Luke Fickell discusses lack of created turnovers from Wisconsin defense

Through the first two games of the season, turnovers have been a major problem for Wisconsin. The Badgers aren’t just struggling with turning the ball over as they have five times in their first two games. They are also struggling to create turnovers as they have yet to force one all season.

Head coach Luke Fickell spoke with the media this week and discussed the lack of created turnovers from his defense.

“A lot of times they come in bunches. And that’s kind of the unique thing. We’re 0-for on two games, and that’s tough. That’s tough to overcome a lot of those situations, right? I mean you’ve gotta manufacture everything. You’ve gotta get every stop,” Fickell said. “There were some unique ones in the game [against Washington State]. The ball snapped over his head and it takes one hop back up to the quarterback. They drop the ball in the end zone, it takes one hop and right back up to the quarterback. Then they snap it over their head again and it takes three or four hops and bounces right back up to the quarterback. It just happens, right?”

While there is certainly some luck involved with creating turnovers, there are also things you can do to get the ball away from the opponent.

Fickell spoke about three times in particular over the first eight plays of the game where the Badgers had a chance to create a turnover and didn’t.

“I think I showed the defense three of the first eight plays of the game, we had an opportunity to have a takeaway. A ball being snapped over the head and the way it bounced, to [Ricardo Hamilton], I think, had an opportunity. He broke on a really good play out in the flat and didn’t come down with it,” Fickell said.

“On that [fourth-and-1 play], the back makes a cutback, the ball is sticking completely out from the side. We come in from behind, which is usually where those things happen. And just by chance, we tackle him but we don’t get any piece of the ball. There’s three in the first eight plays that we’ve got to find a way to make the thing bounce our way and make the ball come out.”

Fickell also addressed the importance of getting turnovers on the road, in particular.

Wisconsin was able to overcome not creating a turnover in the opener at home against Buffalo. It wasn’t able to do that last week when the Badgers fell 31-22 to Washington State on the road.

“I tell the guys all the time, when you’re on the road in particular, you’ve gotta make things happen,” Fickell said. “You can’t just hope the ball bounces our way. But in some of those situations, I think it’s quite unique.”