Luke Fickell Post-Game Media Conference || Wisconsin Football || Oct. 7, 2023
well I thought uh the really complete game for us today uh I was I had some concerns obviously coming off of a byee um just 11 o’clock start a lot of things going on this week with homecoming just you know just a little distractions changing routines and some of the things that we have to do um which and and understand that but you know for a coach that kind of those are the things that kind of ring in your head about okay now we got to come out here we got to play well we got
to start fast um you know you got a team that’s coming in here that’s that’s played really well all year man as a game um is going to do some things that I thought were going to put us in a tough situation um limiting possessions and stuff like that but uh came out the first half played I thought played really well uh defensively played exceptional um you know and obviously the pick six right there before half I think is the difference in the ball game I mean that’s they were playing right into their hands for
what they wanted you know the the the last four minutes the first half first four minutes the second half a very well oiled uh program and
mean there’s no doubt that was the that’s the difference in the ball game Luke uh after the Purdue game you joked that you might have to work on Ricardo hullman’s return skills I presume you liked what you saw today did I say that I don’t I don’t recall actually I forgot to bring him up there in front of the team as as as big a play as we’ve had all year um these that was he showed the skills today um you know that’s not easy obviously going 95 not only to make the play when you’re
in that situation that sometimes you start thinking about running too soon and most important thing to do is to you know make the play initially and then to be able to close it out and take it the distance is exceptional Luke one more for you on Ricardo what has he shown you since you got got here that has allowed him to establish himself as somewhat earning as many I think I said it after spring um and maybe even in the midst of fall camp that if you ask me who the most consistent person I think
on the team has been I would say Rico and I didn’t know that I’d seen some of those Flash plays obviously in the spring game I think he had three picks but through Spring ball until that day I don’t know that I’d seen a ton of big plays maybe picks and things a lot of times the field Corner doesn’t have as much action at times um but then after the spring game he just you know I I started to recognize how consistent he does things and when the opportunities are there obviously he made him then
and you know it same same way in Fall camp and um you know he’s just he is very consistent at what he does I he’s he’s a smart football player and he’s playing at a high level for us Luke when your offense has kind of a choppy day some some good some bad how do you see a guy like Tanner mory’s Poise come through because that’s something you talk about with him a lot I it’s it’s not only Poise it’s passion it’s it’s you know fire I mean there there’s no doubt um you know you
try to limit him from running the ball and putting himself in those situations but when he does you see where the passion you see the fire you see what you know I I told these guys you you’ll find out more each week about you know our team and each other about the passion they have for this team and and in to play the game and that’s usually from your effort and your attitude right not just making plays but guy’s effort and attitude when they watch him play and that’s Tanner I mean he he is uh
he’s a fiery guy he’s he’s you know got great emotions but yet he handles it in the best way possible Luke when we talked to your guys during Defenders during the week they said they were excited to face ruter because of the running game do you think your front whether it’s the lineman or backers control the line of scrimmage especially early when ruter wanted to set the tone I I do think so um you know you start with the week of being all the you know loading it and loading it and loading it and you
know after probably the first quarter quarter and a half you know I don’t know that we had to be all the way down in some of those things obviously we gave up some you know some throws um but you knew you I had a good idea if if we were going to win this football game we had to control the line of scrimmage we had to win the rushing battle um more than anything else Steve just what you saw from brilin today and the way he responded after that fumble early on well I I was
looking for him I wanted to make sure we had him right back in there he he he knows you know we’ll ride with him and obviously there’s he’s not happy he’s disappointed I’m sure that he put the ball on the ground um but he still is the guy we’re going to ride with and we want I want to get him right back in there as best we possibly can he was over getting taped we did get him back in but you know those kind of things happen again we’re not condoning it I mean we got
we got to take care of it but you know I think the confidence level that he has and he didn’t bad an eye kind of like we always talk about with Tanner you know it’s easier to see sometimes in the quarterback cuz the spotlights always on him um but I thought he bounced back really well and and did not it did not linger at one bit not just in the way he played but even you could tell in his face and his emotions Luke how does Tanner’s ability to escape some of that pressure to gain
positive yardage change the math for you and allow you to do some different things on offense well it it allows you to continue drives it it it really puts you know I don’t say fear but it puts a different element into defensively what you have to do you know they I think they got later in the game and especially the second half obviously they had to become more aggressive um so I think we gave up a couple sacks you know maybe smaller one you one yard or two yard where he’s kind of pushing up in
the pocket um I don’t know that that’s if they had their DRS that that’s the way they would have played it you know they would have liked to you know been able to probably get there with four um but his ability to not only extend plays some quarterbacks you know extend plays to throw the football some quarterbacks their eyes go right down and they go to running I think what Tanner does so well is he does it both he he take keeps his eyes down the field but yet then he feels space and when he
