Maybe Phil Longo wasn't the problem after all? The Wisconsin Badgers are fighting for their lives to try and extend their bowl streak to 23 years. However, nothing, and we mean nothing, is going right against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the regular season finale.
With a win, the Badgers will improve to 5-6 on the year and indeed punch their ticket to a bowl game. However, Wisconsin posted 44 yards of total offense in the first half, trailing at home 14-0. Fans are furious in the stands, while even more people are losing patience on social media.
As you might have been able to expect, a ton of blame is being pointed at Luke Fickell. Wasn't he supposed to help improve things overall for this squad? Instead, the opposite is being proven true, with six punts being recorded in the first half at home against Minnesota. Fickell called out his offense at halftime, but he has no one to blame but himself:
Luke Fickell at halftime on CBS about what his message to the offense will be: "We’ve got to do something. We’ve got 44 yards of offense. They’ve done a great job. But heck we’ve got to come out here, we’ve got to turn the thing loose a little bit. We’ve got to make some plays."
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) November 29, 2024
Luke Fickell didn't have his players ready to rock against Minnesota
In some not-so surprising fashion, Wisconsin's first series of the second half led to a punt. People were calling for Braedyn Locke to be replaced behind center to open the third, but Mabrey Mettauer remained on the sidelines - it's clear the coaches don't think the freshman is ready.
With that said, the ground game couldn't get going in the first or second quarter either. This is Year 2 for Fickell and the expectation was that the Badgers would take a big step forward. Things started off great, with Fickell and Co. going 5-2 through the first seven games.
Since then, however, the wheels have fallen off. Ahead of kickoff against Minnesota, Wisconsin had lost four straight, falling to Penn State, Iowa, Oregon and Nebraska. It's now looking, barring a miracle, Fickell's side will end the season 5-7 and on a five-game losing streak. It's totally unacceptable.