Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell was, in a word, relieved after the Badgers’ uncomfortable 28-14 win over Western Michigan on Friday night.
Fickell told the Big Ten Network postgame how proud he was of the Badgers for battling adversity. His focus was on the plays the team made in the fourth quarter to win the game, though he also acknowledged the contest was a little too close for comfort.
Related: Takeaways from Wisconsin’s 28-14 Week 1 win over Western Michigan
“I didn’t see any panic,” Fickell said. “The emotions were not high. Just a methodical game. But they handled it really well. And that’s what I’m proud of.”
The head coach continued: “You know, at halftime … it was interesting.”
The Badgers led 10-7 at the break, scoring a touchdown on only one of their three first-half red zone possessions. Fickell’s tone captured the feelings in the stadium at that stage. There was an overwhelming thought of “oh no, here we go again.”
But credit to the Badgers for making plays when it mattered most. That was Fickell’s focus after the game, as his team did not excel in those areas last season.
“You knew you had to come back out, and you go down, and you find a way to come back,” Fickell continued. “We know it’s going to be about adversity and handling adversity, and we didn’t do a great job of that last year. So I’m proud they did.”
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Wisconsin has a lot to improve upon entering Week 2 against South Dakota and Week 3 against No. 5 Alabama and a Big Ten schedule. The improvements will start on offense, where the team did not manage a play longer than 17 yards.
The Badgers are 1-0 after one week, which is technically all that matters. Attention now turns to how to prevent having next Saturday follow the same script as Friday night’s win.
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