The Badgers had a rough night on the road on Saturday.
The Wisconsin Badgers lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes 42-10 on Saturday, as it was one of their ugliest games of the season on both offense and defense.
Head coach Luke Fickell took to the podium following the loss, expressing disappointment in the result ahead of a bye week.
Here’s everything Fickell said following the game.
OPENING STATEMENT: There’s not a whole lot that words can say that can explain how I feel. Like I said in the locker room, it’s really, really tough to put into words right now. We’re going to have to pick ourselves up, going to have to move forward, and make sure that we are better. November is the time that you’ve got to find out what you’re made of, and that’s not a good showing to show what we’re made of.
It’s gonna be hard, it’s going to be difficult. Coming into a bye next week, which makes it even worse, but that’s the first time that I’ve really felt this. Even after the Alabama game, it wasn’t the same thing. This was something, like, kind of your worst nightmare. To be overtaken, manhandled, and dominated, especially in the second half.
On the team’s biggest concern…
FICKELL: I don’t know if there is one thing that you can point out. To be able to stop the run, no matter what you do, you’ve got to do a better job of. You’ve got to be able to run the football.
To come on the road, in an environment like this, if you don’t play complementary ball, you’re going to be in trouble. We didn’t play great in the first half, but, we at least found ways to feed off of each other a little bit, and put ourselves in a situation, make a few plays and adjustments, and okay you come in at halftime, re-group, you’ve got to play a hell of a lot better, and we did the exact opposite.
On if the job was more than he expected…
FICKELL: We all know what we signed up for. It’s the same thing that every kid in that locker room did, and truly understands. You signed up for the best, and the expectation is you need to play the bet, and right now that’s not the case. It’s not like there is one thing that you can point at. After an Alabama game, you give up a couple shots, and it’s one of those things, ‘okay, they’ve got the wideout that is a difference-maker.’
This one is a lot different, and to me, there’s nothing that stings more than this. There’s gonna be a lot of guys, myself included first and foremost, that are going to have a self-check, and look in the mirror, and really kind of self-evaluate what they’re willing to do moving forward.”
On Wisconsin’s struggles running the ball…
FICKELL: I don’t know. Obviously, you know Iowa is going to make it difficult to do that. And, you thought you had a good plan coming in, with the ability to create some seams and find ways to loosen them up a little bit. But, we were not able to do that. Just like on the other side of the ball, we were not able to put ourselves in position to stop the run as well. It doesn’t go much further than looking in the mirror right there, and finding ways that we have to do a hell of a lot better job than that.
On Braedyn Locke’s play/turnovers…
FICKELL: Yeah, it’s hard. They’re gonna make some plays. The first one probably is a tough one, didn’t see the guy on the other side in a Cover 2, think the guy might be open. The other ones are bad decisions. But, I think that’s where that complementary ball has to come in, and that’s where we’re not. You know, everybody starts to put pressure on themselves to make some plays, and I’m sure Braedyn, as the quarterback of our offense, is going to put pressure on himself.
When you can’t run the ball, you don’t help yourself. And when you can’t stop the run, you can’t help yourself. It can’t go much further than right there. There are other things too but when you can’t stop the run game and you can’t get going in the run game, I don’t care what the hell else you do. You’re not going to win on the road in this league, and sure as hell not going to win here.
On simplifying the offense without RPOs…
FICKELL: That’s not our game. And like you said, in the first half we made a few plays, but could not continue to capitalize on them. We couldn’t put strings together, whether it was turnovers [or] inconsistency. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of positives that we can point at from tonight, but, like I said, we’re gonna find what the hell we’re made of. As individuals, but especially as a team.
On the early penalties…
FICKELL: Yeah, I mean it’s a great environment. They helped us too, I don’t know that we move the ball and get a field goal on the first drive if they don’t actually call them for the delay of game, and then the personal foul. But, they do screw up your rhythm. They do put you in a situation where, you don’t feel like you’re in control. This is the first environment where we’ve had to go on the road and play like that, and we did not handle it very well.
On RB Kaleb Johnson…
FICKELL: “He’s the one that has all the yards, but I think it’s going to fall on the shoulders of that offensive line. I’m not sure there weren’t some pretty good seams and holes in there that he had the opportunity to take advantage of. Obviously, at the second level, he’s tough. He’s got the speed to make you worried, but I don’t think you need to go much further than saying the guys up front were the difference in the ballgame.”
On struggling at the edges offensively…
FICKELL: We’ve got to be able to loosen some people up on the outside, and get to the edge a little bit more. We’ve got to block on the perimeter more, so when we do get the ball to the edge, it’s not a one-yard gain or two-yard gain. But, this is where Iowa is really good. They do a great job of creating and setting edges, and make you work for everything. Obviously, we didn’t work hard enough to get it done tonight.