Can Wisconsin handle success? Fickell pushes team to continue grind after upset win

MADISON – In the span of one week, Wisconsin’s situation has flipped.

>The Badgers football team, fresh off a comeback win at Penn State, is a 10½-point favorite to beat Michigan State when they play Oct. 3 at Camp Randall Stadium (11:30 a.m. kickoff; Big Ten Network). Last week UW was a 10-point underdog against the Nittany Lions.

>While point spreads aren’t a true gauge of a team’s talent, they are a sign of public sentiment, and the Badgers’ stock is on the rise after a big victory.

>The key for the team will be to go about its business as if its a bear market.

>“We're a team that has still continued to climb,” Badgers coach Luke Fickell said Sept. 28 during his weekly press conference at Camp Randall Stadium. “Nothing has changed in the way we go about our business and so that's where for the first time, we've got to be able to handle some success and some positives and keep us going in the right direction.”

>The 24-20 win over Penn State gave the Badgers their first victory in Happy Valley since 2003 and snapped a six-game losing streak dating back to 2012 against the Nittany Lions overall.

>The victory was also UW’s highest-ranked win on the road since a 38-17 triumph at No. 9 Minnesota on Nov. 30, 2019.

>That said, the film review probably brought the Badgers down to Earth, particularly the offense. In addition to Colton Joseph’s three interceptions, the Badgers committed five false-start penalties and were flagged a season-high nine times overall. Their third-down conversion rate of 26.7% (4 for 15) was also a season low.

>“We know we've got to be able to play better,” Fickell said. “And a lot of people will ask questions and point at the quarterback play. We know we have to play better, got to make better decisions at the quarterback position.

>“But I think that there's a lot of other things that go into that. We've got to do a better job as a whole on helping our quarterback out. And so it's not just falling on the shoulders of the quarterback.”

Fickell's respect for Michigan State Pat Fitzgerald runs deepThe Spartans come to town after suffering a 31-13 loss to Nebraska on Sept. 26 that also cost the team its top running back. First-year coach Pat Fitzgerald announced Sept. 28 that running back Cam Edwards will miss the remainder of the season due to what appeared to be a knee injury.

>Edwards was one of the 62 newcomers Fitzgerald added to the program after he was hired in December.

>Fitzgerald and Fickell played college ball at essentially the same time and have coached in the Big Ten for years as either a head coach or assistant.

>That said, Fickell has respected Fitzgerald from afar due to his work at Northwestern and as president of the American Football Coaches Association.

>“It's unique to see him not in the colors that he had worn for so many years,” Fickell said. “But I know that he's building something, and I have the utmost respect for him.”

Fickell praises impact of fans at Camp Randall StadiumThe matchup will be Wisconsin’s conference home opener and a chance to see what impact the Penn State victory has on fan attendance.

>The announced attendance of 65,274 for the season opener was the lowest for the program since 1992. The attendance for Game 2 against Eastern Illinois was only slightly better (66,545).

>This week UW will have a chance to ride the wave of that victory plus Homecoming weekend and what is expected to be good weather.

>Fickell cited the environment of UW’s last two home games – wins over Washington and Illinois last season – as examples of the positive impact the fans at Camp Randall can have on his team.

>“Sometimes you think it's just if you can create a raucous environment like we were in last week, it makes it really difficult on the opposing team,” Fickell said. “Well, you don't understand how much energy it gives to your team as well and so I think there's a balance there that we want to continue to create.

>“We know we have a part in having success and playing better and putting the product out there that makes everybody excited to create those environments … Hopefully we can build upon the things that we've done and we'll have one of those this weekend.”

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>This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Can Wisconsin handle success? Fickell pushes team to continue grind after upset win