The Wisconsin Badgers handled Michigan State on Saturday, and it was relatively easy. The fans were never nervous or stressed about the outcome of the game. It was a game in which Wisconsin was in complete control the whole time. It was amazing as a Wisconsin fan, but it was brutal if you were rooting for Michigan State. It was much worse if you were the coach of the Spartans.
Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald was crushed postgame. He dropped a line that went a little viral around Michigan State sites, social media accounts, and fans. He said, "It sucks to get your ass kicked. So do something about it." Fitzgerald said, "That's what I take from this game. You get your ass kicked, and there's nothing else. Leave it here, walk out, and get ready to go back to work on Monday."
That's one way to put it. But he just got done explaining everything that went wrong for Michigan State from misassignments, not knowing coverages, busted plays, etc. He was then asked, "What can you take from this game?" It was at that moment that he delivered the viral line. Watch that whole clip below:
Fitzgerald: It sucks to get your ass kicked. So do something about it. pic.twitter.com/4XvW5umAOh
— David Harns (@DavidHarns) October 3, 2026
Wisconsin handled Michigan State in basically every single facet of the game
The final score was 31-3, and that alone tells you why Fitzgerald felt the way he felt and said what he said. Yet, as you look at the box score, it gets so much worse for Michigan State and will curl up a Wisconsin smile.
Wisconsin went 8-16 on third downs and 2-2 on fourth downs, while Michigan State was 5-18 and 1-6, respectively. The Badgers had 373 total yards to the Spartans' 235, with rushing yards being 228 to 127. Passing was also a lot better for Wisconsin, outgaining Michigan State 145 to 108.
The only area of the game that Michigan State beat Wisconsin in was penalties. The Badgers are still looking for a cleaner game, as they were penalized six times for 66 yards. The Spartans only had a single penalty for five yards. That's at least one "win" for Michigan State... but not good enough.
The Badgers won on defense, on offense, and on special teams. Wisconsin was clicking on all cylinders with explosive plays and chunk-yardage plays. They also did the little things well in the trenches to set up bigger plays. Fitzgerald was right; they absolutely handled Michigan State.
There's nothing to celebrate yet for the Badgers, as they have only reached their win total from last season. The goal is to double it, and if we feel really greedy, to find nine wins. The Badgers head into the bye week looking for more. Wisconsin will come out of the bye and head to Los Angeles to take on the undefeated UCLA Bruins. It will be a big test for the Badgers, and maybe one that could dramatically affect that win total all the Badger fans are keeping an eye on.
The team and the players simply need to take it one game at a time.
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