Unranked Wisconsin optimistic that Luke Fickell can produce another second-season surge

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin would love to see Luke Fickell make the same type of leap he produced his second year at his previous stop.

Fickell's experience makes the Badgers confident they can improve upon their 7-6 performance from his debut season in Madison, even as they navigate a tougher schedule in the expanded Big Ten Conference.

''The first year with a new coaching staff is hard, to get everybody acclimated and for everybody to adopt,'' cornerback Ricardo Hallman said. ''You have some guys who aren't all the way in or all the way invested. I think now with the team, we all have that same goal. I just think it's going to be a lot better.''

Fickell arrived at Wisconsin amid plenty of fanfare after winning big at Cincinnati, so his results last year were a bit of a letdown. Then again, Fickell's history suggests the Badgers are on the verge of a breakthrough.

Cincinnati went 4-8 in Fickell's debut season of 2017 but surged to 11-2 the following year. Fickell led Cincinnati to a 53-10 record from 2018-22, including a College Football Playoff berth in 2021. Wisconsin seeks to make a similar rebound.

''More than anything, we're just trying to really establish what those standards look like and how we're going to do things,'' Fickell said as Wisconsin opened training camp. ''Not that you didn't say that you were going to do that last year, but I think it's just a little bit more of an emphasis and a focus on what all those standards look like.''

Fickell said one major emphasis is upgrading team discipline after Wisconsin ranked outside the top 50 Bowl Subdivision programs last season in penalties per game. The Badgers also need more from their offense after scoring just 23.5 points per game last year, their lowest average since 2004.

After earning double-digit wins eight times in an 11-year stretch from 2009-19, Wisconsin has finished just one game above .500 three of the last four years. Wisconsin is missing from the preseason Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2016.

Defensive end James Thompson Jr. noted that ''this is the year we're trying to bring back to the world what Wisconsin can be about – physical, tough, dependable.''

''We've got something to prove to the world,'' Thompson said.

QB competition

Tyler Van Dyke, the 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year, came over from Miami and will open the season as Wisconsin's starting quarterback. Van Dyke won a preseason competition with Braedyn Locke, who started three games in place of an injured Tanner Mordecai last season.

Experience on the line

Wisconsin's likely first-team offensive line includes four players – left tackle Jack Nelson, center Jake Renfro, right guard Joe Huber and right tackle Riley Mahlman – who each have made at least 19 starts. The other likely starter is left guard Joe Brunner.

The Badgers are working on their fourth offensive line coach in as many seasons, trying to solidify a traditional program strength. A.J. Blazek, a former Iowa offensive lineman, arrived from Vanderbilt.

Replacing Allen

Wisconsin must replace New York Jets fourth-round pick Braelon Allen, who rushed for 3,494 yards and 35 touchdowns in three seasons with the Badgers. Chez Mellusi, who has 2,021 career yards rushing, returns for a sixth season after a leg injury limited him to four games last year. He will share carries with Oklahoma transfer Tawee Walker.

Wisconsin has two of the Big Ten's top defensive backs in Hallman and safety Hunter Wohler. Hallman had seven interceptions last season to tie Notre Dame's Xavier Watts for the FBS lead. Wohler had 120 tackles, the most by any Wisconsin defensive back since Reggie Holt had 144 in 1991.

The schedule

Wisconsin's Big Ten schedule doesn't include No. 2 Ohio State or either of last year's CFP finalists: No. 8 Michigan and Washington. But the Badgers host No. 3 Oregon on Nov. 16 and No. 9 Penn State on Oct. 26 and visit No. 23 Southern California on Sept. 28 and No. 25 Iowa on Nov. 2. There's also a Sept. 14 nonconference home matchup with No. 5 Alabama, making its first visit to Camp Randall Stadium since 1928. Wisconsin opens the season at home Aug. 30 against Western Michigan.

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This story has been corrected to show that Cincinnati reached the playoff in 2021, not 2020, and Fickell coached the school through 2022, not 2021.