Luke Fickell defends timing of firing OC Phil Longo
Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers had the Oregon Ducks on the ropes last weekend before losing the game 16-13. The offense has really struggled in the last 3 games, as the Badgers have scored only 36 points during their 3-game losing streak.
On Sunday, Fickell made the decision to relieve offensive coordinator Phil Longo of his duties. While he didn’t want to make the decision, Fickell told reporters on Monday that the time to make the decision was now.
Luke Fickell on Phil Longo firing:
"This is not an easy thing. This is a very tough decision. Came in, obviously had a conversation with Phil and pretty much decided we needed to do it now. This is something I never envisioned or wanted to do…but felt like for all involved and…
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) November 18, 2024
“This is not an easy thing. This is a very tough decision,” Fickell said. “Came in, obviously had a conversation with Phil and pretty much decided we needed to do it now. This is something I never envisioned or wanted to do…but felt like for all involved and for our program, what we need to do now is move forward.”
However, Fickell was not real receptive to additional questions about who will call the plays for the rest of the season. He questioned why that would matter, other than it gives those outside of the program “the ability to point a finger at somebody.”
Luke Fickell on who calls plays: “Why does it matter? The offense will be run and those guys will do a lot of things collaboratively. I don’t think it really is important as to who is calling it. I guess it gives you the ability to point a finger at somebody if that’s the case.”
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple) November 18, 2024
The Badgers have scored more than 28 points only 2 times this season, and a big reason why is they have struggled to find any consistency in the passing game. Wisconsin ranks 102nd in the county with 193.8 yards per game, and the Badgers quarterbacks are completing only 57.1% of their passes,
Expected starting QB Tyler Van Dyke was lost early in the season, and Braedyn Locke has filled in the rest of the way.
Wisconsin will be in Lincoln this weekend to take on Nebraska in a battle of two 5-5 teams looking to become bowl-eligible. The Badgers currently have a streak of 22 consecutive seasons of being bowl-eligible.