Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is working to field an explosive offense that complements a defense capable of frustrating opponents
MADISON – Luke Fickell’s vision for Wisconsin football is becoming clearer.
Fickell is working to grow UW’s 2023 recruiting class, which is down to eight known commitments, and likely find at least a few players in the transfer portal, but his choice of offensive coordinator reveals he wants to complement his defense with an explosive offense.
The architect of the offense is Phil Longo, the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at North Carolina for the last four seasons. Longo is leaving the Tar Heels to join UW and the Tar Heels' offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. is as well.
Mike Brown, the passing-game coordinator/wide receivers coach under Fickell at Cincinnati, is also expected to join the UW staff. UW re-offered Honolulu wide receiver Trech Kekahuna on Thursday and Kekahuna listed Brown in his tweet announcing the offer.
On paper, the marriage between the offense Longo ran at North Carolina and the defenses Cincinnati fielded during that same span appears tantalizing.
North Carolina’s average numbers under Longo:
∙ 36.3 points per game.
∙ 198.3 rushing yards per game.
∙ 290.0 passing yards per game.
∙ 488.3 total yards per game.
Cincinnati’s average defensive numbers during that span, under coordinator Marcus Freeman in 2019 and 2020 and then under coordinator Mike Tressel in 2021 and 2022:
∙ 18.7 points per game.
∙ 135.2 rushing yards per game.
∙ 198.0 passing yards per game.
∙ 333.2 total yards per game.
More:Jim Leonhard announces he will not return as UW's defensive coordinator
More:Five things to know about Oklahoma State, Wisconsin's foe in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl
North Carolina’s best season under Longo came in 2020, when the Tar Heels averaged 41.7 points and 537.2 yards per game.
Sophomore quarterback Sam Howell completed 68.1% of his passes for 3,586 yards, with 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Senior Michael Carter and junior Javonte Williams split the carries almost evenly.
Carter rushed 156 times for 1,245 yards, an average of 8.0 yards per carry, and nine touchdowns. Williams rushed 157 times for 1,140 yards, an average of 7.3 yards per carry, and 19 touchdowns.
Junior wide receiver Dyami Brown (55 catches, 1,099 yards, eight TDs) and senior wide receiver Dazz Newsome (54-684-6) combined for 109 catches, 1,783 yards and 14 touchdowns.
A look at North Carolina's and Cincinnati’s recent history against ranked opponents
Five of the Tar Heels’ 12 opponents were ranked at the time of the meeting.
The Tar Heels averaged 55.3 points per game in victories over No. 19 Virginia Tech, No. 23 North Carolina State and No. 10 Miami.
They averaged only 22.0 points per game in losses to No. 2 Notre Dame and to No. 5 Texas A&M, however.
Cincinnati’s best season under Fickell came in 2021 when the Bearcats qualified for the College Football Playoff.
The Bearcats played three ranked teams that season.
They recorded a 24-13 victory at No. 9 Notre Dame, recorded a 35-20 victory over No. 21 Houston in the American Athletic Conference title game and suffered a 27-6 loss to No. 1 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.
Cincinnati limited the Irish to 341 yards and zero points on their first eight possessions.
Houston finished with 336 total yards but 203 came on the first four possessions, when the Cougars scored 13 points.
Alabama rolled up 482 yards, including 301 rushing, and had scoring drives of 75, 67, 88, 70 and 49. Nevertheless, Cincinnati held Alabama well below its scoring average to that point in the season (42.5 ppg).
UW hasn’t been able to pair an explosive offense with a stingy defense since the 2019 season, when Jonathan Taylor and Jack Coan led an offense that helped UW average 34.1 points per game. The defense that season gave up an average of 16.9 points and 287.1 yards per game.
Finding a quarterback for Wisconsin's offense under Luke Fickell
Can Fickell and Longo bring in the quarterbacks needed to run the scheme?
UW enters the Guaranteed Rate Bowl with two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster – senior Chase Wolf and freshman Myles Burkett. Cole LaCrue of Colorado is set to enroll at UW in January.
Several intriguing prospects are in the transfer portal.
UW’s personnel situation remains muddled, but the type of offense and defense Fickell envisions is becoming clearer.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Luke Fickell wants to field explosive offense led by Phil Longo
