After a three-score road comeback at No. 13 Penn State, Wisconsin has shifted into a different kind of pressure.
The Badgers spent years grinding through failure, and now they have to carry the burden that comes with success. That’s the backdrop as they head into Saturday morning’s meeting with Michigan State.
Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald made it clear he noticed what Wisconsin put on tape in Happy Valley. Fitzgerald and Luke Fickell have known each other for a long time, dating back to their days as Big Ten players, and the respect between them came through in Fitzgerald’s weekly comments.
“I’ve known Luke for a long time. We were players together in the Big Ten.
Coach Fickell does an outstanding job. I think it just shows when you continue to build the program, continue to work the plan, like he has.
I was out for a little while, and I got to watch games as a fan. It’s been…it hasn’t been a yellow brick road, and he’s stayed the course, he’s stayed convicted," Fitzgerald said.
He didn’t stop there. Fitzgerald said Wisconsin has taken on the personality of its coach.
"I mean, you can tell this is a Luke Fickell team. They’re physical, they’re tough, the way they responded Saturday in one of the toughest places to play in this league at night especially.”
That kind of praise matters because it comes after a stretch where Wisconsin has had to fight through more than its share of hard times. Fitzgerald’s comments suggested that what he saw on film against Penn State wasn’t a fluke. The Badgers looked resilient, connected, and ready to absorb punches without folding.
The contrast with Michigan State’s own Week 4 outing is stark. The Spartans were handled by Nebraska at home, while Wisconsin went on the road and knocked off Penn State. Fitzgerald framed the matchup as another major test for his team.
“Another huge challenge this week up in Madison. Huge win for them on the road, really impressive to watch that tape, being down early, being down 10 with under four minutes left.
Really impressed how they were able to stick together and find a way to win in a really hostile environment, that was really impressive to see. And they’ve gotten better each week, after a tough challenging game in the opener against Notre Dame.
Gonna have our hands full," Fitzgerald said.
That resilience showed up in a different way on offense, too. Wisconsin’s attack wasn’t clean for long stretches, but Fitzgerald focused on the way it finished. He singled out quarterback Colton and the way the unit answered when the game was on the line.
“Coach Grimes does a really good job with their offense. Colton, just to see his resilience last week was so impressive.
There were some things that didn’t go their way early in that game, and then to put together the drives and the plays that he made down the stretch, you know, it’s really really impressive. He’s the Sun Belt offensive player of the year, like we faced last week (Nebraska QB Anthony Colandrea).
When you play a player of the year, he’s earned it. I think he’s got 24 career starts.
A lot of it goes through him. They’re big up front, they play multiple tight ends.
They can get down the field; huge catch at the end of the game to win it.”
But Fitzgerald saved his strongest language for the other side of the ball. In his view, Wisconsin’s defense was the difference against Penn State.
“And then Tress does an outstanding job with their defense. I mean, their defense played lights out. Lights out on Saturday," he said with conviction.
"And they played really well the previous two games, but that type of test on the road, the way the defense played was really really impressive. The turnovers, they created the havoc…that’s why you come to the Big Ten. Eye black on, ankles taped, it’s awesome.”
For Wisconsin, the question now is how that same edge carries over after a breakthrough win. Fitzgerald already answered one part of it: he thinks the Badgers look like a Luke Fickell team.
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