Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell addressed the media following the Badgers’ 24-10 loss to the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday.
After opening the contest with a 7-0 advantage, the Badgers surrendered 24 unanswered points before executing on a late field goal in the fourth quarter. With third-string quarterback Hunter Simmons at the helm, Wisconsin did not appear as offensively incapable as it did against the Maryland Terrapins in Week 4.
“There is obviously always some good, but our ability to sustain and finish is where we still are not close to where we need to be,” Fickell said. “The second half showed that. I give them a lot of credit to stick with what they needed to do and what they wanted to do… The difference in the ball game [was] some big plays. They made some plays down the field, some catches down the field that are really, really good plays.”
Simmons, who made his debut as the Badgers’ pass-thrower, logged 177 yards through the air and an interception. He took the reins from No. 2 signal-caller Danny O’Neil, who saw limited time on the field Saturday.
“Hunter, I think, showed some poise,” Fickell said. “We had a plan to play both quarterbacks, [but] sometimes it doesn’t always go as planned. They both prepared. Over the bye week, we gave them an opportunity. Both guys competed… Just from where we are and what we needed, we thought Hunter [Simmons] gave us the best opportunity.”
Arguably the most significant aspect of the game, however, revolved around Fickell’s decision to not use his timeouts in the final two minutes of play to try and get the ball back from the Wolverines. Michigan ultimately ran out the clock with its run game, and the Badgers never got the ball back during the final stretch.
“If we had got the stop, it was going to be the timeouts,” Fickell said. “I thought that where we were and how many points we needed — we needed to have opportunities on offense.”
UW will now turn to a home bout vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes on Oct. 11.
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