Johnny Raider – @johnnyraider29

Photo By Cameron Schneider ~ The Daily Cardinal

The bye week is behind us, and the Badger football team sits at 5-4. The schedule has not been kind so far to Fickells squad, and this is certainly not where they wanted to be. They are, however, still very much alive; the schedule is no easy task, and there is little margin for error. With that being said… the badgers play host to the number 1 ranked Oregon Ducks this week at Camp Randall Stadium, and it's going to take everything and a little more than that to beat the red hot ducks. 

If this story sounds familiar, I wouldn't call you crazy. Badger writers and fans have been echoing the same sentiments about Luke Fickell's iteration of the Badgers for as long as he's been here, and especially going into ranked matchups. We saw it going into the bama game, smoked. We saw it going into the Penn State game, choked. However, I'm going to ask the question: can we finally see Luke Fickell get his signature win as the Badgers head coach? Now I'm not expecting him to do it this week, but I think every badger fan is starving to see a win against a powerhouse like Ohio State, Alabama, Penn State, etc. 

Here's what the Badgers need to do to get that signature win…

Utilize the Downhill Run Game

In no way am I saying the badgers need to give up the air-raid system, but I am saying there are definitely more ways the badgers can run the ball. It seems like a broken record at this point, but the badgers need to realize that running out of shotgun every time with the same concepts is not going to work and teams will instantly catch on. Tawee Walker needs to have an opportunity to get downhill and have a running start on those A-gaps. It doesn't just have to be that as well, you can stretch the perimeter with some jet sweeps or end around. Running the ball can come in so many different shapes and forms, but the badgers seem to only know a few. The Badgers ran the ball extremely well during their 3-game win streak but have failed to run against the premier matchups. Call it a hot take, but the Badgers have the personnel to play bully ball with any team in college football but still are trying to be something they aren't. We will either look back at these years as a rough transition into the air raid offense or the weak attempt to implement the air raid system into the badgers football history. 

Turnovers 

Turnovers haven't killed the badgers nearly as much as they did against Penn State and Iowa. Pick sixes, bad reads, fumbles, pocket presence, and an array of other dysfunctional factors have killed the badgers offense. In the last two games, the Badgers have a -2.0 turnover differential, which is by far the most they've had in a stretch this season, and in total, they are currently tied 99th in the FBS for total turnover margin with -0.5. Sure, the defense could be more opportunistic, but they aren't what is killing the Badgers. The biggest part of the problem is Braedyn Locke's tradition to throw at least one pick a game, and most recently two picks against the Iowa Hawkeyes. If the Badgers can put together their first clean game of the season, the squad will have a chance against the mighty ducks.