What Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said about loss to Ohio State

MADISON, Wis. — No. 1 Ohio State shut out Wisconsin on Saturday to earn a 34-0 heading into the off week. The Buckeyes dominated the Badgers from start to finish.

Following the game, Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell met with the media to discuss the loss. Here’s what Fickell had to say:

Fickell on Wisconsin’s loss to Ohio State:

“I’ve said it once since the end of the game. I’ve said it, this will be the fifth or sixth time, but I’m incredibly disappointed. In a lot of things, obviously the scoreboard is probably the most notable. And to not find a way to put points on the board will never give us a chance. So we know we have to find a way to be able to do that. And we’ve got to get a hell of a lot better at it. But there are some bright spots. I’m not going to sit here and sugarcoat things. You can ask all the questions you need to ask. But I just want to mention a few things. We got it handed to us today in all areas, to be honest with you. I thought special teams-wise we did a damn good job.But there are some notable guys that we need to continue to build around…”

Fickell on how he sells hope to those in and around the Wisconsin program:

“Well, you have to show it. I mean, that’s the hard part, right? They see the zero on the scoreboard, too. And you go out there on Tuesday and you got to find some positives. You got to show some positives and you just got to trust each other. And it’s not easy, but this isn’t an easy game. I’s sure as hell not easy when you’re trying to figure out who your quarterback is and you’re bouncing back and forth. But hope is one of those things that you got to find from within. It’s not easy for the guys and the people outside maybe to find it and see it. But I’ll tell you this, the guys in the locker room, it’s different. They trust each other, they believe in each other. 

“It’s hardest when all of a sudden, the second series when they catch again and it’s an interception. That’s when all of a sudden you just look in the eyes to see, is there a loss of hope? Does it look like, is somebody going to be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is like last week’. And what gives me hope is no, I didn’t see that. I didn’t see that from the defensive guys, the ones that had to take the field. I walked over to the offensive guys and tried to look in their eyes. I’m just honest with you, I didn’t see it. And so, like I said, it’s a hell of a lot harder for you guys to see some hope when you see zero on the scoreboard. I think these guys that are in it on an everyday basis see something a hell of a lot different.”