Can the Badgers turn things around under fourth-year coach?
The Wisconsin football program is one built on a proud winning tradition, but have fallen on hard times over the past two seasons under fourth-year coach Luke Fickell.
He hasn’t quite been able to turn the corner with Badgers following the end of Paul Chryst’s tenure.
“I don’t come in here and oversell, like I’ve said before. So I can’t tell you what our identity is,” Fickell said. “I wouldn’t tell you what our identity is, right? If things were going really well, and this was the other way around, I would say our identity is what we put on film. That’s where we’re all trying to push ourselves to.
“I can’t grant them confidence. I again, you stand tall. You stand in front of them guys every single day, and try to say it’s about a belief.”
Fickell recalled when Jon Gruden came to visit the program over the summer. Gruden emphasized Fickell’s team “pounding the rock,” which was a metaphor for believing in yourself, even when the results aren’t there at first — not running the ball.
“If you continue to pound the rock and pound the rock and pound the rock with everybody, there’s going to be some cracks, and eventually you’re going to be able to feel and see it,” Fickell said. “That’s kind of where we are. That’s where I am too.”
Notably, Wisconsin was on its third quarterback by the end of the game. The inconsistency under center kept the Badgers from finding a rhythm against the Terrapins.
Starter Billy Edwards has been dealing with a knee sprain since Week 1. He tried to go but was subbed out in the first quarter for Danny O’Neil. O’Neil was limping for most of the second half following a sack and was taken out ahead of the final drive of the game.
Instead, it was third-string QB Hunter Simmons that came in to finish the game. He would led Wisconsin to its lone touchdown drive of the game.
It remains to be seen what Wisconsin does moving forward under center. The Badgers are on a bye during Week 5, so both Edwards and O’Neil have extra time to heal moving forward.
At the same time, it goes deeper than who’s under center. Fans are frustrated with the product Fickell’s program is putting on the field. He believes he’s still the right man for the job despite performing under expectations during his first three seasons with the program.
“Leadership has to find a way to continue to push, to continue to show and be an example of what pound the rock looks like. And that’s what I am,” Fickell said. “… Everybody can have their own opinions of things, but the truth of the matter is, there’s no easy way out of this thing.
“There’s no magic, there’s no sprinkle some fairy dust,” Fickell said. “If we just make one little change here, we can, we can find a way to get through this thing.”