Whatever happened at halftime seemed to really work. The Badgers went down 17-0 to start the game versus Penn State, with a pick-six from Colton Joseph as part of the problem. It was ugly. And the "Fire Fickell" and "Bench Colton Joseph" vibes were as high as ever. But then, to close the half, the Badgers were able to make it a 10-point game at 17-10. Yet, the momentum still felt like it was riding high for the Nittany Lions.
Going into the half, Luke Fickell had to find a way to fire up his team and get them to believe they could win it. He wasn't going to let the team fall on their face against another ranked team. What did he say at halftime to inspire the belief that this team could come back even when their quarterback was playing like crap? He told them to keep trying, not to give up, and to push the game even if it went to overtime.
"It's a 60-minute game," Fickell said of what he told his guys at the half. "We said that from the get-go. We didn't play well (to start), but in the second half it was all about: do we have the emotional toughness to be able to handle 60-plus minutes? All I said at halftime was, 'Hey, get us to overtime. Get us to extra time; let's figure out who we are.' Those guys proved who we are today."
This is what he told the Peacock sideline reporter after the game, and in the post-game press conference he added to it. "I told these guys before the game and after, if you want something, you've got to work for it, and you've got to go and get it. Nobody's going to hand you anything in this world."
The team never gave up on Luke Fickell, Colton Joseph, or each other
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The Badgers wouldn't need extra time. They were able to hold Penn State to only three points in the entire second half, and the offense finally found some juice. Colton Joseph did have another interception in the second half, but he also found ways to keep the drives alive and get the ball in the end zone. The Badgers would go on to score 17 in the second half and take the lead.
Wisconsin just never gave up, and even when they probably should have given up on Colton Joseph, they didn't. The struggling QB during the Penn State game told Peacock reporters after the game, "The teammates didn't lose their faith in me...they told me at halftime, 'Hey Colton, we know it was a struggle, but we have your back. We got you no matter what, and I really appreciated that...it was great to have everyone stay in the fight the whole game."
The belief just never died in this team, and whether it was banding together around Joseph at halftime or Fickell pushing his guys the full 60 minutes, something changed. This team didn't let up. They may have started in a way that put them in a big hole, but the team never gave up, never gave in, rallied together, and pulled off the biggest upset and the biggest win of the Luke Fickell era.
It was unbelievable, and now Wisconsin is riding a 3-1 record with a 1-0 conference record going into a game against Michigan State back at Camp Randall Stadium.
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