Luke Fickell's loss to Maryland felt like a dagger to the heart of the Fickell rebuild dream. There were plenty of fans who wanted this year to be the difference, but it's more of the same with an easier schedule and a slightly more talented team. There are plenty of fans ready to pull the plug and move on to a new coach. Jason Eck is a good example.
It didn't help that after the loss, Fickell had no choice but to take the podium and explain the loss. To give him the benefit of the doubt, it's hard to say anything worthwhile in this moment, especially with his personality type of being on script all the time.
His comments completely missed the point. Sure, he was frustrated, and sure he talked about being better, but he clearly doesn't get that this is more than frustrating. This is more than embarrassing; this is a loss that either needs to burn in your gut, or you need to quit and walk away. This isn't a "we need to get better" or "we need to grow." This is unacceptable, and he should be saying as much.
"Obviously, last year was a little bit different," Fickell said after the 24-21 loss to Maryland. "But we're about building. We're about growing. We're about thinking this thing is a journey and a process. And the progress stopped a little today."
Luek Fickell didn't have the right tone or the right words after a disastrous loss against Maryland
Fickell, this isn't part of the journey; this feels like the end of the journey. There needs to be a bit more fire in the gut after losing to Maryland two years in a row. There needs to be a pissed-off coach for letting your rival Iowa walk all over you each and every season. Yet, Fickell continues to talk about "building" and "growing." Sorry, but it's a bigger problem than just a simple growth spurt.
Fickell continued along the same lines: "I think that's probably my biggest concern, not what does the overall future look like? We've got to get better. That's what it looks like. And if we don't, then things like this will continue to happen. Consistent offense one week, next week."
Listen, it's been four years, and that's exactly what it's been, Fickell. It's been that and worse. This was supposed to be the year that things looked better. We can excuse a loss against a good team, but against Maryland, who has already fired their coach and only has one (now two) Big Ten wins in 13 games? That's absolutely unacceptable.
Fickell was clearer and more frustrated at the beginning of this season, promising exactly what he is saying again with only two games to go. He continues to beat the same drum, but the beat doesn't actually change, and that's a problem. He didn't seem nearly as frustrated as he should have been, and he didn't say anything that made it seem like he was going to turn things around.
Will new athletic director Shawn Eichorst actually do something about it? That remains to be seen; the $21.5 million price tag may make it hard for him to pull the trigger, and he may just gaslight all the fans that Fickell took a team from 4 wins to 6 wins. But with a Wisconsin alum out there coaching a New Mexico team to back-to-back impressive seasons (Jason Eck), who will get scooped up by Michigan or someone else, it's time to pull the trigger and remove Fickell and his staff.
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