Wisconsin football humbled by Nebraska in battle for the Freedom Trophy
With bowl eligibility on the line, Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football team came up short and were embarrassed by Nebraska on the road.
Being a diehard fan of the Luke Fickell-led Wisconsin Badgers football program has become the ultimate test of loyalty and patience. Say what you want about Phil Longo, but at least he didn't have to sit and watch the no-show against Nebraska unfold like the rest of us.
After another poor performance, the Badgers (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten) saw their more than decade-long dominance over the Cornhuskers come to an unceremonious end in a 44-25 road defeat.
The loss not only snapped Wisconsin's 10-game winning streak in the series but also marked Nebraska’s first-ever win in the battle for the Freedom Trophy since its creation. It also extended the Badgers’ losing skid to four games, their first streak of this length since 2008.
“This is getting obviously old," Fickell told reporters. "I don't have any excuses. We didn't play well. We didn't play well in the complimentary football that we have to on the road in particular, and it snowballed.
"We have to challenge ourselves. We're going to have to look real deep here and find out who's with us and who's willing to put it all, lay it all out on the line for these seniors coming up next week."
Adding insult to injury, the Cornhuskers celebrated by storming the field, reveling in the moment of clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016. These two programs might have different standards for what constitutes a field storming, but right now, they’re trending in opposite directions—and it’s hard to ignore the path Wisconsin appears to be heading.
The Badgers’ defense was Charmin soft
Let’s address the root of the poor performance: Mike Tressel’s defense.
Nebraska shredded Wisconsin for 473 total yards, carving up the Badgers through the air (293 yards) and on the ground (180 yards). The defense managed just three stops all night on 11 total Cornhusker drives and allowed six consecutive scoring possessions at one point. Terrible.
Per Game on Paper, Wisconsin’s defensive run-stuff rate of 6% was the worst nationally in Week 13, while their havoc rate of 3% ranked in the fourth percentile.
To make matters worse, the Badgers mustered only six pressures all game, per PFF, were credited with 18 missed tackles, and had no tackles for loss, failing to generate any meaningful disruption.
Under coach Tressel, the Badgers defense has now given up 40-plus points in three games this season—their highest total since 2001, which also happens to be the last time Wisconsin missed a bowl game.
Fickell pointed to tackling as a key issue when asked about the Badgers defensive struggles but acknowledged it’s only part of the problem (I agree).
“If you're not a good tackling defense, you're gonna struggle in a lot of ways," Fickell said after the game. "But there are a lot more things that we didn’t do well defensively than just tackling. There’s not one that you can just pinpoint."
In-game mistakes remain a thorn in Wisconsin’s side
It’s genuinely mind-blowing how many different ways this Wisconsin football team manages to beat itself under Luke Fickell. It's equally as frustrating to see our well-compensated head coach continually be out-coached by whoever is standing on the opposing sideline.
Coach Fickell and his staff made two critical mistakes in the first half, leading to a 13-point swing that helped gift-wrap the game to Nebraska before halftime.
Late in the first quarter, the Badgers weren’t aware of the play clock running out as Nathanial Vakos lined up for a go-ahead 29-yard field goal following Jake Chaney’s forced turnover, which Ben Barten recovered. A delay of game penalty pushed the kick back 5 yards, and Vakos missed the 34-yard attempt. It's inexcusable for Fickell to be unaware of that. Nebraska capitalized, marching 80 yards in eight plays to retake the lead.
Then, with just 17 seconds left in the half and trailing 21-10, Wisconsin chose to run a play instead of kneeling and heading into the locker room. On that play, running back Tawee Walker fumbled, handing Nebraska three easy points.
Not to mention, the Badgers were set to receive the second-half kickoff, making the decision to risk a turnover even more baffling. Completely indefensible.
A few more examples of unforced errors stand out, including Fickell’s puzzling choice not to go for two late in the game to try and cut the deficit from three scores to two. On special teams, the Badgers missed two field goals, managed to kick the ball out of bounds on a kickoff, and opted not to field a punt with space to run, only to watch it roll and pin them inside their own three-yard line. Classic.
Wisconsin simply isn’t built to overcome mistakes of this magnitude, and these coaching blunders again proved costly.
Final thoughts
The Badgers offense wasn't the problem in this one. Braedyn Locke completed 20 of 30 pass attempts for 292 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. His EPA per dropback of 0.51Â ranked in the 91st percentile on Saturday and was one of his better overall performances.
Generating 407 yards of total offense, in theory, should have been enough.
Vinny Anthony has been one of my favorite stories of the season. Anthony caught seven passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. He's proven to be the downfield threat this Wisconsin team desperately needed at wide receiver, and I shudder to think what this offense would look like without him.
Freshman Darrion Dupree was one of the other bright spots against the Cornhuskers, ending the night with eight carries for 63 yards and adding two receptions for 14 yards. At this stage, Dupree has more than earned the right to take on a bigger share of the workload and eat into Walker’s carries.
In short, the offense performed well enough to put Wisconsin in a position to win, finishing the game with an EPA per play of 0.19, ranking in the 79th percentile. But complimentary football is something this team refuses to do. The Badgers show flashes of promise each week, but consistency across the board continues to be the missing ingredient.
"We can play really, really well and then get into a situation where things don't go well, and we can't find a way to re-group," Fickell said. "To be honest, that is what I've been searching for for quite a while.
“I can't put a finger on it, other than get back to work, see who is truly with you, and willing to do the same things that you are and be addicted to this fight."
Is another lengthy streak about to fall? The Badgers face Minnesota on Friday at Camp Randall with their 22 consecutive bowl appearances—the third-longest active streak in the FBS—hanging by a thread. A loss would snap that streak and mark Wisconsin’s first losing season since 2001. It all comes down to one final chance to salvage an underwhelming season. We’ll see how they respond.
We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.
You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.
Who came in and impostered the defense we had against Oregon??? Mind-boggling.