MADISON — Head coach Luke Fickell met with the media on Monday for the third official press conference of the 2024 season. He offered an assessment of their performance through two weeks, then looked ahead to the crucial matchup against Alabama.

BadgerBlitz.com has compiled the key takeaways.

After offering a few remaining thoughts regarding their performance against South Dakota, Fickell wasted no time acknowledging the importance of Saturday’s matchup.

“We all know it's a big week. And this is something that was told to me, I think, the day after I took the job. Not that I was looking at that in particular as the whole thing happened, but over a year-and-a-half ago, this was something that was brought up, and not something that I spent a whole lot of time thinking about until now, and so there's a great opportunity and I think our guys are extremely excited," Fickell said.

"As we went into fall camp, these are the things that were in front of us, and we knew that this is kind of the start. Not that the first two games weren’t the start of the season, but we knew that this was going to be the opportunity and the point in time when we really, really get to see where we are and who we are. So [now] that challenge is in front of us, and I think we're really excited about it.”

He was then asked about the coaching staff’s message to the players this week. They must acknowledge the obvious weight of Saturday without creating any extra unnecessary pressure.

“[We] as coaches like to try to say, ‘Hey, it’s a routine. We do everything the same way, no matter what it is, the faceless, nameless opponent.’ The realities of those things are probably not true. Some of us can hide our heads and live under a rock, like I do, but our guys understand. Our guys are much more aware. And so this was something that had been talked about since spring football, and not by me. I'm not standing up and saying, ‘Hey, this is Alabama week in spring ball, and we're going to do this.’ We work on rivalry weeks. We talk about the teams that we play historically. We don't talk about some of these games, but our guys are all aware of it. So for them, it's been something that, just like me, it's been in the back of their heads, probably a little bit closer to the front of their heads too often. But it's something where I think they really do understand that this is what makes college football, right?," Fickell said.

"There's two things. College football is great, but rivalries and games like this are what really separate college football from everything else.”

Saturday will be the Badgers’ first matchup with a team ranked in the top-five of the AP Poll since losing to Ohio State last year. Fickell was asked how this game will serve as a barometer for their current position as a program.

“It's really big. I mean, every week is an assessment. That's the thing, right? You're evaluating, assessing, you're seeing how you're growing, the things that you're doing, but you know where you want to be. And I think that's what we've always [emphasized] since we walked in the door, and they've always had that here. I think coach [Barry] Alvarez has been one of the guys that brought that mentality and that idea in here. If you want to be the best, and you want to compete with the best, then you’ve got to play the best. This just gives you that opportunity, regardless of what they're ranked. I couldn't even tell you that they were four. I know this — over the last 20 years, who's been the best team in college football, and there's no doubt it's been Alabama. So regardless of where they are at this moment, this is as good a football team as there is in the country, and it has been in it for a really, really long time. So no matter where you are as a program, it gives you an opportunity to assess a lot of different things.”

Starting mike linebacker Jake Chaney was ejected in the second half against South Dakota after being called for targeting, meaning he will also miss Saturday’s first half against Alabama. Sophomore Tackett Curtis provided solid relief for Chaney against the Coyotes, garnering praise from Fickell and his teammates after the game.

Fickell was asked about Chaney’s preparation for this week, and how they’ll prepare to make up for his absence.

“You have to make sure that you have enough guys ready. And so those situations are not the easiest thing in the world, but it is what it is. Jake will still prepare just like he's going to play, just like he's going to start. He'll still get, probably not as many reps, because you do have to get some other guys ready. I think that Tackett obviously stepped in on Saturday, and did a really good job. Then you'll have an opportunity for a few other guys to kind of fill in," Fickell said.

"Do you move some guys around? Do you try Christian Allegro, move him in there in some situations? There's a lot of combinations that we’ll look at and be able to have prepared and ready, and hopefully we won't need them. Hopefully nothing else happens, and you feel pretty good about where you are, but there's a lot of things. Tyler Jansey’s a guy that had done a really good job and then got hurt in fall camp, and was only out for about three or four days, but was really limited in a lot of things he could do. So he'll take some more reps in there this week as well, which, in the long run, will help us."

Two of the biggest transfer additions of the offseason — John Pius and Leon Lowery — were brought in after a year in which Darryl Peterson and C.J. Goetz’s workload could best be described as excessive.

The work of Pius, Lowery and Peterson in offseason camps led to optimism, but early production hasn’t matched the expectations. Through two games, the three have played a combined 177 snaps but have logged six pressures and zero sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I think, statistically, no. You haven't seen the production from that group. But that's where, sometimes, you can get a little bit frustrated. Guys can start to get into their own heads a little bit. I would say, as we went through spring football and through fall camp, that was a big area where I thought we were a lot different than we were last year. And you might not have noticed that on Saturdays, and a little bit of that is what we've seen in some situations," Fickell said.

"In Week 1, with a lot of the two tight end stuff, a lot of the stretches and things stayed inside. Then even this past week, with the multiplicity of 12 personnel and 21 personnel, it didn't give those edge guys as many opportunities to create some havoc. It's hard on them, too, but that's where you have to stand the test of time, and you have to continue to grow. And there'll be plenty more opportunities this week for guys like that. But now it's even more critical that they're really sound in what they're doing. Because this is a crew that, if you give them an inch, if you give the quarterback [Jalen Milroe] a sliver, you know, six, eight, 10 yards are not six, eight or 10 yards like they are normally. He can take it the distance. So it's one of those things where we're right at that position. Those guys want to create more, they want to have more production. They want to make some big plays, when sometimes, these are the situations where guys can't be thinking about the big plays. You have to be thinking about the real consistent and sound things. Because if you get out of place on a team like this, and in particular a quarterback like this, there are some really bad things that can happen.”

