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    • Wisconsin football continues to search for answers after Nebraska loss
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    Wisconsin football continues to search for answers after Nebraska loss

    Umito Posted on

    LINCOLN, Neb. – If you are frustrated trying to understand the Wisconsin football teamimagine what’s going through Luke Fickell’s head.

    THE Badgers The head coach spent the entire offseason, then four weeks of preseason camp followed by nearly 14 weeks of the regular season, trying to push the right buttons with his team.

    The results gave a Team 5-6 which enters the final week of the regular season with a four-game losing streak and a must-win situation against arch-rival Minnesota.

    The Badgers showed they could compete and achieved a good fight at homebut their game did not travel against strong teams. Their 44-25 loss to Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, it was their third road loss of the season by at least two touchdowns and the third time this season the defense allowed at least 40 points. Two of these matches were on the road.

    For what? It’s a question Fickell will likely think about a lot this offseason.

    “To be honest, this is what I’ve been looking for for quite a while,” Fickell said when asked the reason for the ups and downs in his team’s play. “I don’t have an answer, I can’t put my finger on it other than going back to work and knowing who you have with you that’s willing to do the same things that you’re willing to do, get hooked on this fight.

    Wisconsin was in a tough situation even before kickoff when safety Hunter Wohler, the team’s leading tackler, and Will Pauling, its top receiver, were ruled out with head/neck injuries. shoulder and leg, respectively.

    In Pauling’s absence, Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke had his best performance since the Purdue game. In their first match since Phil Longo was fired as offensive coordinatorr, the Badgers used a huddle for the first time and relied on quick throws to get Locke and the offense into a rhythm.

    He completed 20 of 30 passes for 292 yards, three touchdowns and an interception on the team’s penultimate possession. Junior receiver Vinny Anthony tied a career high with seven catches and set a career high with 137 receiving yards, while senior Bryson Green caught touchdown passes of 4 and 24 yards plus a two-point conversion and finished with four catches for 52 yards.

    UW’s 407 total yards were its second-most of the season.

    “I thought our unit played hard today,” Locke said. “There are always plays in the game that you want to get back, but I thought we executed well most of the time. For this new caucus operation, everything went essentially flawless. I’m really proud of the way the guys performed and kept fighting.

    More: Wisconsin Football Insider: Twenty Seconds That Swung the Momentum in Nebraska’s Favor

    Nebraska Gives a Complementary Football Lesson

    The defense’s difficulties were more evident as Corn hullersin their second game under a new offensive coordinator, posted his second-best yardage total of the season (473), while freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola finished with 293 passing yards, 4 fewer than his season high, and was not sacked.

    But more than any statistic, Nebraska’s units complemented each other.

    After Jacoby Barney opened the game with a 45-yard kickoff return that put Nebraska on its first possession at its own 45, the offense quickly converted that into a touchdown. After UW’s Nathanial Vakos missed field goals of 34 and 41 yards in the first half, the Huskers added salt to the wound with touchdowns on the ensuing possession. And when Badgers running back Tawee Walker lost a fumble with 11 seconds left in the half, Nebraska converted the turnover into a field goal that pushed its lead to 24-10.

    By comparison, the Badgers units haven’t been able to build on each other’s success or bail out each other.

    “We just have to play together,” senior center Jake Renfro said. “We don’t feel like we did that today and the result shows.”

    Wisconsin had an opportunity to set the tone early in this regard after linebacker Jake Chaney forced a fumble that was recovered by tackle Ben Barten at the Nebraska 17. The situations would have been the perfect opportunity to get into the end zone and take a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Instead, the Badgers went scoreless, scoring three and getting out before Vakos missed from 34 yards out.

    “It’s obviously getting old,” Fickell said. “I have no excuses. We didn’t play well. We didn’t play well in the complementary football that we have to play especially away from home and it snowballed and we played particularly poorly in the second half.

    “We have to challenge ourselves. We have to look really deep and find out who is with us and who is willing to put everything on the line for these seniors coming in next week.

    More: JJ Watt, Braelon Allen and former Wisconsin football players speak out on social media after Badgers’ first loss to Nebraska in 12 years

    Nebraska loss gives Wisconsin dubious accolades

    In addition to having their 10-game winning streak against the Cornhuskers snapped, the Badgers secured a losing season in the Big Ten for the second time in three seasons. Wisconsin’s four-game losing streak is its longest since 2008.

    While the Badgers have painted themselves into a corner by needing a win to improve their chances of making a bowl game, the good news is that the game will be played at Camp Randall Stadium, where they have had their best performances .

    “The important thing to consider is that the season is not over,” senior safety Preston Zachman said. “We have bowl eligibility to play for, a trophy game to play for, the Axis, all that kind of stuff. There is still a lot to look forward to and be motivated by and we have to go all the way and find a way to win next week.

    More: Wisconsin football fans furious at state of program after blowout loss to Nebraska, remember better days of Paul Chryst and Jim Leonhard

    Umito
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