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Fundamental mistakes lead to another disaster for Luke Fickell's Wisconsin Badgers

Lorin Cox|
Sep 20, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell walks onto the field prior to the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Camp Randall Stadium.
Sep 20, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell walks onto the field prior to the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers aren't going to beat any decent opponents if they can't stop beating themselves first.

Simple mistakes on the fundamentals of football have become all too common for the Badgers under head coach Luke Fickell, which was most evident in Week 4 against Maryland.

It started with a blocked field goal on the first drive of the game, unable to properly protect on a routine special teams operation.

Everything cascaded from there.

Usually reliable left guard Joe Brunner got beat for a sack on the next drive, and backup quarterback Danny O'Neil threw a bad interception on the very next play with more pressure in his face from the interior.

Even something as simple as snapping the ball properly became a problem.

Wisconsin attempted a direct snap to running back Dilin Jones, but it went over his head for a loss of 23.

The attempted trick plays weren't a great look when the Badgers weren't even executing their regular offense properly.

That was followed by a blocked punt that led to another quick Maryland touchdown and an early 14-point deficit.

Multiple blocked kicks, snapping issues and numerous penalties all in the first quarter spelled disaster for Wisconsin, and most of it falls on the shoulders of the head coach.

This is Year 3 of Fickell in Madison.

These kinds of miscues are inexcusable at this point of his tenure and this deep into the season.

It's one thing when a good team like Alabama beats up on the Badgers. A team like Maryland shouldn't have it this easy.

If Fickell doesn't figure things out quickly, his time in Madison isn't going to last too much longer.

His seat is now among the hottest in the country.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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