Luke Fickell criticizes ‘ridiculous’ officiating error in Wisconsin’s loss to Oregon
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell didn’t hold back after his team’s 21-7 defeat to Oregon on Saturday, calling out what he described as a “ridiculous” officiating mistake.
The controversial moment came on the first play of the second half, when Oregon running back Noah Whittington broke free for a 35-yard gain. Fickell argued that the Ducks clearly got away with a holding penalty that should have brought the play back.
At that point, Oregon held a 7-0 lead early in the third quarter. Though Fickell is usually reserved when it comes to officiating complaints, this time he couldn’t stay quiet.
“I don’t like to complain about calls, but that first play of the second half — 35 yards or whatever it was — that’s just ridiculous,” Fickell said. “Right there on the edge, no call. Even on that last drive of the first half, they started to find something inside, got some movement up front, and it wore us down a bit heading into the second half.”
Despite the officiating issue, Fickell emphasized that it wasn’t the reason Wisconsin lost. He said the team’s lack of discipline was a bigger factor.
“We pride ourselves on discipline, and tonight we didn’t play that way,” he said. “You can’t expect to win, especially on the road against a team like this, if you’re committing big penalties. That stood out to me more than anything else.
“This one’s tough to take because we had our chances. I thought defensively we came ready to play — from the opening onside kick they recovered, our guys didn’t flinch and fought hard all game.”
With the Badgers now 2-6, they must win their remaining games to become bowl eligible. While athletic director Chris McIntosh has publicly supported Fickell, the coach’s future could face increased scrutiny as Wisconsin’s struggles continue down the stretch.
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