PHOENIX -- Luke Fickell is now 1-0 as Wisconsin's head football coach.
The Badgers (7-6) scored 21 unanswered points and held off a late surge from Oklahoma State (7-6), hanging for a 24-17 victory in the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Avoiding their first losing season since 2001, UW has now claimed trophies in eight of their last nine bowl victories. The Badgers were also able to send out interim head coach/defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard on a high note as the former All-American safety now moves on from his alma mater.
Here's what we learned following Tuesday's win that ushers in a new era for the program...
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CHASE WOLF WILL RETURN FOR A SIXTH SEASON
Senior quarterback Chase Wolf got the start on Tuesday, taking over for Graham Mertz, who opted to enter the transfer portal following 32 consecutive starts.
After a dreadful first quarter interception, Wolf not only settled in...he balled out for a half.
Wolf completed eight consecutive passes at one point, a string that was broken up by a Keontez Lewis drop in the end zone, one of two deep balls that Wolf should have been rewarded on. At the break, Wolf was 14-of-18 passing for 102 yards and a touchdown, a 15-yard toss to junior tight end Hayden Rucci that was set up via a beautiful play-action fake.
Wolf also had a couple of throws that his two predecessors never could have made, including one where he stepped out of a sack by evading a blitzing linebacker and throwing a side-arm strike to junior wide receiver Chimere Dike perfectly in stride.
Coming back down to earth in the second half, Wolf finished 16-of-26 passing for 116 yards. He got away with some risky throws, trying to force things that weren't there and also coughed up the football after a sack that gave Oklahoma State the ball in UW territory. The Badgers allowed the Cowboys to get back in the game with an offense that stalled, going six straight drives that lasted four plays or less. Needing to run out the final 5:02, Wolf also had a pass batted down and failed to hit Dike in the flat after a great play call from offensive coordinator Bobby Engram on 3rd and 2, faking the hand-off to sophomore tailback Braelon Allen to the right side, and booting Wolf off to the left.
At the half, we were asking, should Luke Fickell ask Wolf to stay for a sixth season and at the very least mentor what could be a very young quarterback room with three freshmen? Both Fickell and Wolf confirmed there's been a change of plans and Wolf will give it one more go.
"I got into the real estate master's program. I think it'd be smart for me to further my education in that field and then come back with the new regime," Wolf explained. "It was the best of both worlds. Coach Fickell recruited me out of head coach. I know he's a great coach. What he's going to bring in is going to help propel this team to the next level."
NO HERBIG. NO BENTON. NO PROBLEM
On the other side of the ball, UW was without its best two players -- senior defensive tackle Keeanu Benton and junior outside linebacker Nick Herbig, who both opted out to enter the NFL Draft.
With the exception of some busted tackling that led to an 84-yard touchdown right after Wolf's interception in the opening period and some shaky moments in the fourth quarter, it was a fairly solid performance.
The Badgers got two turnovers, a pair of interceptions from senior cornerbacks Jay Shaw and Cedrick Dort. Senior safety John Torchio also just barely missed a pick-six in the second quarter.
UW had just 1.0 sack via junior defensive end James Thompson Jr., but a lot of that is due to how quickly OSU gets rid of the football. With Benton manning the middle, the Cowboys ran for just 52 yards on 2.0 yards per carry and went 3-of-14 on third down.
"I feel like we're deep. We're gonna be a great defense once again next year and the year after that, the year after that, and the year after that," said freshman outside linebacker Darryl Peterson.
FICKELL WAS PRESENT, BUT ALLOWED LEONHARD TO STILL RUN THE SHOW
Technically, Tuesday marked the debut of head coach Luke Fickell. It was unknown going into kickoff how much of a role Fickell, who was hired in late November, would have, but the former Cincinnati head coach led the Badgers out of the tunnel and was front and center, roaming the sidelines with a call sheet and headset.
From the press box, there appeared to be an odd trade-off between Fickell and Jim Leonhard, UW's interim head coach for the previous seven games. Fickell was calling the timeouts, but at one point looked over to Leonhard and a few assistant coaches, for what appeared to be seeking their approval. Leonhard was also the main voice in large huddles, with Fickell standing behind.
Fickell didn't go into too much detail as to what his role was on Tuesday, but despite an odd situation, seemed to toe the line well -- being part of the program, while keeping a respectable distance from the coaches that have run the show the entire season.
Most importantly, Fickell didn't make it about himself and let Leonhard have his moment, hoisting the Guaranteed Rate Bowl trophy and sending the seventh-year assistant and former All-American safety out the right way.
"Three and a half weeks, I don't know that that's enough time to stand up there," said Fickell. "I tried not to grab the trophy. I told these guys, You guys grab it. This isn't me. But I thought it was really important. I thought it was important for him to be recognized. And I wanted to make sure I said more than anything that I appreciate what he's done for me and how he's handled these last few weeks.
"I've got the utmost respect, not just for him, but what this place really means. It showed me a lot."
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