Badgers Luke Fickell - Photo by Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
MADISON, WI (WSAU) – Former players at the University of Wisconsin are weighing in on the team’s early struggles after Wisconsin fell to USC 38-21 on Saturday.
According to former pass rusher Jack Cichy, who played for Wisconsin from 2015 to 2018 and now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Luke Fickell experiment is simply not working. “I will attempt to be respectful. The air is in fact not being raided as was promised—no visible identity. I miss controlling the line of scrimmage and being a stout, gapped-out defense. Whatever happened to Power Extra when you have a defense that creates NFL talent (Aranda/Wilcox/Leonhard) that can keep you in any game, then you make sure that stays. You will never convince me that it was better to bring in some bastardized 3-3-5 to the big ten and expect it to be anything other than a sieve.”
Former star running back Melvin Gordon was unhappy when Wisconsin faced a fourth-and-1 from the USC 33-yard line in the third quarter and decided to lineup in the shotgun. The ball was handed off to Tawee Walker up the middle, who got stuffed for no gain, leading to seven USC points, which prompted Gordon to say on X, “CAN WE PLEASE GET OUT THE GUN ON SHORT YARDAGE… MY GOODNESS.” Former star defensive end J.J. Watt expressed a similar opinion on X, saying, “Do not line up in shotgun on 4th & 1. Ever.”
This is not the first time former players have expressed frustration with the direction of the program. Former running back Brian Calhoun posted on X following the team’s home loss to Alabama that he and several former players have concerns, saying, “I love Madison. I love Wisconsin. I will always support whoever is HC. I feel confidently speaking for a lot of former players to say we are all frustrated, especially after a game like today, with the lack of identity.”
The Badgers are currently ranked 13th in the Big Ten and will host Purdue on Saturday with kickoff set for 11 a.m. on WSAU.
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