Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez offered his thoughts on the state of the Wisconsin football program on Tuesday.
In an appearance on ESPN Milwaukee, the former Wisconsin coach and athletic director was asked about the Badgers’ 42-10 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
“It’s really frustrating for me because there’s no one I’d rather beat than Iowa to start with,” Alvarez said. “I understand fans’ disappointment. I don’t know what to tell you. I’m frustrated.”
During his time commanding the sidelines at UW from 1990 to 2005, Alvarez’s Badgers beat the Hawkeyes five times. It’s safe to say he wasn’t pleased with Wisconsin’s most recent output against a familiar foe.
Alvarez was also asked what he thought of the culture at Wisconsin. When he served as the coach, Wisconsin went 119–72–4 and morphed into one of the more respected programs across the nation.
Now, it’s sometimes hard to even recognize what Alvarez built.
“I can’t answer that,” Alvarez said. “I’d like to see it myself. When I took the job, I looked at the type of players that we could consistently recruit. … I figured we could find some linemen consistently, and that’s where you start in Wisconsin. That was the mantra of our whole program. I’m crying to see the same thing, crying to see the physicality.”
What would Barry Alvarez's message to @BadgerFootball be before taking on #1 Oregon?
Badgers fans, you NEED to hear this! 😤🏈 pic.twitter.com/uBmGM1AAS8
— ESPN Milwaukee (@ESPNMilwaukee) November 12, 2024
Finally, Alvarez touched on what he hopes to see from the Badgers in their next game against No. 1 Oregon on Nov. 16. After dropping its previous two games against No. 4 Penn State and Iowa, Luke Fickell’s team is 5-4.
Here’s what Alvarez hopes to see on Saturday at Camp Randall:
“I’d really like to see the team show up, really compete hard and get after Oregon,” Alvarez said. “You’re playing the No. 1 team in the country. Instead of showing up and feeling your way around, get after the No. 1 team in the country. Show fans and the Wisconsin people that there’s some fight in this offense and that you’re ready to compete at the highest level.”
Kickoff between the Badgers and the Ducks is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be nationally televised on NBC.