Wisconsin
What Went Wrong in Wisconsin’s 44-25 loss to Nebraska
The Wisconsin Badgers started the week 5-5 and hoped to become bowl-eligible for the 23rd straight season. They also hoped to continue their dominance over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who haven’t beaten the Badgers since 2012.
Well, Wisconsin lost to Nebraska 44-25 in what was yet another disappointing loss this season.
Here’s what went wrong for Wisconsin in the 44-25 loss to Nebraska.
Special teams
Wisconsin played surprisingly well in the first half, with Braedyn Locke connecting on multiple long pass attempts.
However, they still couldn’t find a way to make it into the endzone which forced Nathanial Vakos to attempt three crucial field goals. He missed two of them.
That killed Wisconsin’s momentum and definitely was a key factor in the Badgers’ loss. Head coach Luke Fickell’s team has had their fair share of special teams blunders, with a couple of dropped punts early in the season and now these missed kicks.
He needs to fix these small issues as he approaches a very important third season as Wisconsin’s head coach.
Coaching blunders
There were some small blunders that led to huge mistakes by this Badgers coaching staff. For example, attempting a run instead of kneeling at the end of the first half which led to a fumble and Nebraska field goal is inexcusable.
What also doesn’t make sense is how many penalties the Badgers’ defense received in the red zone, whether it be pass interference, roughing the passer, or a facemask. Those penalties killed any chances at a Wisconsin comeback as the offense had one of their better outings in recent memory.
Overall, Coach Fickell needs to continue to preach his philosophy of being disciplined in tight games like these or else they will continue to drop them. They have the recruits coming in and ability, they need to limit silly mistakes that hurt them in the long run.
Wisconsin takes on Minnesota next Saturday in a game that will make or break the Badgers’ season. There is a small chance that the Badgers make a bowl game even at 5-7 due to APR, but it would be a terrible end to a disappointing season.
Expect Fickell to prepare extensively for their senior day game, hoping to salvage the season by keeping Paul Bunyan’s axe in Madison.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
How Aleksas Bieliauskas has grown in first season with Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has high praise for Aleksas Bieliauskas about a month into the Lithuania native’s freshman season.
MADISON – One of Wisconsin men’s basketball’s departing transfers is headed to an SEC program with some connections to the Badgers.
Ex-UW forward Aleksas Bieliauskas has committed to South Carolina, he announced on April 17.
Bieliauskas left the Badgers after appearing in all 35 games as a freshman and making 28 starts. He averaged 4.9 points and 4.4 points in 20.2 minutes, and highlights of his freshman year included his five 3-pointers in UW’s upset over eventual national champion Michigan.
He’ll join a program with plenty of Wisconsin ties. South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris was an assistant coach at Wisconsin from 2010-17 on Bo Ryan and Greg Gard’s staffs. South Carolina assistant coach Tanner Bronson and director of video services Roman DiPasquale also are UW alumni.
Bieliauskas is the second of UW’s four departing transfers to commit to a new school. Reserve forward Jack Robison committed to North Dakota State on April 15. Starting guard John Blackwell and reserve forward Riccardo Greppi have not announced their next schools yet.
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