Incremental progress may be the path forward for Luke Fickell's Wisconsin Badgers this season. Through two weeks, they do seem to be a better team than they were a year ago. The pass rush might be starting to come back. The running game may be going again. It is amazing what happens when you no longer run a gimmicky Air Raid offshoot in Madison, Wisconsin. There has been growth.
However, let's not put the cart in front of the horse just yet entering Week 3. Few people outside of Wisconsin think the Badgers will have much of a chance vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday. The point spread has gone up to 21.5 points in Alabama's favor entering the middle part of the week. It may be an indictment on how the national media feels about Fickell, but he could prove them wrong.
He said in Monday's weekly press conference that his Badgers seem to be better across the board.
What Luke Fickell said about Wisconsin being in a better spot this year
The biggest key in Fickell's remarks is he believes this team's identity and mentality has improved.
"There's a lot of things. I think that hopefully, first and foremost, it has a lot to do with the team, individuals here or there, but the truth of the matter is the thing that I feel best about, and I think that I know that the entire program and the guys within that locker room feel the best about, is what we have as a group. Whether everybody's seen it yet or hasn't seen it yet, whether it's Game 1 or Game 2, I just think that the biggest difference is there's a different mentality of the things that we can do."
However, he was quick to say that offensive line depth is and will continue to be an issue for the team.
"I think that's where it's got to kind of start. Is there some different spots and positions? Yes. I've said it multiple times, I think that for the most part, I think we're in a better place at every position. Obviously, the depth on the offensive line is the one spot that continues to be an issue or stand out a little. But as a whole and as a team, I think where we are and the things that we're doing, that's where everything's got to start."
Here is Fickell's entire press conference heading into the much-anticipated Alabama game in Week 3.
If this were a lowly Big Ten opponent, it may not be an issue, but Alabama always has pass-rushers...
Luke Fickell points out Wisconsin's biggest weakness ahead of Alabama
No, it is not hoping to contain Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams because that is not happening. What Wisconsin needs to do is to fortify its protections as good as it can for whomever is starting at quarterback for them, whether that is Week 2's starter Danny O'Neil or the injured starter from Week 1 in Billy Edwards Jr. Having bad offensive line play resulted in a pair of slow starts for the Badgers.
The good news is this offensive line seems like it can be motivated verbally. O'Neil, and a slew of other players, lit into this unit to try and play better. They did down the stretch, but last week's opponent was the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, and not the fallen empire of the Crimson Tide. Simply put, Wisconsin cannot afford to get behind the eight ball to try and win it in the second half.
Another slow start could be too much to overcome for the Badgers. It may be an 11:00 a.m. CT kick at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but nothing Fickell said in this press conference should lead us to believe he is ready for a hostile SEC road environment. It will be louder than Kinnick was last year at Iowa. This means the offensive line will need to be even more locked in from the start.
Other areas of this team might close the gap with Alabama, but the offensive line may be exploited.