Luke Fickell: Wisconsin works to close 'the gap' with Ohio State football
Luke Fickell does not have fond memories coaching against Ohio State.
“We didn’t do well,” Fickell told reporters Monday, pointing to Akron’s 28-14 loss to the Buckeyes in 2001 when he was the Zips' defensive line coach, and Cincinnati’s 42-0 loss to Ohio State in 2019 when he was the Bearcats’ head coach.
But even as a former Ohio State linebacker, position coach, defensive coordinator and head coach, Fickell, now the Wisconsin head coach, continued to say Saturday’s primetime matchup between the Buckeyes and the Badgers is “not about me.”
“When the ball is kicked off, that will have absolutely no effect on anything that happens on that field,” Fickell said.
For Fickell, who took over the Badgers program ahead of the 2023 season, Saturday is all about “closing the gap” between Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Since Wisconsin’s last win against Ohio State in 2010, five of the Buckeyes’ past nine wins against the Badgers have been within a score. But in their past three meetings — including a 52-21 Ohio State win last season — the average deficit between the two teams has been 25 points.
While he was not at Wisconsin for last year’s 31-point loss in Columbus, Fickell said if the Badgers “don’t use what happened last year as a learning lesson… then we wouldn’t be doing our job.”
In Ohio State’s nine-game win streak against Wisconsin, the Buckeyes have secured three Big Ten Championship wins: 2014, 2016 and 2019.
Wisconsin is coming off a 25-21 road win against Illinois where the Badgers secured their fifth win of the season with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Braedyn Locke to Nolan Rucci with 27 seconds left in the game.
In this season’s Ohio State team, Fickell said he sees a group that “find ways” to be successful, “playing a lot more to their strengths” with a first-year starting quarterback in Kyle McCord, but also playing together offensively, defensively and in special teams.
But Fickell also recognizes Wisconsin doesn’t necessarily need more talent to close the gap with Ohio State.
“Best teams don’t always win games,” Fickell said. “The most talented teams don’t always win games. College football every Saturday, it’s crazy how things happen.”
Ohio State will kick off against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Luke Fickell: Wisconsin works to close 'the gap' with OSU football
