Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell considers competition at kicker, looks ahead to Senior Day
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MADISON – The faithful at Camp Randall Stadium will say goodbye to another senior class before the Wisconsin football team faces Illinois on Oct. 22.
Badgers coach Luke Fickell spoke about the impact of that group during his weekly news conference Monday, Nov. 17 at the McClain Center practice facility.
Fickell also talked about a potential battle for place-kicking duties and getting better starts to the third quarter among other topics.
Here are some of the highlights from the 25-minute session.
Not much new information on RB Gideon Ituka
Fickell didn’t have much information to share on running back Gideon Ituka, who was taken to the hospital after a hit that left him on the turf Saturday at Indiana's Memorial Stadium for several minutes.
After the game Ituka shared on social media that he was flying back to Madison with the team.
“He walked on the plane and had a big smile on his face like he always does,” Fickell said.
Fickell did not rule out Ituka for the game Saturday, noting that it wouldn’t be until later in the week that he would have a better idea.
An opportunity for Gavin Lahm?
After Nathanial Vakos won the place-kicking job in fall camp, the plan was to redshirt Gavin Lahm. The senior from Kaukauna has not appeared in any games this season, so he could appear in the next two contests without losing his redshirt status.
In the past two games Vakos missed attempts of 48 and 44 yards and made field goals of 42 and 32 yards. He is 5 for 9 for this season. Lahm could get a shot this week based on what happens in practice.
“I think it'll be one of those things this week that we'll be able to create a little bit more competition and see what we need to do as we go into Saturday,” Fickell said.
Fickell said there was a possibility of using Lahm for longer attempts last week. He also noted that Vakos’ performance on kickoffs was so good that it was decided he continue with that role rather than let Lahm handle that duty during the final four games as was originally planned.
Fickell wants faster starts to the third quarter
When asked about the team’s lack of productivity during the middle 8 minutes of the game – 4 minutes before halftime and 4 minutes into third quarter – Fickell focused on the team’s play in the third quarter.
The Badgers have scored on just two of their first drives of the second half and haven’t accomplished the feat since Sept. 20 against Maryland.
Wisconsin has opened the second half on defense seven times this season. Three times in the last four games UW opponents scored on the first possession of the second half. On three of those occasions the Badgers were on defense first.
Saturday at Indiana, the UW defense had the Hoosiers in a third-and-8 hole to open second half but allowed a 48-yard gain that led a touchdown that pushed their lead to 17-7.
In those instances Fickell wants to see more killer instinct and competitive spirit.
"Last week our defense goes out there in I won't say a tough situation but in a situation where we really need you guys to step up and get this second half going and we didn't,” Fickell said. “We gave up a big play on third and 8 and then we weren't able to at least hold them to a field goal in the red zone. Those things continue to show up.”
30 players will be honored on Senior Day
Of those players scheduled to be honored, 15 played their entire career with Wisconsin. Two spent three seasons at UW, two were with the team for two years and 11 were here for one season.
Ben Barten, a sixth-year player, and fifth-year vets Darryl Peterson and Ricardo Hallman are among the players who spent their entire career at Wisconsin. Note that every senior opts to particiapte in the ceremony.
“Deep down inside that's the way I always envisioned college football to look like and maybe the way that I went about it, but nonetheless I think every one of them have a part in what it is that we're doing,” Fickell said.
“Whether it's been great success or what exactly that they wanted it to be, they're still 18 to 22 year olds. maybe a little bit older in some cases. They're still young men probably growing into grown men and so I think this whole entire experience and seeing them whether it's through one year or three years continues to mean a lot to me and I think every coach in this program.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Highlights from Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell's weekly news conference
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