotation. We’ll see. We got to play this thing out.»
O’Neil has played sparingly since UW made the switch from him to Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons ahead of the Oct. 4 loss at then-No. 20 Michigan. O’Neil took a few snaps without attempting any passes against Michigan, and he was 1-of-3 for minus-five yards in Wisconsin’s loss to No. 1 Ohio State.
The switch from Simmons follows an especially adverse showing before the bye week at then-No. 6 Oregon, where Simmons went 7-of-21 for 86 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He has completed 50% or fewer of his passes in UW’s last three games.
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Badger fans also «could see a little Carter Smith today as well,» Fickell said. Smith, a former four-star recruit, has not seen game action yet as a true freshman.
«We’ll get some opportunities maybe for him,» Fickell said.
Fickell had said during his weekly press conference that Smith has been «in the mix.»
«(During the bye week) we got him out there, got some more opportunities for him,» Fickell said on Nov. 3. «And then that’s one of those things we’ll just have to see.»
