Wisconsin’s Air Raid experiment was a flop, it needs to go back to basics

The Air Raid Experiment at Wisconsin might be done.

Luke Fickell attempted a massive shift in the identity of Wisconsin football when he brought in offensive coordinator Phil Longo. But that ended after less than two years, with a sputtering offense that left Badgers fans scratching their heads.

The offense has failed to reach 300 total yards in the last three games and is currently 11th in the Big Ten in scoring average. Fickell told reporters this week that he understands what the program is good at and what the identity is.

“I think we do understand and recognize where the strength of our program is, and that’s on the offensive line, and we have to continue to build upon what that is and move them forward,” Fickell said. “That won’t change, shouldn’t change. And wherever I’ve been, I wouldn’t want it to change.”

There are two different thoughts that come to mind after hearing Fickell say that.

First, if he understood that to be the strength of the program, why even go to a version of the Air Raid at Wisconsin? The amount of work it will take to bring Wisconsin from a team that grinds out games and wins with defense to a team that stretches the field is enormous.

It also goes against the grain of the Badgers’ bread and butter in recruiting.

Wisconsin has long been a program that recruits under-the-radar offensive linemen from the state. Then pairs (after good development) them with an East Coast running back and an elite defense. That’s a recipe for tough, physical football that wears down opponents and works in the Big Ten. The soul of the program was changed and Fickell has been fighting uphill ever since.

Secondly, this entire situation sounds so similar to what has happened to the program Wisconsin will play this weekend. Nebraska went through this exact thing many years ago when Bill Callahan took over the program, transitioned to the West Coast offense and that set off a slide that the Huskers are still trying to fully reverse. In fairness, Bo Pelini got the Huskers back to a competitive level as a consistent nine-win program, but then Nebraska tried again to go away from its roots with Mike Riley. Sometimes there is value in being OK with exactly what your program is and isn’t.

So how does Fickell dig out of this hole and get Wisconsin back in the Big Ten conversation? How does Wisconsin prevent becoming another Nebraska?

It’s going to start with this offensive coordinator hire. It’s now the most critical decision of the Fickell era at Wisconsin. It’d be wise to find a coordinator that can help play into the natural strengths of the Badgers program.

Fickell’s entire tenure at Wisconsin may be riding on it.