Iowa

Why Luke Fickell stuck with Hunter Simmons at QB in Wisconsin Badgers’ 37-0 loss to Iowa

Published

2 months ago

October 12, 2025

Press Room

Why Luke Fickell stuck with Hunter Simmons at QB in Wisconsin Badgers’ 37-0 loss to Iowa

Luke Fickell acknowledges Badgers should have considered going in the ‘other direction’ at QB

Wisconsin quarterback Hunter Simmons struggled in the 37-0 loss to Iowa, completing 8 of 21 passes with three turnovers.
Coach Luke Fickell stuck with Simmons for the entire game instead of switching to backup quarterback Danny O’Neil.
Fickell later acknowledged that he should have considered going in the ‘other direction’ at the quarterback position.

MADISON — One starting quarterback in this year’s Heartland Trophy game seemed to be fully enjoying “Jump Around.”

Iowa’s Mark Gronowski could be seen exuberantly jumping during the Camp Randall Stadium tradition as his team had a 30-0 lead over its rival.

Wisconsin’s Hunter Simmons, however, had much less motive to jump around as the Southern Illinois transfer struggled throughout the game. Simmons went 8-of-21 — about 38% — for 82 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He had a third turnover on a backward pass that was recovered by Iowa and officially counted as a fumble.

For as much as Simmons struggled, though, Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell continued to lean on the Southern Illinois transfer at quarterback rather than giving San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil an opportunity in the 37-0 loss to the Hawkeyes.

“We were reeling on both sides,” Fickell said. “So it wasn’t something I went in at halftime and said, ‘What’s the opportunity, what’s the chances here?’” Where we were at and what we needed to be able to do — we still felt like there were some things there, and he gave us the best chance.”

More: UW schedule | Box score

All three turnovers were in the first 16 minutes of game action. At that point in the game, Simmons was 2-of-7 for 23 yards. From that point forward, Simmons went 6-of-14 for 59 yards.

“I’m not saying after the first three picks in the first quarter that he didn’t maybe settle down a little bit, but we were just never able to find anything down the field, to create any energy or momentum or establish any drive,” Fickell said.

O’Neil, in comparison, has completed 70.6% of his passes this season with five touchdown passes and five interceptions. He was benched in favor of Simmons ahead of UW’s 24-10 loss to Michigan and saw only three snaps (without any passing attempts) against the Wolverines.

“You’re probably right,” Fickell said in response to the Journal Sentinel’s question about not switching to Danny O’Neil at quarterback during the Iowa game. “It’s something that we got to take a good, hard look at. And no disrespect to Hunter, but probably was an opportunity or some situation where we should have went the other direction.”

Regardless of whether it’s Simmons, O’Neil or the currently-injured Billy Edwards Jr. at quarterback, Wisconsin’s next few games will likely not be any easier. No. 1 Ohio State visits Wisconsin on Oct. 18, and No. 2 Oregon hosts the Badgers on Oct. 25 before UW’s second bye week.

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Iowa

How much snow will we get? More snow to hit central Iowa on Monday

Published

7 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Press Room

How much snow will we get? More snow to hit central Iowa on Monday

A second round of snow is forecast for central Iowa after the Des Moines metro saw anywhere from 7 to 12 inches of snow over the Thanksgiving weekend.

While this storm won’t bring as much snow, it will be followed by a cold chill later in the week with temperatures dropping below freezing.

When will it snow again?

Snowflakes were already falling again in southern Iowa in the morning hours of Monday, Dec. 1. Central Iowa is also expected to see some flurries in the morning. The snowfall will peak in the late morning and end in the evening.

Southern Iowa, which is also under a winter weather advisory, could see another 1 to 3 inches of snow.

What is the snow forecast for Des Moines?

In Polk County, the northwest suburbs could see a half-inch of snow. Southeast Polk County could see closer to an inch of snow. A hazardous weather outlook was issued for Polk County and much of Iowa.

What is the forecast for the rest of the week in Des Moines?

There is a 20% chance of snow, accompanied by wind gusts up to 23 mph on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in Des Moines, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will start to drop as the week goes on. By Wednesday evening, temperatures could hit a low of 10 degrees below zero, followed by a high of 11 degrees and sunny skies on Thursday.

Kate Kealey is the growth and development reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

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Iowa

Husker Doc Talk: What’s Next for Nebraska After the Smackdown by Iowa?

Published

19 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Press Room

Husker Doc Talk: What’s Next for Nebraska After the Smackdown by Iowa?

Nebraska closed the regular season with a thud, getting blasted 40–16 by Iowa and stumbling into the offseason searching for answers — and maybe an identity. On this edition of the Husker Doc Talk Podcast, Travis Justice and former Husker offensive lineman Dr. Rob Zatechka break down exactly how the Huskers unraveled in their final two games, getting outscored 77–26 and dropping their third straight Black Friday matchup against Iowa. Since joining the Big Ten, Nebraska has gone 4–11 against the Hawkeyes — and the gap feels wider than ever.

So now the question becomes: What changes are coming? Will Matt Rhule overhaul his staff? Will key players stick around or move on?

We dive into the big offseason decisions, including:

It was also a wild weekend across college football — coaches fired, coaches hired, chaos everywhere, and Lane Kiffin doing what Lane Kiffin does: lighting a dumpster fire and then pretending he’s the one getting smoked out. One thing is certain: Big changes are coming to the sport, and the ripple effects will hit everyone, including Nebraska.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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Iowa

What are Iowa football’s recruiting needs for early signing day? What to know

Published

1 day ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

What are Iowa football’s recruiting needs for early signing day? What to know

IOWA CITY — The early signing period begins on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Here’s a guide previewing Iowa football’s recruiting endeavors in the 2026 high school class.

The Hawkeyes currently have 17 known scholarship commitments, plus four preferred walk-on pledges.

The offensive line is one of the highlights of Iowa’s class. The Hawkeyes have five commitments in the class, three of whom are regarded as four-star prospects, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Iowa has done well to keep in-state talent home. According to the 247Sports Composite, five of the top eight players in the state’s 2026 recruiting class are committed to the Hawkeyes, including the top three. Iowa got two of those five from right in their backyard — Iowa City West’s Julian Manson and Colin Whitters.

There are some promising pieces for the future of Iowa’s long-ailing passing game. Quarterback Tradon Bessinger is the top-ranked player in Iowa’s 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He is accompanied by a trio of 3-star receivers. The Hawkeyes also recently landed Norwalk’s Luke Brewer, a highly sought-after four-star tight end.

Iowa has been a linebacker pipeline to the next level. There are some well-regarded players set to arrive at that position in this class. In-state prospects Manson and Kasen Thomas are each rated as four-star recruits. The trio of linebackers in the class also includes 3-star Billy Weivoda.

What remains unclear is what Iowa is going to do at kicker following the departure of Drew Stevens, the program’s all-time leader in made field goals. At this moment, the only kicker projected to be on Iowa’s 2026 roster is preferred walk-on Caden Buhr.

Iowa’s recruiting class is still subject to change. But here is who’s expected to officially become a Hawkeye during the early signing period.