Luke Fickell defends controversial 4th-and-1 call against USC
Should the Badgers stick with the shotgun or return to its I-formation roots in short-yardage situations?
The University of Wisconsin football coaching staff has ignited a lively debate among Badgers fans, and it's centered around one key question: should they continue handling fourth and one situations out of shotgun or return to the traditional I-formation the program has leaned on for decades?
In the Badgers' 38-21 road loss to No. 13 USC, Phil Longo's offense found itself in a crucial 4th and one situation on the Trojans 33-yard line with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter. Clinging to a 21-17 lead, Luke Fickell opted against the field goal attempt and chose to go for it, only to see the subsequent play result in a loss of yardage and turnover on downs.
Wisconsin's offense rolled out in a shotgun set, opting for 22 personnel. The Badgers handed the ball to senior running back Tawee Walker, who was dropped in the backfield by a pair of USC defenders. The failure to execute up front not only gave the Trojans momentum but ultimately led to a go-ahead score on the ensuing drive.
The snap from center Jake Renfro was a little high, left guard Joe Brunner whiffed on his assignment, and Jackson Acker was a half-step late on his assignment. All in all, it was a sequence of cascading failures.
Their inability to execute on fourth and one was eerily similar to how Alabama shut down a similar play in Week 3 against Alabama, albeit against a different personnel grouping.
This sparked several notable Wisconsin Badgers alums to voice their frustrations on X.
Melvin Gordon tweeted, "CAN WE PLEASE GET OUT THE GUN ON SHORT YARDAGE…… MY GOODNESS."
Wisconsin men's basketball legend Frank Kaminsky added, "I will never ever understand why you would go in the shotgun on 4th and 1."
Even J.J. Watt felt the need to retweet his post from the Alabama game, reading, "Do not line up in shotgun on 4th & 1. Ever."
Former Badgers tight end Jake Ferguson is rallying the troops, posting on X, "#BringBackThePowerI." Looks like he's ready to start a movement.
“If you don't go under center, I don't know that it's going to change it a lot,” Fickell told reporters after the loss to USC. “You don't block a guy, you don't block that. I don't know that going under center or being in the shotgun, or being in the pistol, or being in three-backs… if you don't block a guy, it's really hard to get the first down... Tonight, we didn't block the two guys coming off the backside edge, and they got us in the backfield."
While the play call is justifiably under scrutiny, the numbers actually favor Fickell and Longo's decision to stay in the gun. Across college football, non-kneel-down rushing plays on both third and fourth & one situations have averaged two more yards per rush since last season, according to an article published by The Athletic.
That said, the point becomes moot if your team cannot execute what's being asked of them. We’ve seen it over and over, going back to last season—Wisconsin just hasn’t been able to get it done in key moments. This is no longer an isolated issue; it’s a pattern.
“I'm not a huge believer in whether that's you're under center, in the gun. We gotta be better at what it is that we do,” Fickell said.
With two under-center attempts resulting in penalties this season and the team down to backup quarterback Braedyn Locke, it's understandable why the coaching staff might hesitate to change formations. But one thing remains obvious—Wisconsin’s fourth-and-short execution must improve.
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