The Wisconsin Badgers had everything going for them against Notre Dame until the second half began.
Despite heading into the third quarter trailing 13-10, this absolutely felt like a game the Badgers could win.
Suddenly, it was 20-10, and the next thing you know, Colton Joseph threw a pick-six that put the Badgers in a 17-point deficit.
In the end, the Fighting Irish would prevail, 41-13, in a lopsided win that proved just how much of a gap there truly is between these two teams.
After the game, fourth year head coach Luke Fickell discussed what went down at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
Fickell on the embarrassing second half
POST GAME LIVE: Luke Fickell Breaks Down Notre Dame https://t.co/sSNPyG2mGl
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) September 7, 2026
"A tale of two halves. They physically got on us in the second half…the energy and momentum
shifted in the second half, and we never got it back," Fickell said, according to 247Sports' Nick Osen.
Kickoff return fumble simply can't happen
When asked about Harrison Bortolotti's fumble that sparked a controversial review, Fickell confirmed that Eugene Hilton and Nate Palmer are the team's top kick returners, though "both were banged up," according to On3's Evan Flood.
Fickell "wants to be aggressive," and he "was okay with Bortolotti taking that one."
Wisconsin wasn't always the most aggressive
Down 34-13 in the fourth quarter, Fickell decided to punt from inside the 50-yard line. This marked the second time he made that decision in the game, but it's one he stands by.
"To give them a completely short field if we didn't get it -- we had a philosophy going into the game, anything in the 3-4 yard range we were gonna be aggressive."
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Everything Luke Fickell said about Wisconsin's second-half collapse
