Badgers AD backs team amid 'Fire Fickell' chants

Wisconsin diversion manager Chris McIntosh voiced his enactment for manager Luke Fickell and the programme pursuing Saturday's 27-10 location nonaccomplishment to Maryland, which featured respective "Fire Fickell!" chants by the pupil section.

Speaking with the Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, McIntosh shared his "belief successful the programme and the radical astir our program, specifically Luke," and reiterated his enactment for the players. Fickell fell to 15-15 successful two-plus seasons arsenic Badgers manager aft consecutive losses to Alabama and Maryland. He is nether declaration done the 2031 play and is earning $7.7 cardinal this fall.

Wisconsin was booed arsenic it headed to the locker country down 20-0 to Maryland and didn't scope the extremity portion until 28 seconds remained successful the 4th quarter.

"When you person kids that person fixed it each and are faced with, arsenic a program, adversity similar this, I deliberation it's a clip for our radical to travel together," McIntosh told the 2 outlets. "I deliberation it's a clip for maine to explicit my support."

McIntosh, a erstwhile Wisconsin violative lineman, fired manager Paul Chryst midway done the 2022 play and boldly hired Fickell, who had guided Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff the twelvemonth before. Although Fickell had nary nonstop ties to Wisconsin similar Chryst and Jim Leonhard, the team's interim manager successful 2022, his prosecute was mostly celebrated.

The Badgers person endured respective backmost injuries during Fickell's tenure but could beryllium successful information of missing vessel games successful consecutive seasons for the archetypal clip since a agelong from 1985 to 1992. Fickell is 78-40 arsenic an FBS coach.

McIntosh acknowledged the fans' sentiment, saying, "Apathy is worst case, and truthful we're acold from that." He besides said helium isn't acrophobic astir his ain occupation security. McIntosh is nether declaration done June 2029.

"I don't deliberation there's anyone successful the gathering that thinks that wherever we are astatine this infinitesimal successful clip close present this is what Wisconsin shot is," helium said Saturday. "... I'll travel backmost to what I said earlier: What's near to beryllium done astir that? What's near to beryllium done astir that is to larn from what happened connected a time similar contiguous and grow."