Everything Luke Fickell said ahead of Week 4 vs. Penn State

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The Wisconsin Badgers are heading to Happy Valley in Week 4, as they open their conference schedule in one of the most hostile environments in the country against the No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions.

Heading into Saturday, Wisconsin is a 10-point underdog, and they’re looking to build off their Week 3 performance against Eastern Michigan in the Big Ten opener.

Ahead of the game, head coach Luke Fickell spoke with the media, as he broke down the matchup and gave several injury updates, among other things. Here’s everything Fickell said ahead of Week 4 against Penn State.

Opening Statement

Well, I’m not going to dwell. I’m sure you’ll ask, but I’m not going to dwell on a lot of last week. Obviously, there’s a lot of really good things. I think there was some growth from Week 1 to Week 2 that we saw in Week 3. There’s some guys that played really well, and I’m sure that you’ll ask maybe some of those questions. But I think for us, for me, for all involved, I mean, obviously we got to recognize this is the start of Big Ten play. And that’s what this has always been about and will continue to be about.

We have obviously not gone really on the road yet this year. So this will be our first time not just going on the road, but going on the road where it’s going to be a hostile environment in the Big Ten, and have to be prepared for a lot of different things that we haven’t done and we haven’t had to do just yet. Obviously, Game 1 was different as a neutral site, but this will definitely be— and I would imagine most of our guys have never played there— to be later in the day, 5:00 Eastern kick. There’s no place that can be a wilder, crazier, louder environment than in Happy Valley, especially later at night in a game that means a lot, not just because it’s our game, but because it’s the opening game for them in the Big Ten, new coach. So there’s a lot of things that we have to be prepared for. And so, excited about getting the week really rolling.

On facing experienced QB in system…

Yeah, I think, obviously we’ve watched a lot and seen him play a lot of ball. Obviously not just the first 3 games this year, but in particular, in that system-wise. And, you know, you’ve seen a growth. I think that that’s the thing that, in the first 3 weeks of the season, maybe you haven’t seen a ton of who they are and what they want to be able to do because, you know, I’m not saying they’ve held back, but they’ve been in really good positions for most of those games.

On Rocco Becht…

He gives them a lot of options and a lot of different things. He’s a dual-threat guy that hasn’t had to use his feet a ton. I think that’s because of the development that he’s had, not just as a passer, but also the manager of the game. So it’s a definite challenge and one that, I think obviously Week 1 we saw a really good quarterback, but he brings upon some things that are different than definitely what we saw Week 1.

On what Fickell is seeing from young corners…

Obviously, we’ve rolled some guys in there. I think those 3 guys in particular have played almost all the snaps. I think J-Rob (Javan Robinson) is the guy that’s played the most snaps. But I do, I see a growth. I see that even last week those guys got to switch from playing the boundary and the field. J-Rob had been predominantly to the boundary, and Fletch (Eric Fletcher) and Jai’mier (Scott) had been predominantly to the field, but it gave us some opportunities last week to switch those guys around a little bit.

I think there’s a great growth. I think in particular with those 2 younger guys and Fletch that is young because it’s his first year here with us, and Javon, who obviously it’s his first year really playing. Both have a little bit of a different skill set, but yet can do the things we need them to be able to do. But I think there’s a great growth. I think this is going to be a different challenge for them, not just what you’re facing on the other side of the ball, in particular to the field side with probably not as many spread formations as they’ve seen this year.

So that means there’s a little bit more space out there. It doesn’t look quite the same when there’s everybody else, all 9, 10 other guys are standing inside that box. There’s some different things that they may see this week, But even a new environment, I think, is going to be important for these guys in their development of what we expect out of them every day. 

On Abu Sama health, if he’s ready to go in Week 4…

Yeah, I would hope. He was a guy that was cleared to be able to play last week. A little bit more of a game-time decision on where he was and what we thought. But he warmed up with every intention of playing and going. And I think we just kind of felt like, hey, not sure he was quite ready to be where he needed to be. Hopefully he’s a lot further along this week without playing last week, without taking some shots. But we won’t know just right away. But we’ll figure that thing out hopefully here soon. 

