Wisconsin fired offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo. The school announced Sunday that Longo had been relieved of his duties, just one day after the Badgers’ 16-13 loss to No. 1 Oregon.
Longo was in his second year with the program. Wisconsin dropped to 5-5 on the year, with a 3-4 record in the Big Ten after falling at home to the Ducks.
“This morning, I informed Phil Longo that he will no longer serve as our offensive coordinator,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said in a statement. “After continuing to evaluate the program, I decided we are not where we need to be and believe this decision is in the best interest of the team. I appreciate Phil’s commitment to helping us build our program over the past two seasons and wish him well moving forward. This team still has a lot in front of us and I am committed to doing everything we can to close out this season with success.”
Longo was seen as an innovative hire when Fickel added him to his first staff with the Badgers. Longo, a former offensive coordinator at Ole Miss and North Carolina, brought an Air Raid system to a Wisconsin program that has traditionally focused more on a ground-and-pound approach. It hasn’t quite worked out.
Ten games into the 2024 season, Wisconsin ranks ninth in the Big Ten in total offense (363.1 yards per game) and 11th in scoring (23.9 points per game). Longo’s offense put up similar numbers — 381.2 yards per game and 23.5 points per game — in 2023.
The Badgers have failed to score more than 13 points in each of their last three games though, and they’ve only eclipsed 20 points against four Power Four opponents this year. Due to injury, Longo never got the chance to work with a consistent quarterback during his time in Madison.
Former Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL three games into the year, which means that the Badgers had to turn to redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke. In seven starts, Locke has completed 55.8% of his passes for 1,514 yards and nine touchdowns with nine interceptions.
Wisconsin is one win away from reaching a bowl game in each of its first two full years under Fickell. The Badgers close the year on the road against Nebraska and at home against Minnesota.
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