No bowl, no Axe, no identity: Where does Wisconsin football go from here?
After a dismal 2024 season, Wisconsin football faces an uncertain future under head coach Luke Fickell. What's next for the Badgers?
The Wisconsin Badgers season finale against Minnesota on Friday at Camp Randall Stadium capped off what can only be described as a new low point for the football program under Luke Fickell.
A 24-7 home loss to the Gophers not only meant losing Paul Bunyan’s Axe to P.J. Fleck and Minnesota, but it also handed Wisconsin their first losing season since 2001 and snapped a 22-year streak of bowl game appearances by the program—the third-longest active streak in the FBS.
“I’ve been coaching for a good while, playing this game for a good while, and I don’t know that I’ve been in a position and situation like this, to be honest with you,” Fickell told reporters. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of things to get done, a lot of things we got to fix up and correct.”
A Rivalry Lost
The stakes were clear: win and keep the nation’s third-longest bowl streak alive, or lose and endure a fifth straight defeat to close out the season. Predictably, the Badgers turned in another piss poor performance—a theme that has become all too common under Fickell's administration.
For the third time in four seasons, Minnesota reclaimed the Axe, marking a noteworthy shift in a rivalry the Badgers have dominated for two-plus decades. The Gophers have now taken three of the last four matchups—something they hadn’t accomplished since 1990.
"I thought our players dominated the football game. I thought they did from start to finish," Fleck said postgame. "I thought we made a statement in the rivalry, winning three out of four here at Camp Randall.
“I take a lot of pride in that."
The loss, as painful—and predictable as it was, sent a clear message about the current state of the rivalry—and, by extension, the directions these programs are heading. One has an identity and buy-in; the other, not so much.
"It's really tough to kind of say where we are," Fickell said. "Obviously, we're not in a good place, and really, we're just not even playing well."
Offense Stalls Again
Wisconsin’s offensive struggles were glaring, as they have been all season. The Badgers managed just 166 yards of total offense—their lowest mark since 2016—and finished the first half with only 43 yards, three first downs, and zero points. Atticus Bertrams punted seven times in the first half alone and nine times overall. Just a brutal, brutal performance.
Quarterback Braedyn Locke completed 15-of-32 passes for 130 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown pass to Vinny Anthony in the third quarter, but the offense generated little else by way of actual production.
Despite Locke’s best efforts to gift-wrap the Gophers an interception, he finally finished a football game without throwing a pick.
It’s worth noting that Trech Kekahuna was one of the few bright spots filling in for the injured Will Pauling, catching six passes for 64 yards.
Wisconsin’s run game, long a staple of the program, was virtually nonexistent. The Badgers offensive line got pushed around, and the running backs mustered just 36 rushing yards on 18 attempts split between transfer Tawee Walker and freshman Darrion Dupree, leaving Fickell searching for answers. The problem? Fickell never seems to find answers.
“That’s the opposite of complementary football that you’ll ever see,” said Fickell. “There’s no way in hell you’re gonna win a Big Ten game and a rivalry game when you rush the ball for 35 yards.”
Defensive Woes Persist
While Wisconsin’s defense was marginally better than its offense against Minnesota, it still couldn’t rise to the occasion.
The Badgers were gashed on the ground, surrendering 183 rushing yards to the Gophers. Transfer QB Max Brosmer also had his way through the air, throwing for 191 yards and two scores with no interceptions on 7.3 yards per attempt. For a program that once prided itself on having an elite defense, the unit has slipped considerably under Mike Tressel.
The defense ranks last nationally in tackles for loss, 114th in sacks, and 91st against the run this season—numbers that underscore how far the Badgers have fallen. The advanced metrics tell the same story. In Year 2 under Tressel, Wisconsin regressed in defensive EPA per play, EPA per drop back, and EPA per rush while giving up more points than in 2023.
Tressel and the rest of this coaching staff spent the offseason emphasizing the need for more length and athleticism, but those traits didn’t translate into a better defense on the field. It would be wise to keep options open regarding who calls defensive plays in 2024.
“Talent doesn’t just win football games,” Fickell said. “It’s guys that play together and be complementary in what they are doing. Unfortunately, we did not do that today and haven’t done that in the last few weeks.”
A Program at a Crossroads
The loss to Minnesota underscores a concerning trend: Wisconsin's trophy case is empty this season. The Badgers were outscored 110-42 in rivalry games against Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota, losing all three trophies for the first time since they were introduced.
This season’s failures extend far beyond wins and losses. They paint a picture of a football program without a clear identity or direction, staring at a pivotal offseason littered with uncertainty for Luke Fickell.
Fickell now faces mounting pressure to right the ship in Year 3. He’ll need to hire a new offensive coordinator, decide if Mike Tressel is the right person to call plays for the defense, rebuild a quarterback room in flux, and address a host of other glaring personnel issues—all while preparing for another brutal 2025 schedule that won’t do them any favors.
Two things are true thus far: Fickell has done an undeniably poor job coaching this team, and saying otherwise would be disingenuous. At the same time, those calling for him to be fired are out of their minds. Risking a complete reset by pulling the plug too soon isn’t the answer.
Wisconsin would owe Fickell over $33 million if they fired him, so no, he’s not on the hot seat. Not yet, at least. Nor should he be. Fickell absolutely deserves the opportunity to fix things. But let’s be honest—it’s getting harder and harder to feel optimistic Fickell will right the ship, given that he's compiled a 12-13 record, including 8-10 in Big Ten games.
Better days could still lie ahead, even if nothing we’ve seen on the field gives much reason to believe it will ever materialize under his leadership. The recruiting classes have undoubtedly been promising, and they’re the only real beacon of hope for the Badgers right now. That said, they’ve got to keep those classes together and develop them to show signs of life.
It’s understandable to believe the book on Fickell at Wisconsin has been written. The lack of improvement has been glaring, and no discernible evidence rooted in reality suggests that a turnaround is imminent.
For now, the Badgers’ remarkable 22-year bowl streak is over, leaving fans questioning just how much further this program could fall before showing any real signs of progress. Is this rock bottom? Let’s hope so.
“I told the players, those that stay will be a champion,” Fickell said. “You’ve got to have people that believe in you. I know it’s hard, having faith in things you can’t see. And right now, I’m sure they can’t see it. And that’s the tough part. They’ve got to believe.
“I don’t worry as much about them [the fans] as I worry about those guys in that locker room. Our job is to get them to believe, is to put the product on the field. Right now, we don’t have that opportunity, and we haven’t done it. So, I would understand if they are worried. It’s their prerogative. Our job is to prove it, and we haven’t done that. But we will.”
Prove it? It’s a bold promise, but given what’s unfolded over the last two seasons in Madison, Badgers fans have every right to question whether it’s anything more than empty words at this point. I doubt it ever comes to fruition, but nobody would love to be wrong more than me.
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