Wisconsin fell 38-21 to No. 11 USC on Saturday, dropping to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in Big Ten play.
A common theme postgame has been collective unhappiness about the current state of the team and the overall program under Luke Fickell. Many have shared their criticisms, highlighted by notable program alumni.
Related: Notable Wisconsin alumni irate with the Badgers’ struggles with short-yardage runs
The latest former Badger to express his current displeasure is linebacker Jack Cichy. Coincidentally, he was the reason Wisconsin defeated USC back in the 2015 Holiday Bowl.
Here is Cichy’s string of posts on X from Sunday. His focus is on the defensive side of the football:
Badger football thoughts….
i will attempt to be respectful
The air is in fact not being raided as was promised.
no visible identity.
I miss controlling the line of scrimmage and being a stout gapped out defense.
What ever happened to power extra #icepanther #firebob— Jack Cichy (@jackCICHY) September 29, 2024
when you have a defense that creates NFL talent (Aranda/Wilcox/Leonhard) that can keep you in any game then you make sure that stays
You will never convince me that it was better to bring in some bastardized 3-3-5 to the big ten and expect to be anything other than a sieve.— Jack Cichy (@jackCICHY) September 29, 2024
Cichy’s thoughts on Wisconsin’s current defensive scheme carry weight. He was a multi-year starter in the Badgers’ signature 3-4 scheme — first under Dave Aranda in 2015 then Justin Wilcox in 2016.
Wisconsin’s problem on defense against USC was not its scheme. Badger defenders were in position all afternoon, they were just consistently beat 1-on-1 by bigger and more physical USC receivers. Still, it’s hard to disagree with the thought that the Badgers defense is regressing under Mike Tressel and Fickell. Maybe not severely, but enough to be far from the dominant unit that many need it to be.
Cichy’s perspective on Wisconsin’s current ‘air raid’ comes as no surprise, and is shared by many — especially former players. More and more weeks of struggles, especially in picking up short-yardage runs, has only led to more and more program alumni voicing their unhappiness.
Thoughts from notable program alumni do not mean everything. If Wisconsin picks up a few consecutive wins and shows some progress, much of the current state will be forgotten. But they do matter. The timeline on the Fickell era to find success will only be sped up by a collective displeasure with the state of affairs.
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