Luke Fickell identifies 'bright spots' for Wisconsin football

When the head coach says "that's as low as it can be" after a loss, any potential positives are few and far between. Wisconsin football head coach Luke Fickell, nonetheless, pointed to a few "bright spots" during his weekly radio show on Wednesday.

The Wisconsin Badgers are looking for any signs of light amidst an ongoing slide. After losing to the Maryland Terrapins for the first time in program history earlier this season, UW was shut out at home on Saturday for the first time since 1980. The 37-0 drubbing by the Iowa Hawkeyes was Wisconsin's largest margin of defeat in a home game against Iowa since the border-state rivals first met in 1894.

Fickell will try to salvage his third season leading the Badgers this weekend. Wisconsin hosts Fickell's alma mater, the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, inside Camp Randall Stadium. As UW tries to get its first Big Ten win in 364 days, Fickell wants his players to tap into their "competitive spirit."

RB Dilin Jones has showcased 'competitive spirit' for Wisconsin football

Wisconsin Badgers running back Dilin jones — Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Jaxon Rexroth (12) tackles Wisconsin Badgers running back Dilin Jones (7) during the first half of the game on Saturday October 11, 2025 at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Although Wisconsin struggled to run the ball as a team overall against Iowa, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, Dilin Jones did his part in the loss. With sophomore tailback Darrion Dupree exiting the game due to injury, Jones shouldered the load, carrying the ball 16 times for 4.3 yards per attempt.

"He's not a guy that's, you know, he's not 225 pounds yet. He's still a young guy," Fickell said of Jones. "But, you know, maybe 205, 208 and by the end of one of those games, I'm not sure he's 205 or 208 because he goes. And he is a physical downhill guy that does not avoid contact"

As a team, Wisconsin has only run the ball for 3.1 yards per rush. If that does not improve, it would be UW's worst rushing performance in a season since 1991. Jones, however, continues to run hard, averaging 4.2 yards per carry as a redshirt freshman.

Fickell said the Maryland native has been "one of those guys that when you talk about what competitive spirit looks like all the time, it doesn't take far to talk about Dilin Jones."

LB Darryl Peterson 'has been one of those real bright spots' for the Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin football linebacker Darryl Peterso — Wisconsin linebacker Darryl Peterson (17) tackles Middle Tennessee running back Rickey Hunt Jr. (28) for a loss during the first quarter Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Darryl Peterson is making the most of his final year of collegiate eligibility. After spending his first two seasons as a pass rusher, the graduate student has flourished from playing with the new-look Wisconsin football defensive line.

"He's been one of those real bright spots, and I mean that on a consistent basis," Fickell said of Peterson. "There are some things that we asked him to continue to grow to do. And some of that was not only playing a little bit of a different position, playing with his hand in the ground a little bit more, but really kind of hammer away with the consistency of making good decisions in the midst of plays. It was never an effort thing for 'DP,' but where he's taken his game for us to another level is consistency and his ability to make really good decisions at the moment of truth in those games."

Peterson had a breakout campaign as a redshirt sophomore, recording 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, but regressed the following season. In 2024, when the Badgers finished last in the country in TFLs, the Akron, Ohio, native only tallied one TFL and one sack. Against Iowa, Peterson had a pair of tackles for loss, bringing his midseason total to a team-leading five.

"DP is a great example of a guy that game in as a, you know, an outside linebacker and had this vision of, you know, what TJ Watt had been, and what Nick Herbig had been," Fickell said. "Through some of the growth and the things we've asked him to do, he's, you know, probably moved inside a little more, put his hand down a little bit more. And it's been something that we felt like was something that could be an advantage to us, but also to him."

Luke Fickell: 'We're very fortunate to have Christian [Alliegro]'

Wisconsin Badgers football linebacker Christian Alliegro running toward Alabama football QB Ty Simpson — Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Wisconsin linebacker Christian Alliegro (0) pressures and sacks Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (15) at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images | Gary Cosby, Gary Cosby / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Christian Alliegro has been a consistent force in the middle of the Wisconsin football defense. At inside linebacker, Alliegro has been relied upon by the Badgers in pass rush, run defense, and as a spy against mobile quarterbacks, to name a few of his tasks.

"We're very fortunate to have Christian and he has grown a lot in a way that like, you know, football wasn't as natural," Fickell said of the prep lacrosse standout. "Skill level was all those things, but you know, being a leader and kind of running, sometimes, the defense is something that's not always the most natural for guys that haven't done it their whole life, so to speak, from little league being the middle linebacker."

Despite Wisconsin's defensive struggles in recent years, Alliegro has been a consistent force. The Connecticut native leads the Badgers in tackles by a wide margin with 42 through six games. He recorded ten against the Hawkeyes. Alliegro's fellow starting inside linebacker, Tackett Curtis, has the second-most tackles for UW with 26.

"He's a guy that has grasped onto everything," Fickell said of Alliegro. "Has battled through the, through all the things. The ups, and the downs, the changes a little bit in how we are playing structurally, the things that we need to be able to do based on the people we have. He's been one of those good cogs like Darryl Peterson."

Among Badgers defenders, Alliegro's four TFLs trail only Peterson's five.

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