Luke Fickell points finger at himself after Wisconsin blows Oregon upset
Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell is taking the blame for his team's close loss to undefeated Oregon . Wisconsin almost came up with a huge upset Saturday , but ultimately lost 16-13.
"There was not a doubt in the eyes in the locker room, and I do mean that," Fickell said, per Sports Illustrated. "But, I do believe, where it is not always seen or always felt, there's something that is building and something that's coming. Just, unfortunately, hasn't been able to rear its head in games like this. I put that on me."
Wisconsin is still looking for its major signature win this season. The Badgers are 5-5 on the year.
Luke Fickell is looking to replicate previous success with Wisconsin football
Fickell had an incredible run at Cincinnati, but hasn't been able to find his footing in the Big Ten. His Wisconsin football team is still a win away from bowl eligibility this season. Wisconsin has been blown out this season in several of their losses, including defeats to Iowa, Alabama and USC.
Despite all of that, the Badgers had Oregon on the ropes Saturday. Wisconsin football pressured quarterback Dillon Gabriel, forcing him to make some bad decisions.
"Not a lot of sacks, but, Dillon Gabriel is not going to be sacked a whole bunch," Fickell added. "But, I thought that the guys on the edge did a really good job of creating pressure and keeping Dillon Gabriel off balance today."
The Wisconsin football offense struggled, despite the inspired play from the defense. Wisconsin managed just 96 passing yards in the game, and 226 total yards. It's incredibly difficult to beat the no. 1 ranked team in the country with those kinds of stats.
"I didn't feel like field goals were going to win this football game, especially on our end," Fickell said. "And, unfortunately we got a penalty or we took a sack, and, we end up in a position where we can't even be in a fourth and five or six range to go for it. So, we had to take those field goals. But, we know darn well you're not gonna knock off the number one team in the country kicking field goals."
Wisconsin football next plays Nebraska on Saturday. Fickell is in his second full season at Wisconsin, and holds a 13-10 overall record at the school.
