This is going to come back to haunt Luke Fickell when it matters most, but for now, his Wisconsin Badgers are 2-0 in the non-conference and playing with a ton of confidence heading into their biggest game of the season next Saturday vs. Alabama. For as challenging of a first half as the Badgers had in all three phases, they came out of the locker room like a different team once again.
While it may have more to do with Jeff Grimes finally figuring out who he has to work with in terms of offensive personnel, Luke Fickell was able to quiet his critics, as least for a moment. Everyone in Madison wanted him gone after the first quarter, but his team played better with each subsequent frame. Outscoring Middle Tennessee 28-0 in the second half then allowed the Badgers to win 42-10.
Being able to save your best football for when it counts is a trait common with many great defensive-minded head coaches. Pete Carroll made a hall-of-fame career at that with both USC and the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately for Fickell, his run at Wisconsin may end up in a similar manner to what Carroll is trying to do in his mid-70s with the Las Vegas Raiders. But as Al Davis said, "just win, baby!"
Being a second-half team makes Wisconsin quite exciting, but living and dying by the sword is tough.
This Luke Fickell Wisconsin team is starting to be defined by second half
Is playing better football out of the locker room after halftime an identity one can build a great team around? Potentially, but sometimes a team can get so far behind the eight ball in the first two quarters that a valiant second-half effort may not matter all that much in the end. While this newfound trait may be able to help the Badgers win close games that go down to the wire, can they win from behind?
Again, we may not know what this Wisconsin team is really all about until they go up against a worthy adversary. However, there is something admirable about saving your best football for winning time. Maybe this is the style of play that suits Danny O'Neil's skill set? It was not pretty for him from the jump in either game, but he came out of the locker room a different man who was not going to lose.
At the very least, these last two games show the Badgers are adaptable when it does not go according to plan from the start. Maybe this is good coaching after all from Fickell and his staff? Regardless, Wisconsin has been able to win games that lesser teams would lose to, even if Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee are Group of Five opponents. They can grow from all of this for sure.
Now that the game is over with and done, Wisconsin has to start faster vs. Alabama next Saturday.