The University of Wisconsin football program had plenty to celebrate following its 24-7 upset of No. 16 USC, but Luke Fickell didn’t need much time to start thinking about what comes next.
After watching his team deliver its most complete performance of the season, Fickell acknowledged that his attention had already shifted toward Iowa before the celebration at Camp Randall Stadium was over.
No. 25 Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) travels to Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes (5-2, 2-2), who are coming off a 13-10 loss to Minnesota. The Badgers have a chance to build on their momentum, but they’ll also face a team that has exposed the program’s biggest shortcomings under Fickell.
The fourth-year head coach addressed those struggles, the importance of controlling the line of scrimmage, and several personnel developments during his weekly press conference.
Here are three takeaways from Fickell’s comments ahead of Wisconsin’s matchup with Iowa.
Wisconsin’s recent struggles against Iowa remain difficult to ignore
Wisconsin’s win over USC offered some encouraging evidence that Fickell’s team is improving. Whether that progress translates against Iowa is another matter.
The Hawkeyes have consistently gotten the better of Wisconsin in the areas that traditionally define this rivalry, particularly running the football and protecting possession. The Badgers have lost three straight to Iowa under Fickell, getting outscored a staggering 94-16 in those meetings.
Fickell didn’t attempt to minimize those shortcomings.
“We’ve been outrushed in this game over the last three years, like 740 to 350. I think that turnover margin in the last three years is 7 to 1,” Fickell told reporters. “And so there’s a lot of things that haven’t gone well for us in this rivalry game. And we need to do a whole lot to change that.”
Those numbers help explain why Saturday represents a meaningful test.