On older WRs Chris Brooks, Tyrell Henry setting tone…

 It reminds you of what you’ve always done in college football and seeing a developmental piece that is all you’ve always prided yourself on and really what you love about college football in general. For me, to see those guys, where they are right now and what they’ve been doing and maybe where they were 2 years ago, even where they were a little bit last year. There’s still a great growth. I think those guys have been great leaders inside that room and have been great leaders for us as we’ve grown through some tougher times.

But, to me, that’s what it’s all about. And seeing how those guys will continue to progress gives me a lot of hope in what it is that we do and how we do it. And I’m not saying that you don’t love to see some of the other guys. Week 1, Malachi had a bigger week. We’ve had guys show up that are first-year guys that we’ve talked about already, but there’s something about seeing those guys that have been within your program, those guys that you’ve watched kind of go through some of the ups and downs. For them to have more success and to see the success, it does mean a little bit something different.

On how Fickell views upcoming stretch…

To be honest with you, I don’t look at the schedule a whole lot. I knew that we were opening up obviously at Penn State for the first Big Ten game, but man, there’s just so much that we had to focus on. There’s so many things we continue to focus on. To think about a stretch, to think about anything beyond— I’m not saying we don’t think about obviously Saturday, but beyond that is really difficult. And so I hope our guys don’t feel the same way.

I hope that’s not some type of burden or something that’s placed on their plate, something that they even think about when they see something on social media. Like, I don’t know that’s in any of our mindsets, but we also understand that this thing’s about playing well in the league. This thing’s about getting your thing, getting started on the right foot inside your league. And there’s no better place. There’s no tougher place to play. And in my time in the Big Ten, there’s no tougher place to play than Happy Valley.

On Matt Campbell relationship, preparing to face him…

I’ve known Matt for a while. Obviously, we’re both Ohio guys, more so when he was at Bowling Green and when he was the head coach at Toledo, we had spent a little bit of time together. A lot of those schools were around when it came down to camps and things at Ohio State at that time. So got to know him pretty well then. As you continue to move on and then you become competitive in different ways, meaning so a lot of things recruiting-wise when we were at Cincinnati that we faced, they were up against Iowa State a bit. So never really stayed much in contact.

Did we study them? Yeah. I mean, I think there was obviously a deeper dive into the first 4 games in particular in the offseason, knowing and admiring what they had done from afar, whether it was when we were at Cincinnati, when I was in Cincinnati, watching how they built their program at Iowa State, to what they did offensively, to what they did defensively. I knew a lot of their coaches, have always kind of dove into their program from afar. But even so, this summer, I think our coaches took a pretty good dive into, in particular, the first 4 games, but this one too, because it is the opening of the Big Ten.

And there is a lot that you can see from what it is that they’ve done. They’ve been very, very good and very, very consistent in what they’ve done. So I think a lot of those things we’ll see this weekend. But you got to be careful in diving too much. And sometimes when you do have time, the deeper you dive, the more things you have to worry about as opposed to say, okay, there’s still going to be some differences and there’s some things that they’ve grown from the time they’ve been there. Maybe they haven’t shown them all in the first 3 weeks because they haven’t had to, but that’s what the game’s about.

On Emerson Mandell’s return, RG plan for Week 4…

So I think Emerson, I think he maybe had 23 or 25 snaps. Maybe only 2 or 3 series. And that was kind of the thought process of hoping he would get somewhere around 2, 3 series. Like I said, whether it’s 23 to 25 snaps, I thought he did a good job. I think as you look back at it, there’s some things he’s still a little rusty on. He hasn’t played football [since the spring], and he played, you know, he’s done a little bit the last couple of weeks, but nothing that intense, nothing against maybe the ones-on-ones since spring ball, midway through spring ball when he hurt his knee.

So I think it was exciting to see him back out there. There was some growth, just the nature of playing the game and playing against an opponent, but also getting into a condition both physically and mentally. I think it was a really good step for him. And so where is he right now? Where is he come Tuesday’s practice? I mean, that’s the first time he’s actually gone on that foot, he’ll be sore. And so we’ll have to figure out where he is and how much and what he’s available for come Saturday.

On difference in nickel position over last 15 years, what Fickell looks for there…

Sometimes we joke about that. Like, you’re recruiting guys in high school, and when someone says they give you a great nickel, that means, well, that means he’s not a safety and he’s not a corner. So I don’t know if that’s a position that you always say, hey, this is what we recruit for. So, yes, it has become more of a position that most people use or have on the field a lot more based on the other personnel since you see it offensively.

