Luke Fickell knows Wisconsin Badgers have to play a lot better at Alabama than they did in Week 2

Despite the 32-point victory, he gave a stark assessment of his team's struggles in the first half, knowing they won't be able to get away with slow starts like that moving foward.

"We can’t play the way we did in the first half. There’s no doubt about that," Fickell said. "We've got our work cut out for us, but that's where you've got to find out what you are."

Late into the first half, the Blue Raiders had outgained the Badgers on offense, and MTSU eclipsed their Week 1 yardage total in the first two quarters against Wisconsin.

It didn't keep UW from pulling away in the second half, but they won't have that same luxury to bounce back against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide looked vulnerable after a Week 1 loss to Florida State, but they responded by dominating UL-Monroe on Saturday 73-0.

"We're going on the road to, obviously, an incredibly hostile environment, to a team that beat us pretty bad last year at home," Fickell said. "We understand what the journey in front of us and the mountain looks like, and we've got to continue to climb."

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