Fickell was asked about the specific areas of improvement he wanted to see from his offense. He offered some perspective about balancing efficiency and aggression, all underneath the pressure of outside expectations.

“I mean, we talk about them. In week one, it was incredibly efficient. I mean the number of drives and the points per drive and things like that. We said after week one it was [about] creating some bigger plays. We did that this past week. I think [in] the second half, we weren't quite as efficient. We didn't take advantage of some of the opportunities that we had. So I think there's a growth in that. I think that we all know that [the ability to take] some shots down the field, the ability to create some of those different plays is something we have to continue to grow with. I don't know how. Obviously, it's a part of the plan to do what you have to be able to do. But there's a nature to that, of being aggressive, giving your quarterback some freedom to do some of those things and to take some of those shots, is where I think we're trying to figure out where that is," Fickell said.

"We have the utmost confidence in Tyler Van Dyke and his ability to make good decisions and we've talked about that with the red zone stuff, but we also have to do a little bit better of a job of giving him some opportunities to take some of those shots down the field that might not be as efficient. You have a balance there. But saying, ‘Hey, how do you become more efficient?’ Well, becoming more efficient isn't chucking the ball down the field always, but you do have to do some things and give some guys some chances and opportunities to find more ways to create space… I'm not an offensive guy, but the number one thing I think about when I think about offense is creating space, and how do we do that? We have to, still, kind of grow.”

Fickell was asked how the approach to recruiting visits changes during a game as important as this week’s.

“There's nothing better here. There's two things that are great here, in particular, in recruiting. Summer recruiting visits and things like that, where they really get a great opportunity to see, not just the university and the program, but Madison in general. [The second is] game visits. Those things are incredible because of the atmosphere, because of all that goes on. So we have to take advantage of that. The unique thing, it's an 11 o'clock kick[off], so there's not a ton of time. Those ones that are the night kicks, or even the later-in-the-day kicks, where you can spend some more time with those guys. So it doesn't give you as much time, but it still is impactful, and it still is important, and we'll do a great job with that. But the number one thing you can do a great job with is playing really well and creating an environment in that stadium that they want to be a part of.”

After opening their season facing two run-centric teams, the Crimson Tide will bring some extra big-play potential with a quarterback whose arm is as strong as Milroe’s. Fickell was asked about his confidence level regarding his secondary and their ability to limit big passes.

“That's one of those things again, right? I mean, [with] the uniqueness of the first two weeks, not that we didn't think people were going to take shots, but the type of games that they were, they were more methodical. They were [about] underneath stuff, running the football. We're definitely going to see it all. And I feel good. I mean, we did a lot of that in the spring. We did a lot of that in fall camp in particular, saying, ‘Okay, we want, offensively, to take shots. We're going to script some of these things and make sure our guys are being challenged in ways.'" Fickell said.

"It's harder when, all of a sudden, Saturdays come. Because that's when it's really what it's all about. So we'll find out. We feel really good. We've done a better job at being able to mix some things up [rather] than just always consistently putting our guys on islands when they know exactly what it is that they're getting. When they can take those shots, it does make it a little bit more difficult, but their challenges are going to be out there, and that is one of them that maybe we haven't had a ton of, but there's a lot of others as well.”

After James Thompson’s injury ended his season right before it began, there was definite worry for Wisconsin’s razor-thin defensive line room. After struggling against Western Michigan, they looked noticeably improved against South Dakota, partially due to the increased contributions from senior Elijah Hills. He went from 21 snaps in Week 1 to 30 in Week 2, producing a sack in each game.

Fickell was asked if he could’ve predicted Hills’ rapid improvement.

“You never quite know. [With] some of these guys that are transfers, that's a little bit of the difference of where college ball is right now. Even a guy that has come from someplace else, you can call it a bigger place. A guy walks into your place, [like] Van Dyke, you kind of have an expectation because you've seen him play at the highest level, and then some of the guys like Elijah that walk in here, and you're not positive what level he was playing. How is he going to translate into what he's doing?," Fickell said.

"Obviously, in Week 1, he didn't play a ton. Week 2, he gained a lot more opportunities because of the way he actually performed in Week 1. And he's a guy I continue to see us growing with. The situation of losing James has given other guys a lot more opportunities. Elijah is one of them. Elijah is a guy that probably has taken advantage of that opportunity better than anybody else, and he'll continue to have those opportunities. And to be honest, he's done a really good job for us.”

After carrying the ball 15 times for 66 yards and a touchdown in the opener against Western Michigan, Tawee Walker was suddenly listed as “questionable” on the pregame injury report and didn’t show up at all against South Dakota. Fickell (sort of) provided an update on Walker’s status.

“No, no. Again, it's Monday, so I wouldn't have an idea. We didn't know till late in the week last week that Tawee wouldn't be available. And we still didn't really know… it was going to be a game time decision. So I'm hopeful, and I would expect that everybody's able to play. But we'll have to push that thing as we get going in the week.”

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