Wisconsin was down two scores as Michigan had the ball with three minutes to go. The Badgers had just failed an onside kick after converting a field goal to make the game 24-10. Wisconsin only needed two touchdowns to win. It's a big ask, but it's possible, and it's happened plenty of times in college football. Fickell had three timeouts and decided he wanted to keep them and let the game expire.
Badger fans couldn't believe it, and Fox analysts were baffled. Both Joel Klatt and Gus Johnson were blasting the decision-making by Fickell. Johnson noted that "Michigan is [actually] playing to the final whistle."
Luke Fickell's time management at the end of the game is another indication that he's given up on Wisconsin
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"Wisconsin, I think, just going to let this one roll out," Klatt said with under a minute left in regulation. "They have three timeouts in their pocket - he (Fickell) could have called his three timeouts, and if they had gotten a stop, they would have gotten the ball back with about 2:20 left. They're not going to call anything right now, just ride this one out to a loss."
It makes you wonder if Fickell is fine with scrutiny and fans hating him at this point. Does he want to get fired? Fans think he's given up after how he managed this game, not just the end of it.
Sure, the chances were low that Wisconsin could pull off the comeback, but to give up on the game and thus, the time is another indictment against Fickell. If you aren't going to show fight, why should the team? If you don't believe in your team, why should they believe in themselves?
In hindsight, the entire game felt like Fickell was content with letting the game be close, rather than trying to win it. He was fine with punts and checkdowns. It's hard not to think that he has given up on this team. The fans are allowed to bail, but he is not. The clock management at the end of the Michigan game showed that he's tired and comfortable with losing.