But I think more than anything, it’s a guy that has a little bit more of a high ability. So even like this week is how much of the nickel do you play on the field? Can you play against 2 tight end sets and 3 tight end sets? And I think the really good thing that we have right now is Bryce is a guy that I think can do that. He can play in some different sets that they’re going to see. He doesn’t have to be solely a guy that has to play out to the field. He’s not. He’s a guy that is a little bit more comfortable being able to get in and out of the box. But it’s one of those positions that, like, look, no matter what, we got to find a way to get our best 11 players on the field.

There is a piece of that of matching up based on some personnel that they have on the field. But we want to do our best job and say, hey, we want to find a way to get those best 11 guys in whatever configuration that looks like. It’s given us a better opportunity with a nickel like Bryce right now, and even Raphael Dunn, who’s his backup, that have a different size and can kind of go inside and not be out of place if [they] have to fit inside a box.

On if the team can use Notre Dame game going into Penn State game…

Yeah, I don’t know as much about the environment [in Week 1] because where that was a great environment, it was electric. It also wasn’t a hostile environment. So it was somewhat split, neutral, whatever you want to call it. This will be different as an environment. But I think for us and some of the things that we did recognize and we learned, and maybe I was criticized, I don’t know, I don’t pay attention a whole lot to being too honest and open maybe after Game 1 of saying what happened to us in the second half, whether it’s being wore down mentally, physically, emotionally, whatever.

There’s a piece of, you know, that was a really big game against a really, really [good team], a top 3, top 5 opponent. This is going to be another top 10, top 12 opponent. But there’s an emotional side of things that we’ve got to be prepared for. And whether that’s from the very start in an environment like that to obviously coming out after half, being able to play 60-plus minutes, I think that there’s a lot of things that we can draw upon from Week 1. The only thing missing would probably be that environment. They have not been in an environment like this. It can be really, really fun. Don’t get me wrong. Like, it’s electric. It’s not going to be, you know, some of them 11 o’clock kicks where you just got to remind yourself of, it’s not the same thing as a 6 o’clock or 6:30 kick in Camp Randall Stadium.

And so, there’s a lot of different things that just the idea of going on the road and stuff that we’ve got to be prepared for. But I know that Week 1 will give us a lot of things that we’ve already addressed and can recognize, with the exception of the environment.

On Colton Joseph balance with legs…

No, I think that we’re still trying to find what that balance looks like. The thing that I would continue to challenge him for is, look, when you run, you got to run to score. You run to, you know, run to win, not just run to find some space or to get some yards. And so there’s a balance there. It’s not something that we want to think that this is who we are and this is what we’re doing on a consistent basis. It’s also not going to make my heart drop anymore. I mean, Colton’s a physical guy with a lot of ability and he’s learning, I think, through Week 1 to 2 to 3 when he can take his opportunities, when he can be more aggressive, when he has to be smart.

And I think we’re going to need that as we move into Big Ten play. But I think the best thing that we did a little bit, you know, he did in particular last week too, is start to become more confident in his arm, the things that he can do as well-rounded. So where that balance is, I don’t know. But like we’ve said, we can’t play scared. He can’t play worried about certain things. And I think that’s where he is different than all the guys that we’ve had here. Go all the way back from Tanner Mordecai, a guy who could run the ball really well too. [Colton’s] younger. He’s got a little different mindset when it comes to that. And I think we do as well.

On what he saw from defense in Week 3, relationship with Mike Tressel…

Well, our relationship has never changed. I think that’s probably one of the better things about having guys you’ve been with for quite a while. When you’ve known somebody for 20-some years, and you’ve been through some really tough times, in particular the last couple of years, it’s what kind of makes you feel good about what it is that you do, having some of that stability and guys you can rely upon. We’ve hammered about the turnover thing from the get-go, right? And I thought this was our best fall camp at really emphasizing it, folks, and seeing it in return.

We didn’t do a ton of live ball, and we had talked about that, but our ability to be more aggressive to the football, whether it’s when the ball’s in the air or when the ball’s being carried, there just was a different level of confidence that I saw our guys even outside of live action through fall camp. In spring football, it didn’t show up in the first couple weeks. Obviously this past week, it started to. And, some of that’s good fortune, but there’s, there’s something to aggressive nature, running to the football, having confidence that those kinds of things start to happen.

