4 Wisconsin Badgers to blame for the diastrous showing vs.

Nov 2, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett (49) rushes towards Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke (18) during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Are you still upset over the Wisconsin Badgers football loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes? You’re not alone. This was a major setback for Luke Fickell and his program as a whole. This team is now 5-4 on the year and things aren’t going to get easier for them in Week 12 against Oregon following the bye.

Fickell deserves a ton of blame for that loss, but he’s not the only one. We’ve come up with our list of the players/coaches at fault and the list as a whole shouldn’t surprise Wisconsin fans out there. Nope, not one bit:

4. Quarterback Braedyn Locke

Once again, quarterback Braedyn Locke was underwhelming with the ball in his hands. Locke has thrown interceptions in his last six contests, which is unacceptable. Against Iowa, Locke had some solid throws, but he also had two terrible INTs that drove people mad. Fickell is planning to stick with Locke as his starter, but if he keeps struggling, a change late in the season may need to be on the way.

3. Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel

Wisconsin fans are livid with the play of the defense on Saturday night and that falls on Mike Tressel. The Hawkeyes could not be stopped on offense, with their ground game taking over. Kaleb Johnson had a monster game, but Iowa as a whole rushed for 329 yards. Everyone knew Iowa was going to focus on the run game, but Tressel had no plan of attack to limit things. There were no excuses for his game plan – none whatsoever.

2. Tight end Tucker Ashworth

What in the world was going on with tight end Tucker Ashcraft on Saturday night? Normally a dependable TE for Fickell, the exact opposite was the case against Iowa. Ashcraft had three (three!) false start penalties, which was a complete and total nightmare. Not only that, but he also had a forgettable drop on a perfect ball from Locke. If this kind of play from him continues, he needs to grab some pine and stay there.

1. Head coach Luke Fickell

Everything starts and ends with Fickell. From the start, he did not have his players ready to go for this big-time rivalry matchup and there are no excuses for that. The week before, sloppy play prevented the Badgers from posting an upset against Penn State and then things were way worse against Iowa.

People are losing patience with Fickell, as it feels like Wisconsin has no identity under him. Fickell isn’t quite on the hot seat, but the awful effort from his players can’t continue. He needs to send a message to the fanbase by making some changes, and making sure his guys step it up.

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