The Wisconsin Badgers suffered one of their most embarrassing losses under head coach Luke Fickell, getting blown out 27-10 by the Maryland Terrapins at Camp Randall Stadium in Week 4.
In an absolute must-win game, the Badgers lost their starting quarterback again and came out completely flat, looking unprepared with multiple special teams gaffes in another lackluster performance.
After their 38-14 defeat to the Alabama Crimson Tide last week, Fickell stressed the importance of staying positive and moving on. But, Wisconsin had its ugliest performance of the season, and the boo birds were as loud as ever with ‘Fire Fickell’ chants in the crowd.
Here are three quick takeaways from Wisconsin’s 27-10 loss to Maryland in Week 4.
Wisconsin looked good on its first drive, as Billy Edwards hit Trech Kekahuna on a 45-yard slant to give the Badgers an early scoring opportunity. Edwards executed well with timing, and Wisconsin had a big chance.
However, the Badgers stalled there and had a questionable 3rd & 7 run, playing it conservatively and going for the field goal, which was blocked.
Edwards got hurt rolling out of the pocket, evading pressure on Wisconsin’s second drive, however, and it was Danny O’Neil for the Badgers from there. And it was not a pretty day for the sophomore.
O’Neil looked flustered from the beginning, struggling with his timing and holding onto the ball too long, which was an issue in last weekend’s contest against Alabama. It didn’t help that his offensive line looked outmanned against Maryland’s front, giving up repeated pressure, while there were several playcalls from Jeff Grimes that raised eyebrows.
Grimes looked to set O’Neil up with quick throws, though, scheming up a lot of hitch routes and shorter throws for the quarterback to get the ball out. With those adjustments, receivers started to get open more often, but O’Neil still held onto the ball far too long consistently, and Wisconsin couldn’t get any success offensively.
Wisconsin did implement more designed runs for O’Neil to get him comfortable, but the quarterback took a ton of hits and limped off the field in the fourth quarter.
There were quite a few ugly plays for the sophomore. O’Neil had a bad interception in the first quarter, throwing off-balance off his back foot to an open Trech Kekahuna up the sidelines. The ball was in the air too long and sailed away from the sidelines, leading to an easy interception that Maryland quickly parlayed into a touchdown.
Several of O’Neil’s early sacks (there were six total) were a result of the quarterback holding on to the ball too long. O’Neil also bailed clean pockets early, not allowing for plays to develop or bypassing open receivers short in doing so. He stayed locked on his first read too many times, and it’s clear he didn’t have much trust in Wisconsin’s shaky offensive line.
O’Neil did a better job with the quick throws in the second half, but there were still far too many plays left on the field. On his first drive of the fourth quarter, the quarterback once again held on to the ball too long and took an inexcusable 19-yard sack to drive the Badgers out of field goal (or go-for) range by scrambling backwards.
At the moment, O’Neil frankly isn’t ready, but the Badgers don’t have any other option at quarterback with Edwards’s injury. It might be time to give Hunter Simmons an opportunity if Edwards cannot go in Week 5.
Defense struggles to answer again
Heading into the game, it was clear what Wisconsin should do defensively. It was going to be lots of two-high shells to combat Maryland’s vertical passing attack, forcing true freshman Malik Washington to take check-downs.
Washington looked like a freshman quarterback, showing promise while also having the game sped up for him with some late decisions. That helped the Badgers pass rush, which wasn’t that effective but had good effort, allowing for some late pressures and Washington throwaways.
The defense was put in some tough positions with the interception and special teams miscues. But, as the game went on, it felt like the Terrapins figured out Mike Tressel’s defense.
It was a ton of man coverage for the Badgers, as it had been in previous weeks. Maryland countered with crossing routes, which led to its first touchdown, and some other completions. They also took advantage of 1-on-1 opportunities, with cornerback Ricardo Hallman getting beaten on some slot fades and other plays.
Then, there were the two big coverage miscues: a 48-yard pass at the end of the half to get a field goal and a 62-yard touchdown pass to Shalaek Knotts. Both plays had a cornerback and safety in coverage, as expected with two-high shells, but the wide receivers ran past both defenders for the big completions.
Wisconsin’s cornerbacks aren’t holding up enough in man coverage to limit explosive plays. But, they aren’t getting enough pressure home either. There weren’t many effective blitzes again on Saturday, and Mike Tressel’s defense continued to look outmatched on all fronts for the second straight week.
This game was an absolute must-win for the Badgers. With the loss, it’s hard to imagine a path to six wins for Wisconsin, and this season could get really ugly, starting with a rough four-game stretch in October with Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, and Oregon.
That’s where head coach Luke Fickell’s future is starting to truly come into question. Despite all the messaging weekly, Fickell’s units continue to look unprepared, with discipline issues continuing in Year 3.
There remain the weekly questionable coaching decisions, and it feels that the team has continued to struggle to respond to big defeats as they did last season.
Execution issues are glaring, but when they’ve become the norm for the Badgers, that falls directly on the coaching staff.
Fickell was brought in to recreate a winning culture in Madison. Three years in, Wisconsin doesn’t have much of an identity on either side of the ball, and there are many more questions than answers.
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