Wisconsin’s failure to finish on display yet again

It’s not clear what subject Chaney would be studying, but he already had done some math in his head by the time he arrived for a postgame interview following the University of Wisconsin football team’s heartbreaking 16-13 loss to No. 1 Oregon, and the equation only led him to a demoralizing conclusion.

“As a senior,” Chaney said, “that one probably sucked the most.”

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When asked why that was the case — after all, Chaney and the other elder statesmen on the roster have been through their fair share of gut punches during their careers — he paused for a bit before answering.

“For my four years here,” he said, “I don’t think we won a big game.”

That’s the sad-but-true reality for a program that continues to fall short when the spotlight shines the brightest. It was a problem coach Luke Fickell inherited when he took over the program nearly two years ago, and it’s one the man who arrived with massive expectations after a successful run at Cincinnati hasn’t been able to fix in those 23½ months.

This was the Badgers’ last chance this season for a signature win, and they put up a good fight against the Ducks (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten). While Wisconsin’s heart had been questioned following a 42-10 loss at Iowa two weeks ago, there was plenty of pride and determination on display from Fickell’s team as it built a 13-6 lead through three quarters.

But anyone who’s watched this program run into walls over and over the past five years as it works its way through a maze of mediocrity knew what was going to happen next. We’ve seen this movie before, over and over, whether it was in the late stages of the Paul Chryst era, during Jim Leonhard’s short stint or throughout Fickell’s uninspiring run to date.

Bring on the fourth quarter fade.

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This time, it was a three-phase breakdown that led to Oregon scoring the final 10 points of the game to keep its perfect record intact. Wisconsin’s defense gave up an 81-yard touchdown drive that tied the game. The special teams had a false start and an inadequate punt that led to the Ducks taking over in Badgers territory. And the offense, in typical hold-my-beer fashion, was the worst of the bunch, producing only 21 total yards in 12 plays during the final quarter.

Phil Longo’s unit went three-and-out, three-and-out, four-and-out and with one final opportunity to redeem itself, it instead ended with a whimper: A Braedyn Locke interception to cap a 12 of 28 day that generated only 96 yards through the air.

Add it up, and it was the latest gloomy example of a program that can’t seem to get over the hump. The Badgers are 5-5 this season, including 3-4 in Big Ten play. They’ve been outscored 59-7 in the fourth quarter of those five defeats, including 38-0 in the three games that were winnable entering the final 15 minutes: 14-0 at Southern Cal, 14-0 at home vs. Penn State, 10-0 at home vs. Oregon.

“That’s the battle that we’re all fighting right now,” Locke said. “To be honest, the answer is to come in (Sunday) and work your tail off and continue to get better and keep competing.”

That’s a great attitude at a time when it can’t be easy to remain positive, but Locke wasn’t the only one who was trying to be optimistic.

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While there already are cries for Fickell’s job coming from outside the program — premature, if you ask me — his players, young and old, seem to have his back.

“It’s definitely tough,” left guard Joe Brunner said. “But being in the locker room with the guys, being around coach Fickell, there’s a lot of positives. We went out there and fought for four quarters, 60 minutes, against the No. 1 team in the nation. Played our butts off. Obviously it didn’t go the way we wanted, but that happens. It’s part of life. You’ve got to learn from it and grow from it. But my trust in this staff and this program couldn’t be any higher.”

Chaney echoed those thoughts even after admitting he has trouble explaining why the Badgers have been so bad at finishing.

“I think that’s up to the coaches’ job to figure out what went wrong or what happened,” he said. “I think our coaches are going to figure it out. As an older guy, this is my last go-round with these guys, but I’m confident in coach Fickell and the guys in the room that they’ll be able to fix it and next year we can have some of these big wins.”

Fickell is convinced his players believed they could win this game, and maybe that’s true. The difference may be that the Ducks knew they were going to win. Or it may be as simple as this: Oregon’s talent is far superior, especially at quarterback.

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Ducks senior Dillon Gabriel had a massive fourth-down completion to start the fourth quarter and made a play with his feet to extend a drive that led to the go-ahead field goal. Locke, meanwhile, went 3 of 9 for 12 yards with an interception in the final quarter.

“It comes down to making some plays,” Fickell said. “There was a not a doubt in the eyes in that locker room, and I do mean that. Sometimes you say those things, but there wasn’t a doubt. You get the last stop again on a fake field goal and there was not a doubt that I could see in the eyes of anybody. That makes me feel good. It doesn’t make me feel good that we weren’t able … to finish it.

“But I do believe that where it’s not always seen and it’s not always felt. There’s something that’s building and there’s something that’s coming. It just unfortunately hasn’t been able to rear its head in games like this, and I put that on me.”

This was a massive recruiting weekend for the Badgers, and those guests on campus got to experience a great atmosphere. That’s something to sell, and Fickell probably can throw in the added perk of early playing time as well.

The T.E.A.M. slogan on the back of his usual game-day attire, a black vest, has meaning — Together Everyone Achieves More — but another four-letter word might be more appropriate for potential future Badgers: