Tag: Luke Fickell

Badger Countdown: Wisconsin wins first bowl game in ’82

The return of CFB is less than three months away and we are now 82 days away from the Badgers Week 1 matchup with Buffalo on Sept. 2.

The return of college football is less than three months away and we are now 82 days away from the Badgers Week 1 matchup with Buffalo on Sept. 2. In 1982, the Wisconsin football team won their first bowl game in program history.

After the team produced a 6-5 regular season, head coach Dave McClain had a shot at redemption following their 28-21 loss to Tennessee in the 1981 Garden State Bowl.

Wisconsin went on to defeat Kansas State 14-3 in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 11, 1982. The victory marked the program’s first ever win in a bowl game, finally getting over the hump after going 0-4 in their previous attempts.

Hosted in Louisiana, it was an uncharacteristic 32 degrees at kickoff and the Badgers took advantage. Wisconsin quarterback Randy Wright threw two touchdown passes as the Badgers scored 14 straight points after going down 0-3.

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Where Wisconsin’s class of 2024 ranks after its latest addition

Luke Fickell is impressing in his first full recruiting cycle as head coach at Wisconsin

Wisconsin landed a commitment from class of 2024 three-star safety Raphael Dunn on Sunday. It grew the Badgers’ 2024 group to 13 commits, five of which have come since the start of June.

The group has two four-star prospects: tight end Grant Stec and offensive tackle Kevin Haywood. With the Badgers in the running for several players after some big June official visit weekends, expect that number to grow in the coming weeks.

The addition of Dunn moved the program back up to No. 15 in 247Sports’ team ranking. Wisconsin has never finished a recruiting cycle ranked better  than 15th in the online recruiting rankings era.

Recruiting rankings are tough to unpack this early in the cycle, though. For example, Wisconsin with 13 commits is ranked one spot ahead of Alabama’s eight-person class. Alabama has Wisconsin beaten handily in the average player rating, with its class boasting three five-stars and four four-stars to this point. In short: a lot will change before the bow is tied on the 2024 cycle.

Head coach Luke Fickell excelled after his hiring at completing the class of 2023 and bolstering the roster in the transfer portal. Much of that work will pay dividends this season and as he begins his tenure. But when the book on the Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin is written, the primary focus will be on his first few full recruiting cycles.

College football head coaches can win for a season with a great transfer class (see: Mel Tucker at Michigan State). But there is no better indicator of long-term success than results on the high school recruiting trail. Early returns on Fickell’s work in that department are quite promising.

ESPN thinks Wisconsin has a top-10 defense entering 2023

National analysts expect a lot from Wisconsin’s defense this season

The story of the offseason in Madison, Wisconsin, has been change. Luke Fickell was hired as the program’s new head coach in late November and proceeded to alter much of what we know about Badger football.

The biggest shift of the offseason came on the offensive side of the football. Fickell hired air raid offensive coordinator Phil Longo and immediately infused the program with numerous transfer quarterbacks and wide receivers.

There is also a new-look defense to get used to. Mike Tressel followed Fickell from Cincinnati to fill the shoes of Jim Leonhard.

Related: Ranking the toughest games on Wisconsin’s 2023 schedule

I believe it’s fair to expect growing pains on the offensive side of the ball as the program adapts to the new philosophy. But there is no reason the defense under Fickell and Tressel shouldn’t drive this team to wins early in the season.

The college football staff at ESPN agrees. It has Wisconsin as the No. 10 defense in the country entering this season:

Four of Wisconsin’s top five tacklers from 2022 return, as do 73% of last season’s total tackles. The center of the Badgers’ defense should be strong with the return of linebackers Maema Njongmeta and Jordan Turner, the team’s leading tacklers in 2022. Njongmeta had 95 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and an interception.

The Badgers are one of four Big Ten schools on the list, ranked behind Iowa at No. 6, Penn State at No. 4 and Michigan at No. 2.

While Wisconsin has been known for its defense for as long as I’ve been alive, few national talking points this fall will focus on that side of the ball. Given the track records of Fickell and Tressell and all of the returning talent, it should be the strength of the team yet again this year.

Ranking the toughest games on Wisconsin’s 2023 schedule

Wisconsin’s 2023 schedule presents a golden opportunity for a trip back to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship. 

Wisconsin’s 2023 schedule presents a golden opportunity for a trip back to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship.

Things get challenging in 2024, with Wisconsin having games against Alabama, Michigan, USC and Penn State in the first year of the new schedule. Not only will the quality of opponent improve, but there will no longer be the thought of ‘just winning the West.’ It will take a truly special season to finish among the top two in what will be a loaded conference.

The hope is Luke Fickell is as-advertised and brings Wisconsin up to the level of some of its Big Ten counterparts once the changes go into action.

But we have a 2023 season to focus on before that all happens. I’m here today to rank every game on Wisconsin’s upcoming schedule in order of toughness.

The ranking considers where each team falls in ranking metrics, the location of the game, when the game is played during the season, departing/returning players & more:

Badger Countdown: Number 85 looking to put together healthy campaign

The start of the Badger football season is now 85 days away as Wisconsin gears up to face Buffalo on Sept. 2 at Camp Randall.

The start of the Badger football season is now 85 days away as Wisconsin gears up to face Buffalo on Sept. 2 at Camp Randall. Heading into the first season with Phil Longo and his “Air Raid” offensive scheme, fourth-year tight end Clay Cundiff will look to make a splash.

Cundiff has struggled to stay on the field the last couple seasons, twice suffering season-ending lower-body injuries, but he has been productive in limited action. Over seven games, the tight end has reeled in 12 catches for 228 yards and 12 scores, while he turned nine receptions into 142 yards and two touchdowns over four games in 2022.

He will split touches at tight end with Jack Eschenbach and Hayden Rucci in 2023, though Cundiff may possess the best set of skills as a receiver of the three. With new head coach Luke Fickell in town and transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai (SMU) under center this season, the Badgers are expected to open the field through the air, so the 6-foot-3 athlete could be in for a big year if healthy.

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Badger Countdown: Former Badger kicker finished career 86 percent

The beginning of the Luke Fickell era in Madison is now 86 days away as the Badgers take on Buffalo on Sept. 2.

The beginning of the Luke Fickell era in Madison is now 86 days away as the Badgers take on Buffalo on Sept. 2. Wisconsin’s all-time best career field-goal percentage was 86.8 percent.

Taking over at starting kicker during the 1997 season, Matt Davenport went on to go 14-of-17 on field goals in his first year in that role. His second campaign was a massively successful one, Davenport went 19-of-21 of field goals while the Badgers went on to win the 1999 Rose Bowl over UCLA 38-31.

The 19 made field goals is the fifth most in program history (third most at the time) and after finishing his career 33-for-38 (86.8 percent), Davenport still has the highest career field-goal percentage in Badger history.

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Where Wisconsin’s 2023 opponents rank in ESPN’s SP+

Wisconsin currently ranks No. 19 in the metric, with the No. 41 offense and No. 7 defense

It’s no secret Wisconsin has a favorable schedule for Luke Fickell’s first full year as head coach. The program gets a final go-around in the Big Ten West before divisions are eliminated and although Ohio State visits Madison, crossover games against Indiana and Rutgers won’t scare many.

The easy schedule does not guarantee success, as the Badgers haven’t found a way to win the Big Ten West since 2019. But for a new head coach, a new offense and new talent all over the field, this year’s slate is a perfect introduction to the new era of Wisconsin football.

