Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell on loss at U-M: ‘Difference is some big plays’ 

Michigan “wore down” Wisconsin Saturday, per Badgers head coach Luke Fickell, and dominated the second half for a 24-10 win. The Wolverines got a great game from Bryce Underwood and some dominant defense after the first drive to improve to 2-0 in Big Ten play. 

Fickell cited several reasons for the loss, but channeling his inner Ryan Day he noted it was the “big plays” that did them in. The Wolverines had a handful, including a Donaven McCulley 29-yard touchdown and a big run by Justice Haynes that set up the first score. 

“The difference in the ball game is some big plays,” Fickell said. “Not taking anything away from them … they made some great catches down the field that are really, really good plays. That is right now where we aren’t, and haven’t been able to do. But it’s going to be a battle. I said it in the locker room, there is only one place and way to get to where we want to go, and that is through it.

“There is obviously always some good, but their ability to sustain and finish is still where we are not anywhere close to where we need to be. The second half kind of showed that. I would give them a lot of credit to stick with what they needed to do and wanted to do.”

And after Michigan forced seven straight punts after the opening drive, the Badgers defense started to get tired.

“In the long run, they probably wore us down a bit,” Fickell continued. “And, we weren’t able to sustain and maintain some things in the second half. 

“The game of football hasn’t changed. It has grown, but the truth of the matter is 12, 13, 14-play drives, sustaining things like that, that is tough on either side of the ball. I know we did on the first series, but we have to find better ways to make big plays, whether that is some runs, just giving our guys a chance to get to the second level, and the same thing defensively.”

Something Michigan did with the passing game, especially. 

“It still comes down to making plays and overcoming plays that are made,” Fickell said. “Whether they throw a ball down the sideline in the first half [to frosh Andrew Marsh], and great coverage by Matt Jung but a guy makes a great play. The second half, they throw a ball down the sidelines and great catch [by McCulley] … we aren’t able to recover from some of those things, and that’s just that’s a little bit of the wear and tear. 

“But, you know, there’s no excuse. No matter what, your job as a defense is to outplay the other team’s defense, and that’s a really good defense on the other side of the ball that we had to find a way to outplay. I thought they did a good job. 

“But the big plays, even early, the first run or two in the first drive, that’s where those guys are really good. I mean, those backs are talented. They can go the distance outside of that. I think we did a pretty good job with them here and there, but we’ve got to be able to make some plays down the field as well.”

As for Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood …

“We’re talking about Wisconsin here,” Fickell said. “But, he is a good football player. They do a good job with him, being smart and putting him in situations where there is not too much on him right now. He will grow and grow and grow. But, he is as talented as anybody is, and not just throwing the football.

“And, give him credit … he didn’t put the ball in jeopardy much, and that is probably a recipe for success for them.”