The first game is always revealing to a head coach, and Wisconsin's was no exception. There seemed to be a good deal of things to clean up. One of the most apparent issues for Badger fans was the offensive line woes. Luke Fickell did address this in his Tuesday press conference, but he didn't identify that as the thing that frustrated him the most. Instead, it's the special teams.
Yes, he said the special teams were what frustrated him the most and what needs to be cleaned up in this week's practice. Fickell identified clear places in the game that he didn't think the special teams were as sharp or together as they needed to be.
Luke Fickell said the special teams unit was not at the standard that Wisconsin wants to play at
Related: Luke Fickell assures that changes are coming along the offensive line
"I think the thing that stands out to me more than probably anything is that we have to do a lot better on special teams. I think we left some situations out there last week. "Luke Fickell
Fickell mentioned multiple instances that he deemed subpar. He mentioned covering kickoffs, punting, and even downing the ball inside the 25. While it wasn't apparent to fans as one of the weaknesses in the game, Fickell said it could really be an asset for them from now on and wants to make sure the team is sharper in those areas.
As far as stats go, Wisconsin's first punt only went for 20 yards and didn't get past the 47, which is probably where the frustrations started with Fickell. The second went for 37 yards and ended in a touchback. The third was longer at 47 yards but went out of bounds at the 25-yard line. It didn't get much better after that. There was even a 16-yard punt return.
It wasn't just the punting, for Fickell, there were places he wanted to be better and thinks they can be better. He said the mistakes and problems they had on offense and defense weren't overly surprising, and they are working to clean those up.
Middle Tennessee will give them a natural reset and a get-right game before they go on the road against an Alabama team that will have a lot to prove.