Head Coach: Luke Fickell
Overall: 16-19 (9-15) at Wisconsin, in his 4th season
Bowl Appearances at Wisconsin: Two
2025 Record: 3-6 (1-5)
Mascot: Bucky Badger
Colors: Red and White
Outfitter: Under Armour
National Titles: 4 (1906, 1912, 1928, 1942)
Conference Titles: 14
Heisman Winners: Alan Ameche (1954), Ron Dayne (1999)
Last Week: 13-10 win over Washington
Betting Information
Wisconsin at Indiana (-30.5) | Total of 44.5
Statistical Leaders
Passing: Danny O’Neil – 61 for 90 (67.8%) for 635 yards with 5 TDs and 5 INTs
Rushing: Dilin Jones – 76 carries for 300 yards (3.95) with 2 TDs
Receiving: Vinny Anthony II – 26 receptions for 291 yards with 1 TD
Tackles: Christian Alliegro – 48 tackles with 31 solo and 6 TFLs
Stat of the Week: The Wisconsin Badgers knocked off Washington last Saturday to halt a ten-game Big Ten losing streak and notch their first victory over a ranked team in four years. Punter Sean West led the Badgers in passing, completing his only attempt for 24 yards. The three quarterbacks that took snaps in this game for Wisconsin combined for 24 yards on five completions.
Badgers’ Talking Points
- Defense Leads the Way
We’ll start with the positive for the Wisconsin Badgers: the defense has been very good for Luke Fickell’s team. The Badgers have limited opponents to only 22.3 points per game and they’ve gotten better in the past couple of weeks. Oregon only scored 21 points in Eugene and they held Washington to less than 260 yards and just 10 points in a win over the Huskies in Madison. Despite getting little help from their offense, the Wisconsin defense is 24th in the country in yards allowed per game (331.6), 28th in third-down conversion allowed (35.14%), 33rd in rushing yards per attempt (3.7) and 34th in sack percentage (7.14%). The linebackers are really good and this is a very solid unit that has been let down by an inept offensive attack.
2. No Answers on Offense
The Indiana Hoosiers are second in the country in scoring offense, averaging 41.3 points per game and behind only North Texas (43.6). Wisconsin is on the other side of the national rankings, all the way down at 134th with just 12.6 points per game. That places them ahead of only Northern Illinois and UMass and dead-last among power conference teams. In six Big Ten games, Wisconsin has scored a total of 40 points. IU will likely see multiple quarterbacks on Saturday afternoon as Danny O’Neil, Hunter Simmons and freshman Carter Smith all saw action against Washington. Carter Smith struggled mightily as a passer but Smith is a good athlete and he ran the ball 15 times for 47 yards with a touchdown and the Badgers will almost certainly try to play this game at a snail’s pace, keep the clock moving by running the ball and try to limit IU’s offensive possessions. The question will be whether or not this offense is capable of executing that plan against Bryant Haines’ defense.
3. An Answer on Luke Fickell’s Future
The Wisconsin Badgers athletic director released a statement and made himself available to the media, letting everyone know that Luke Fickell would be returning as the head coach at Wisconsin for a fifth season. Despite sliding backwards during his tenure and a high-level of fan discontent in Madison, Fickell will get another crack and the athletic director has promised an increased level of investment in order to help him field a competitive squad. To Fickell’s credit, his team responded to the endorsement by rallying to beat Washington so they clearly have not quit on the season.