Reserve quarterback Danny O’Neil threw for a second-half touchdown and ran for another and Wisconsin held Miami (Ohio) to 117 total yards en route to a 17-0 victory on Thursday in the nonconference season opener for both teams in Madison, Wis.
O’Neil, who replaced injured starter Billy Edwards Jr. midway through the second quarter, directed a 54-yard scoring drive that put Wisconsin up 10-0 with 4:08 left in the third quarter.
O’Neil, a sophomore transfer from San Diego State, set up the score with a 22-yard completion to Grant Stec to the 3-yard line, then hit Vinny Anthony II with a touchdown toss on the following play.
Edwards, making his debut after transferring from Maryland, left with a lower-body injury and did not return. The senior, who passed for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns last season as the Terrapins’ starter, completed 6 of 13 passes for 68 yards before the injury.
Preston Zachman returned an interception 17 yards to the Miami 2-yard line to set up Wisconsin’s final touchdown, a 1-yard sneak by O’Neil with 6:45 left.
O’Neil completed 12 of 19 passes for 120 yards with one interception.
Wisconsin redshirt freshman Dilin Jones ran for 73 yards on 14 carries, helping the Badgers finish with 165 yards on the ground.
Miami, which returned no starters on offense, rushed for just 34 yards, averaging just 1.5 yards per carry.
The RedHawks, who advanced to the MAC title game the last two seasons, managed just seven first downs and were 0-for-9 on third-down conversion attempts.
Miami quarterback Dequan Finn, a seventh-year transfer from Baylor who also previously played at Toledo, completed 9 of 18 passes for 83 yards with two interceptions.
Wisconsin took a 3-0 lead on its second possession, marching 69 yards in 15 plays from its own 6-yard line before settling for Nathanial Vakos’ 42-yard field goal with 1:39 left in the first period.
O’Neil led a 65-yard drive on the opening possession of the second half, but was picked off by Silas Walters in the end zone on fourth-and-3 from the 10-yard line.
