There have been plenty of times during Luke Fickell’s tenure when the University of Wisconsin football team found itself in this exact position.
On the road. Against a ranked opponent. Things going sideways. Mistakes piling up. Another game seemingly headed toward a familiar conclusion.
Saturday night at Penn State was different.
Wisconsin overcame three Colton Joseph interceptions, including a pick-six, erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, and scored 14 unanswered points to stun No. 13 Penn State 24-20 in Happy Valley.
The Badgers outgained Penn State 355-248 and held the Nittany Lions to 129 passing yards. More importantly, Wisconsin’s defense didn’t allow a point in the fourth quarter while the offense finally broke through with the game on the line.
For Fickell, who has spent much of the last four years talking about Wisconsin learning how to handle adversity, this one clearly meant something different.
“I don’t know that there’s any tougher situation than what we were in out there today,” Fickell told reporters. “And to see these guys not falter, to see guys not kind of get down on Colton and give up on him, that’s what, to me, makes me so proud. The win is the win. Don’t get me wrong.”
This wasn’t Wisconsin’s cleanest performance, but it might have been its most meaningful under Fickell.
Here are three things that stood out from his postgame availability.
Wisconsin finally responded when everything was going against it
Fickell has talked about adversity plenty during his tenure.
On Saturday, Wisconsin had no choice but to live through it.
Joseph threw three interceptions, two of which Penn State turned into touchdowns, including a pick-six. Wisconsin trailed 17-7 at halftime and was still down 20-10 entering the fourth quarter.
That’s where this game could have followed a familiar script.
Instead, Wisconsin’s defense kept giving the offense opportunities, and the Badgers eventually took advantage. Joseph connected with Jacob Harris for a 72-yard touchdown before Wisconsin eventually took the lead and held on.
“This game is about winning, and we’ve talked about it all year long,” Fickell said. “But to see how they handled it, to see how they kept fighting, to see how they didn’t give in, I mean, there’s a conviction. I’ve challenged them, and we learned a lot about ourselves today.”
That distinction mattered to Fickell.
Wisconsin has had competitive stretches against good teams before. What it hasn’t consistently done is withstand the moment when things start going poorly and find a way back.
Fickell acknowledged afterward that this one carried some extra weight because of what his program has experienced over the last several years.
“I mean, I don’t know if I’ve had one more special. I know I haven’t in four years,” Fickell said. “Because I’ve had some bad nights here, in case you guys are wondering, that stick in my mind.”
For once, Wisconsin left that environment with a considerably different memory.
Luke Fickell never considered pulling Colton Joseph
This staff had every reason to sit Joseph down against Penn State.
He completed 18-of-38 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns, but his three interceptions accounted for 14 Penn State points. He was 5-of-12 for 70 yards with two interceptions at halftime.
Fickell never seriously considered making a change.
“No, we didn’t,” Fickell said. “If Colton looked rattled, I would think we would have a conversation about it. But because just the way he was, the way the offensive line was, there was no, I don’t know, even the defense. I thought that you would at times start to see a little something.”
Fickell didn’t see it. Neither did Joseph’s teammates.
And eventually, Wisconsin was rewarded for sticking with him.
Joseph threw both of his touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the 72-yarder to Harris that pulled Wisconsin within three. He also continued making plays with his legs, finishing with 39 rushing yards and a score.
That doesn’t erase the mistakes. Fickell knows Wisconsin is probably going to have to live with some volatility while Joseph develops.
“Unfortunately, it might just be a little bit of a rollercoaster ride,” Fickell said. “I mean, here’s a guy that has incredible ability, you know, and he’s growing and learning as well.”
Then came the part that probably explains why Joseph remained in the game.
“Yes, they see some of the mistakes, we all do, but I think they see the genuine care and love and grind to get better and understanding that, look, we all have a job to do and every one of us has to get better,” Fickell said. “His is a little bit more obvious because he’s the quarterback and that’s the nature of the beast, but we believe in him.”
Saturday was the full Joseph experience.
Wisconsin survived it because the quarterback eventually responded and, perhaps more importantly, because the rest of the team never stopped believing he would.
Wisconsin’s defense gave the Badgers a chance to win
If there was one group responsible for Wisconsin surviving long enough to complete the comeback, it was Mike Tressel’s defense.
Penn State finished with 248 total yards and averaged just 3.8 yards per play. The Nittany Lions managed 119 yards on 36 rushing attempts and only 129 through the air.
After Penn State took a 20-10 lead with 3:53 remaining in the third quarter, it didn’t score again.
Wisconsin forced an interception, recorded two sacks and five tackles for loss, while Mason Posa finished with 12 tackles and Hammond Russell IV added 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup that led to a Charles Perkins interception. Javon Robinson also came up big on the back end, finishing with three pass breakups as the Badgers secondary repeatedly held up in critical moments.
“I’m incredibly proud of those guys. I’m incredibly proud of Coach Tress,” Fickell said. “Those guys didn’t waver on the sideline. They stayed aggressive.”
That might be the most encouraging part.
Wisconsin’s defense spent the first three weeks showing flashes without completely establishing what it could hang its hat on. Against Penn State, it had to defend repeatedly after the offense put it in difficult situations and never let the game get away.
Fickell saw a connection to Wisconsin’s season-opening loss to Notre Dame, when the Badgers held up early before getting worn down in the second half.
“What we learned from game one, I hope, is what we’re starting to see is what emotional toughness looks like and what it has to be,” Fickell said.
This time, Wisconsin didn’t wear down. It got stronger.
And after three-plus years of talking about toughness, resilience, and learning how to respond when things go wrong, the Badgers finally put together the kind of road win that gives those words considerably more weight.
“The things that go into getting to those final results, this one right here is going to last a long time,” Fickell said.
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