Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell talks Alabama ‘Ass-whooping,’ Tyler Van Dyke injury and more

Luke Fickell didn’t mince words on Saturday after the Wisconsin head coach finished losing 42-10 against Alabama football at Camp Randall.

“I’m gonna give you guys the same message that I just gave them: if you haven’t had your ass whooped before, you just did,” Fickell said. “It hurts, and it’s not easy, but in this game that’s gonna happen. It’s a part of the game, it stinks.

“It doesn’t mean you didn’t work hard, it doesn’t mean you didn’t prepare. It means you didn’t get the job done. And whether it’s a one-point loss or a 32-point loss, it hurts. It’s a good old-fashioned ass-whooping, at home, and that hurts.”

Wisconsin kept it close with Alabama early, but missed a field goal toward the end of the first half that would have cut the Crimson Tide’s lead to one score. Two plays later, UA scored a touchdown, and the rout was on.

The Badgers weren’t helped by their quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke, going down with a leg injury early in the game. Afterward, Fickell gave an update, not sounding optimistic.

“We’ll get a little bit more clarity hopefully here soon, get an MRI and things like that,” Fickell said. “I don’t think it looks real good for him, and that is really, really difficult. I think he was really well-prepared, and I think he had grown in those first few weeks, and was really sharp to start that game.”

Wisconsin had serious trouble stopping Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe on Saturday. The redshirt junior threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more.

Afterward, the Badger head coach fielded a question about what makes Milroe so difficult to defend.

“It’s a combination,” Fickell said. “They are well into running him, maybe a little bit more than I would have expected. But, that’s something that is a great equalizer for him. He throws a great deep ball, and they’ve got some guys that can go up and get it.”

The road doesn’t get much easier from here for Wisconsin. It takes a week off next, before traveling to Los Angeles to face Southern Cal.

According to Fickell, how the team takes the time to respond to the Crimson Tide loss will be key.

“An ass-whooping is an ass-whooping, but if you can get back up and move forward, then you can grow from it,” Fickell said. “But, if you can’t, then it demoralizes you and it keeps you down and it puts you back and it makes you lose confidence, then there is nothing positive about it. Now, there are some guys that did some things and we’ll figure that out. But, I think it’s more about the whole, and what type of passion and leadership we have.”