does take off he can he can scoot and uh he’s got that aggressive nature so I think he’s the toughest kind to defend I believe me I know because uh we played against him the last couple years Luke you mentioned bril and Allen but this is the first extended Duty for for Acre Jackson did you get what you had hoped at him for for a starting point for the rest of the year I I think we got what what I would have expected and I I don’t know I said that walking in the door here
I mean when when we walked in the door we’re trying to figure out what position was going to be right is he going to be a fullback is he going to be a tight end is he you know is he going to be a tailb I mean and you know he’s done nothing but continued to grow and impress us and I kind of was hoping and believing that at some point in time his opportunities were going to come up not that we wanted to have him the way the way they’ve happened um but I think
that I think all of us had a lot of confidence in in his ability to not just you know be a backup guy or be a sub guy but to be a guy that could go in there and carry the carry the load L going back to Rico’s play uh you guys watched so much film I’m curious is that uh had Ruckers done something like that before is that a matter of preparation or a reaction or a little bit of both well it’s it’s both um it is a little bit of preparation obviously I think
last week they scored a touchdown on probably a very similar route um I think it was fourth and four I think it was maybe the first first touchdown of the game for him um but it’s also a really really good play meaning that these guys are reading some of that and their ability to you know be pass some things off down there and uh you know sometimes it it happens and sometimes the guy’s just there and the ball gets batted down and then there’s times when you have an opportunity to actually put your hands on
it and secure it um and and he did he only did that he obviously closed the deal um and that’s big because I think later in the game I think we had a couple times where we had our hands on balls touches tips and and we didn’t come down with them um but it seems ever since maybe the second game I think Rico’s if the ball has been somewhere around his hand he’s uh he’s come down with it C Jake I say uh Luke with Will Pauling I know he came over from Cincinnati too just
with how how he’s catching the ball and becoming kind of a go-to type of receiver within this offense are you seeing him emerge how you thought he would when he decided to come to yeah I I thought will was a perfect fit in everything here just the type of kid he is the you know uh his work ethic um and obviously his ability but I think that even is probably one of three um that that I thought that this was you know a great and Perfect Fit now how guys progress how guys become you know
what they become as as the offense evolves um you know I you’re never exactly sure but he’s done nothing but continue to impress everybody work his butt off I mean you saw him more out there on the Special Teams today as well and almost had a block punt um and he’s just a guy that’s continued to come to us and say he wants to do more and uh you know so they roll time on the W on offense you know him and Skyler a lot um and he just wants other ways to try to find
to get on the field and to to to help us win football games and so we we actually Ed him a bit more we use him on the punt more today and we use him on the punt block today um he’s a guy that’s a ball player hey Luke I was curious about a running back Kyle manangi he entered as I think he was top three in the Big 10 in yards but he only had 16 today like two yards per carry who’s that uh Kyan young Guai the the running back for Ruckers I was
just curious what the key was to stopping him how you guys were able to do so well it’s it starts up front I thought that uh you know it was a focus for us so it wasn’t like you know it was just something that happened it was you know we knew coming in here that if we didn’t win the rushing battle it was going to not be a great thing for us and um so the whole emphasis on was winning the rushing battle and that means some different things at times it doesn’t just mean the
yards um but it means the ability to you know take people out of what they want to do it didn’t mean that we had to hand the ball off 50 times and make sure we were ahead of him in the rushing game but it had a lot to do with our ability to stop the run our ability to establish the line of scrimmage and I thought the guys at front did a great job uh from from the opening snap to the end obviously second half I think they you know had to change a little bit
being down um you know probably threw the ball a little bit more than they wanted to but uh nonetheless it was because of I think the guys up front Luke early in the week you said you thought Jay grro might be ready um was there any consideration to getting him a little bit of work and I in part because Tanner has talked about his snaps and he said he knows it be has to be much better than they are I I I don’t know if there was a lot of talk there at the end um
you know had we you know not maybe turned the ball over um there would have been a greater opportunity to you know maybe get some of those guys you know another some more some more reps um but no Jake is getting much closer um you know we we play six lineman obviously with Trey and those guys rolling in there we don’t do that at the center position I don’t this would have been the first week that Jake we would have said he has legitimately practiced the whole week and and ready to roll and uh I
think we’ll continue to have the him as a very viable option as we move forward last one we saw Riley noi get in toward the end of the game obviously his guy has been banged up too what kind of thing does what do you think he adds to the offense and gives that tight end group that maybe you were missing before well it’s some depth I think some versatility I think he’s a guy that is a true hybrid he can you know is a little bit more natural out in space but he also is a
tough physical guy that can play in the box and it was great to see him um he was back this week in particular but we ALS we weren’t really you know probably saying he was going to be a guy that we were you know going to throw in there for a bunch of snaps um but if we would have needed him obviously he was ready to go and he practiced most of the week um but I think just continuing next week and the f I mean he’s going to be a guy that’s going to see
a lot more action um we were fortunate to not have to use him much today um but from here on out he’ll see a lot more okay
