Wisconsin debuts the Luke Fickell era with, ‘The Launch’

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - In true Midwest fashion it was a Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall that was sunny one second, then snowing the next.

Regardless of the chaotic weather, Badger fans filled Camp Randall eager to see the new era of Wisconsin football under Head Coach Luke Fickell.

20,000 tickets were reserved for the open scrimmage UW called, ‘The Launch.’ The event was an open practice that included 11-on-11 scrimmage situations.

One of the most anticipated areas of this new team, Phil Longo’s offense. The offensive coordinator came to Madison after holding the same position at North Carolina. Longo and the staff have brought in three quarterbacks, one of which is SMU transfer and projected starter Tanner Mordecai.

Mordecai got off to a shaky start in the open practice, his first three drives all resulting in interceptions.

While the offense seemed to struggle, the defense was the highlight of the day. Kamo’I Latu picked off Mordecai on just his second pass of the day, and Ricardo Hallman had a standout performance with three interceptions. The defense as a whole tallied 10 sacks on the day.

The Badgers will have two more spring practices and wrap up the spring season on Thursday, April 27. UW’s football season officially begins September 2 against Buffalo.

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