Wisconsin football still searching for signature win under Luke Fickell
The Badgers are still chasing their first win over a ranked team under Luke Fickell and the program’s first since 2021.
The optimism surrounding the Wisconsin Badgers' three-game winning streak had fans wondering if it was, in fact, real progress or merely the byproduct of playing inferior competition.
After Saturday’s 28-13 home loss to No. 3 Penn State, it’s fair to say the football program has taken some strides since Luke Fickell became the head coach, but there is still an incredibly steep mountain left for this T.E.A.M. to climb.
It was a game script that has become all too familiar for Wisconsin. The Badgers got off to a promising start against a ranked opponent and even took a 10-3 lead into halftime. But the way this team came out of halftime was the most telling.
Wisconsin carried a conservative mentality into the second half and played like a team doing their best not to lose rather than one trying to go out and steal a win as an underdog. As is often the case, this team couldn't string together a full four-quarter performance.
Coach Fickell consistently discusses the importance of finishing strong and needing your playmakers to step up in critical moments. Yet the Badgers sputtered in the fourth quarter on Saturday night, failing to force Penn State into any mistakes when it mattered most, falling to the Nittany Lions 28-13 after another second-half unraveling.
“Nothing is going to be handed to you in this league, especially the way it is now,” Fickell told reporters. “I think that’s what we’re truly recognizing.
“What’s the breaking point? What’s the thing that puts you over the top? I don’t know. But that’s something we can’t sit and wait for. It’s something we’ve got to go out and find a way to make happen.”
Right now, Penn State is superior to Wisconsin in nearly every facet. That’s not a slight against the Badgers; it’s just reality and one that any rational fan knew going in. But the game was there for the taking, and now this program is 0-5 against ranked opponents under coach Fickell.
“Right now, as a program and as a team, we know that we have to hang our hats on each other," said Fickell. "That’s a team right there we just got done playing that, if things aren’t going well, if their quarterback twists his knee, could probably hang their hat on the defense and probably get by for a bit. They’re that talented. That’s just not where we are.
"We know that we’ve got to get by with everybody doing their part and taking pride in it," Fickell explained.
This week, the Badgers will hit the road to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2) in a battle for the Heartland Trophy.
"All we're thinking about is Iowa, and to think anything past that is crazy."
There's no denying that a win over Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes would be a big one for this Wisconsin football program. While the Badgers hold a 10-8 edge in the all-time series since the 72-pound brass bull trophy was introduced, it's Iowa who has won the last two matchups.
"It's going to be a tough, hard-fought physical football game that in a lot of ways probably going to come down to the fourth quarter," said Fickell.
To this point, the most notable wins during Fickell’s tenure might be the blowout victory over Rutgers earlier this season or reclaiming the Axe from Minnesota last year. But this showdown in Iowa City could mark a defining moment of sorts. A win on the road in a hostile environment would not only be Fickell’s most meaningful win yet but also a sign that the program is beginning to turn the corner, particularly from a physicality and execution standpoint—which would be a step in the right direction.
Could a signature win be around the corner? Only time will tell. But there are still opportunities left on the schedule to make it happen. And Iowa, in many ways, serves as a better litmus test for just how far Wisconsin football has come since the start of the Fickell era.
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Disappointing. Frustrating. Keep the faith ....