The Badgers have had a preparation issue for years. That’s an indictment of the coaching staff.
The Wisconsin Badgers have another big game opportunity this weekend when they face the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
It’s the ninth opportunity for head coach Luke Fickell against a top-25 opponent, with the Badgers going 0-8 in those games so far. And things aren’t looking much better for Wisconsin ahead of the game, with the Badgers being 17.5-point underdogs on the road.
After a 7-6 start in Year 1 of the Fickell era, things have taken a turn for the worse, with Wisconsin losing five straight games to end 2024 and now losing the Big Ten opener to start 2025.
Through all of the downfalls, there has been one key issue that has plagued the Badgers: slow starts. And there doesn’t seem to be much of an answer, be it execution issues, discipline concerns, or more.
They’ve been an issue for much of the Fickell era, even in wins, and it’s been apparent through four games to start 2025. Wisconsin didn’t have an ideal start against Miami (OH) or Middle Tennessee, which were two opponents they should’ve beaten to a better degree. And their slow starts plagued them in losses to Alabama and Maryland, with fans booing at halftime of the latter game.
To start games, it feels like the Badgers have a “feel-out” period, which players have acknowledged, that can help them adjust later in games, but causes them to fall behind the eight ball early on. That screams preparation issues, which fall directly on the coaching staff.
And it’s not like Fickell hasn’t addressed the concern. He’s repeatedly said the team needs to be better with those slow starts, but there hasn’t been any remedy. Offensively, the early portion of games is where the Badgers should be at their best because plays are ‘scripted.’
And yet, Wisconsin hasn’t opened a game with a scoring drive this season. The Badgers currently rank No. 131 in the country in first-half scoring. That’s unacceptable, especially given the caliber of opponents that Wisconsin has faced so far.
The adjustments that the Badgers are making during games should be coming during the week. Whether that’s not happening at the moment or players just aren’t executing, that falls on the coaching staff for the lack of a fix.
That leads us back to this weekend’s game against Michigan. If Wisconsin is going to have a chance at beating the Wolverines, they don’t have much margin for error, which means they need to come out faster.
Offensively, the quick passing game has worked for the Badgers when Billy Edwards has been at the helm, but Danny O’Neil’s timing and slower decision-making have led to struggles there. Wisconsin needs to figure things out there because the run game won’t open up until Wisconsin challenges Michigan’s defense in the air.
Defensively, Wisconsin’s defense has been quite simple this year. There’s been a lot of Cover 4 and Cover 3 looks, with the cornerbacks playing off-man in the former with the goal of limiting explosive plays. That led to Ty Simpson carving up the defense on intermediate routes to the sidelines, and Bryce Underwood has the arm strength to do the same.
Wisconsin needs to come out looking different, not necessarily with the looks they throw out, but with their aggressiveness. Corners can’t continue to sag off and be put in tough spots. Let them be more aggressive and throw looks like simulated pressures and other blitzes early to give Underwood new looks.
But, overall, there just needs to be more urgency early on, which stems from a preparation issue heading into the week. Hopefully, with a bye week this past week, there’s been more emphasis on that for the Badgers, leading to better early results on the road.
Category: General Sports
