Last season didn't go to plan for Luke Fickell and the Badgers. After finishing 5-7 and failing to reach a bowl game for the first time in over 20 years, the season was one to forget. Or was it?
One of the worst losses of the year, a 42-10 defeat against Iowa, is still fresh on the minds of Wisconsin players, and has been at the center of a unique way to end practice.
Badgers doing 42 pushups after practice as a reminder of Iowa loss
The #Badgers have done 42 pushups at the end of every practice this spring, a nod to the 42-10 loss to Iowa last season.
— Donnie Slusher (@DonnieSlusher_) April 9, 2025
When asked why that loss stood out among the three rivalry losses, Darryl Peterson responded:
“When have you ever heard of Iowa scoring 42 points, ever?” pic.twitter.com/Q4Hr5zEKwg
At the end of each practice, the Badger players rip off 42 pushups, the same number of points they allowed to the Hawkeyes last season. It's certainly a strong motivation to not allow anything like that again. Wisconsin lost to several conference opponents last year, but the blowout to the Hawkeyes was one of the worst. Outside linebacker Darryl Peterson explained why the loss to Iowa was the one that hurt the most last year.
"When have you ever heard of Iowa scoring 42 points, ever?" Peterson said. "42 points is unacceptable to anybody, but especially those guys."
The loss was just as shocking to fans, who have largely believed that Wisconsin has lost some of its gritty identity in recent years. On one hand, maybe using the loss as motivation will push the players to avoid such a meltdown in the future. On the other hand, maybe its best to move on and put in the past in the past. Either way, the Badgers will need to look much differently this season to avoid another disaster of a year.