We know it’s really tough to play great defense without creating turnovers. And so, people are going to move the ball today. I mean, it’s the nature of the beast as we get into the Big Ten. It’s really good offenses, really good quarterbacks. People are going to move the football. We have to find ways to continue to create turnovers, create some discomfort for guys on the other side of the ball, whether it’s how you punch the ball or how you go after the ball, but even with different looks that I think give you a better chance than just saying, hey, we’re going to punch the ball out, or we’re going to go up and get the ball, and it’s all on our guys. There’s a piece of that that I think is important that we take part in.

On Mason Posa foot injury, what he saw in Week 3…

I don’t know exactly where he is. I think each and every week it’s, it’s kind of like some of those guys return to— I don’t know that it’s ever going to go away. It’s something that you have to be able to manage, but you got to be able to be at your best on Saturday. So, you know, as a younger guy like him, figuring out what that looks like on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I think is what’s real important. And so far, I think each week he’s felt better.

I mean, it’s only been 3, but each Monday or Tuesday he’s felt a little bit better since he’s had it. So that kind of gives us an idea that, look, we’re moving in the right direction. We’re getting more comfortable with what he’s doing. He’s getting more comfortable. Obviously didn’t play as many reps this past week. Which also can be a good thing for him too.

But I think that’s all just trying to figure out how it’s going to go. And we’re just reminded that it’s not going to go away. It’s going to be there for 12 more weeks or whatever it is. And it’s going to be something that we got to figure out how we’re going to best manage and how he’s going to best manage it. So ultimately he can play his best ball on Saturday.

On PJ Wilkins status, whether Lucas Simmons will play at LT on Saturday…

As far as PJ, I don’t know that there was anything that he had to come out of the game for. So I don’t suspect that there’ll be an issue, but I don’t know that as well for sure just yet. Obviously, we haven’t gone out to practice on Tuesday yet. And then Lucas, he’s played a lot obviously during all of fall camp. And he started for most of all fall camp when Kevin [Heywood] was out at right tackle. And so he got an enormous amount of reps against the ones every single day. How much of that is just When Kevin came back, we kind of slid him back over to the left side, compete with PJ a little bit more. Probably didn’t get as many opportunities to truly compete at the left side as much as maybe he would have deserved.

But I think we feel really comfortable about his ability to go in there if needed, or even finding a way to be able to start to roll those guys because PJ might need a spell here and there, and he’s got to continue to grow and get better as we get into league play.

And we know we’re going to need, you know, 7, 8, 9 offensive linemen as we get into league play as well. So it’s given us a good mix. I think having Barrett Nelson back and available as well, he’s a guy that maybe hasn’t played as much and has been out for a good year and a half or so, are getting more and more comfortable. I wish he would have played a little bit more this past weekend just so that he could get his feet wet a little bit more and show us, you know, how much he has grown from the time he’s been out. So I think there are some combinations there of guys that are going to continue to allow us to compete, but give us some, some ability to roll some guys in if we need to.

On Nolan Vils development, growth…

I would say you guys would probably understand his story maybe a little bit better because this is what we’ve been a little more accustomed to here. Maybe a guy that wasn’t recruited, maybe a guy that technically was a walk-on when he started, to a guy that maybe just hadn’t grown as much through his first 18 years. Then all of a sudden he comes here and I don’t know what he was when he walked in the door, but he’s a 300-pound grown man now and has the ability that he’s going to be playing more and more for us. He’s a guy that I think with just some of the way that things have gone, in particular this past offseason with us loading up a few more with some interior guys, maybe didn’t give him this much of recognition as, as he possibly could have had with the way the landscape of college ball is today.

But he’s also a great reminder, like we talked about Chris Brooks and Tyrell Henry, of those guys that have been in your system for 3 years, wherever they were when they walked in the door and where they are 3 years later. He is a great example of that. And I don’t know how many plays he’s played in the first 3 games. I know he’s been in that, in that rotation, maybe only 8 or 10 in Game 1, a few more in Game 2, and then obviously more in Game 3. He’s a guy that I would say that he’s going to have a bigger role and be a bigger part of that rotation internally for us for a lot of different reasons.

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