Related: Wisconsin has a scary trap game on its 2023 schedule

ESPN SP+ is a popular metric used to evaluate the quality of college football teams and predict which teams might be over or underachieving. Wisconsin currently ranks No. 19 in the metric, with the No. 41 offense and No. 7 defense. If Phil Longo’s offense is as-advertised, we could see that ranking rise rapidly once the season kicks off in September.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly updated his SP+ rankings after spring practice concluded. Here is where each of Wisconsin’s 2023 opponents rank in the metric:

Badger football team ranks at the top academically

The Badgers’ football program finished as the top academic program among all FBS schools in APR this past season.

The Wisconsin Badgers’ football program finished as the top academic program in the nation this past season. The Badgers ranked No. 1 of all Football Bowl Subdivision schools in Academic Progress Rate (APR), scoring a 996.

APR tracks the “progress of their student-athletes through a team-based metric that accounts for the eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each academic term”.

UW-Madison is recognized as one of the top public research universities in the country and the athletes are clearly taking advantage of their resources off the field.

A lot of credit needs to be given to former 2022 head coaches Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard and their staffs. They made sure to instill a level of academic discipline in their athletes.

New head coach Luke Fickell looks to follow their lead in 2023 and beyond.

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WATCH: Wisconsin OLB Coach Matt Mitchell Mic’d Up

WATCH: Wisconsin OLB Coach Matt Mitchell Mic’d Up

Wisconsin completed spring football more than a month ago, with the next on-field practice period coming at training camp in August.

The new regime under Luke Fickell worked hard all spring, and throughout the recruiting process, to bring fans inside the building and generate excitement for what’s to come in the fall. The outward-facing part of the job is a crucial part of today’s college football world. It is also something Fickell has clearly emphasized.

We’ve seen The Camp return with more access, videos from practices, a full Mic’d Up series and a lot of work on the recruiting front.

Wisconsin football recently released the final edition of its Mic’d Up series from the spring, this one following OLBs coach Matt Mitchell.

Wisconsin has a scary trap game on its 2023 schedule

Wisconsin enters 2023 under new head coach Luke Fickell with a tremendous opportunity at hand. The team gets Iowa and Ohio State at home, avoids Michigan and Penn State, gets East-West crossover matchups against Indiana and Rutgers and still gets a ticket to Indianapolis if it wins the West.

Wisconsin enters 2023 under new head coach Luke Fickell with a tremendous opportunity at hand.

College football is changing, with USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff expanding in 2024. Those drastic changes likely aren’t the last, making it nearly impossible to predict what the sport will look like in five years. For now, one thing we know is what 2023 will look like–and it lines up favorably for the Badgers.

The team gets Iowa and Ohio State at home, avoids Michigan and Penn State, gets East-West crossover matchups against Indiana and Rutgers and still gets a ticket to Indianapolis if it wins the West. It’s a near-perfect slate for Fickell to begin his tenure in Madison, even with the Buckeyes on the schedule.

The month is June and we’re still more than 80 days from the season kicking off. But I’m here to circle a trap game that has a chance to be a season-wrecker if things go poorly: October 21st at Illinois.

First, the context: the game is sandwiched between a tough matchup at home against Iowa and a likely national television spot against Ohio State. Wisconsin hasn’t lost at home to Iowa since 2015, but the game is always one to circle due to the physicality and toughness of the Hawkeyes. With the Buckeyes set to visit Madison the following week, the Illinois game is also a classic lookahead spot before a season-defining contest.

Season, the matchup: Illinois has already turned a corner under Bret Bielema and boasted one of the best defenses in college football last season. The program lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, but Bielema has already raised the week-to-week level of play since taking over.

Wisconsin could easily enter the Iowa-Illinois-Ohio State stretch undefeated if it takes care of business at Washington State and at Purdue. If that is the case, I’d bet the team is 6-0 and in the AP top 10 after Iowa visits Madison.

But what happens next? The talk in Madison will be the Buckeyes’ visit to town just a week later. Those inside the program will need to put that aside and take care of business down in Champaign, Illinois.

Before the season kicks off and we learn who will contend in the Big Ten West, I’m circling the late-October trip to Illinois as a scary spot for the 2023 Badgers.