In wake of rule change, Wisconsin football’s Luke Fickell looks back at last year’s win at Illinois

INDIANAPOLIS – Luke Fickell said he wasn’t trying to bend any rule.

During Big Ten media day Tuesday, Wisconsin’s football coach was asked about the rule change that appeared to be inspired by the Badgers’ game-winning touchdown at Illinois last season.

Braedyn Locke threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Rucci on a tackle-eligible play with 27 seconds left to complete a 14-point, fourth-quarter comeback. UW won, 25-21.

Rucci, listed as No. 66 on the roster, wore No. 93 in the game, a change that gave him the potential to be an eligible receiver. When UW lined up after breaking the huddle, Rucci was a tackle. He became an eligible receiver after the two tight ends who were lined up next to him shifted to other spots in the formation.

After faking a block, Rucci ran to the flat and used all of his 6-foot-7 frame to catch the game-winner.

The play was legal. What bothered Illinois coach Bret Bielema, who contacted the Big Ten about the play, was that Rucci wore a different number during the game than in warmups.

Fickell said the number switch wasn’t an attempt to be deceptive.

“The numbers thing was as unintentional as anything else I’ve ever done,” Fickell said while noting there were other more pressing rules matters that needed attention.

The rule in question wasn’t clear. Now it is spelled out more specifically. It says if a player enters the game after changing a jersey number or wears a number different from what is listed on the game day roster then he must report the change to the official, who then informs the opposing sideline. Failure to do so results in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The new language covers the individual who changes a jersey number during the game as well as the player who doesn’t change his number during the game but appears in a contest wearing something other than his listed number.

Fickell said Rucci, who transferred to Penn State after the season, had been given two jerseys on game day for weeks in case he was needed as an extra tight end.

“I had been saying to do that for four weeks just for goal line purposes to have bigger guys out there,” Fickell said. “It wasn’t intentional in that they said we didn’t warm up in the number and then went inside (and changed). … The jersey was in his locker from the get-go. It wasn’t like we were like, ‘Warm up in a different number (and then) switch it.”

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