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Luke Fickell and Wisconsin Badgers taking new approach for rivalry game vs Minnesota

The Wisconsin Badgers haven't won a rivalry game since 2023. They'll head to Minnesota this weekend with a chance to add a trophy to their currently empty trophy case.
Cam Wilhorn|
Nov 22, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell is escorted off the field as fans storm the field following a 27-10 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images
Nov 22, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell is escorted off the field as fans storm the field following a 27-10 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Amid a rocky three-year stint with Wisconsin, Luke Fickell's shortcomings in rivalry games are a glaring underachievement.

But as the Badgers ramp up to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the 135th time in program history, Fickell is taking a different approach to the energy-filled week.

A different mentality

Wisconsin's trophy cabinet sits empty heading into the final week of the 2025 regular season. The Badgers have lost four consecutive rivalry games with a trophy attached, and they've lost those games by an average margin of over 26 points.

After a 44-25 loss to Nebraska in 2024, the Freedom Trophy remains in Lincoln. Back-to-back losses by 32 and 37 points to Iowa leave the Heartland Trophy collecting dust in Iowa City.

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Needing to retrieve Paul Bunyan's Axe from the Golden Gophers on Saturday, Fickell's message to his team is different from past rivalries.

"The number one most important thing in a rivalry is respect," FIckell said Monday. "The respect starts with how you prepare and how you go about your business. (It's) not just about the way you play."

Fickell pointed back to having respect for the opponent, the tradition and the players who came before them, throughout Monday's press conference.

It's a point of emphasis for the coach, who has plenty of experience with college football rivalries from his time as a player and coach at Ohio State. It's also an approach that emphasizes on-field play over pre-game mentality.

"Some people would ask, well, you prepared, you did all these different things for the rivalry game and look (what happened)," Fickell said, seemingly alluding to Wisconsin's 37-0 loss to Iowa earlier this season. "What it comes down to is none of that stuff matters once the foot hits the ball."

The Badgers suffered a similar fate against the Hawkeyes in 2024 and spent the whole offseason reminding themselves of the embarrassing defeat. They ended practices with 42 push-ups per person, one for each point they surrendered to Iowa.

Their emotional buildup ahead of the 2025 meeting got the best of them before the contest even started, as senior Tyrese Fearbry was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for taunting the Hawkeyes as the team ran onto the field pregame.

Fickell said after the loss that Wisconsin simply wasn't emotionally ready for the game, and he called the loss "as low as it can be."

Now, he's singing a different tune, one which puts respect at the forefront.

And, not so quietly, Wisconsin has risen from that low point against Iowa. It has defeated two ranked opponents in the last three weeks.

Behind a dominant defense anchored by senior leaders and an offense that is hitting its stride, the Badgers' locker room looks to be in a significantly better place entering the Axe Game than it was before facing Iowa

"There's been a development in leadership (this season) that I'm not sure I would have seen, and I'm not sure we would have seen it as much if we hadn't had as much adversity," Fickell said Monday. "We've gotten as good of leadership from within this year than we have any years past."

Related: Wisconsin defender named Big Ten Player of the Week after a career performance

The resiliency and leadership Wisconsin displayed have been part of the reason for the Badgers' late-season turnaround, and the on-field success has allowed for confidence to build in all three units.

"When you see what things we have continued to preach about complementary football... it builds a confidence in everybody," Fickell said after Saturday's 27-10 win over No. 21 Illinois. "Make a play on offense, and you can see the confidence of the defense. You get a turnover on defense, and you can see the confidence from the offense. These things are contagious."

But, as Fickell said Monday, Wisconsin can't live in the past or let its recent success impact the mentality it takes to Minneapolis.

"The great thing about (rivalries) is you throw out everything, right?" Fickell said. "I think it's best when they're at the end of the season because all records go aside."

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Cam Wilhorn
CAM WILHORN

Cam Wilhorn is a University of Wisconsin School of Journalism Graduate and Wisconsin native. He's been covering Wisconsin sports since 2023 for outlets like BadgerBlitz.com, Badger of Honor and The Badger Herald.

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