Somebody should probably tell Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell about the last time the guy in his position decided his team didn't need to avoid throwing at Notre Dame's best cornerback.
It really wasn't all that long ago. In fact, it's safe to say that there are people in the building who were there when it happened. It didn't go well. And yet, Fickell has declared that he's going to tempt fate. Nay, he must tempt fate.
During his first press conference of Notre Dame game week, Fickell tried to explain why he doesn't believe the Wisconsin offense can afford to try and stay away from all-world cornerback Leonard Moore. That would be the Leonard Moore who has wowed every single coach who has gone up against him since his freshman year, mind you.
Madison radio personality Zach Heilprin reported that Fickell said Wisconsin can't "shy away" from going toward Moore's side of the field. The reason he believes the Badgers have to treat Moore like anyone else is that they can't just cut the field in half and need to run their offense.
Luke Fickell incredibly plans to test Notre Dame football cornerback Leonard Moore
If that wasn't already one of the goofier things an opposing coach has said in preparing for Notre Dame, what he said after that should maybe raise questions about the possibility of Fickell starting Oktoberfest a little early.
"He'll have a chance to prove he's the best in the country."
It's not entirely clear how many times Moore has to prove that, but it's a safe bet that if this isn't some misdirection tactic, Fickell will leave Lambeau Field on Sunday night knowing what everyone else knows about the talented defensive back. His side of the field is usually a "no passing zone" for a reason.
In Moore's first two seasons with Notre Dame, he's tallied 18 pass breakups and 7 interceptions. According to Pro Football Focus, Moore doesn't need to prove he's the best in the country because he did that last year when he tallied a 92.5 coverage grade. That is indeed No. 1 in the sport among players with more than just a handful of snaps in 2025.
In 2024, during his true freshman season, when he stepped in for an injured Benjamin Morrison, he was the No. 14-rated corner in the coverage score with an 86.5 grade.
But Luke Fickell thinks the real test of whether or not the Notre Dame star is the best corner in the business will come when former Old Dominion quarterback Colton Joseph (who didn't complete 60% of his passes and logged 10 interceptions in the Sun Belt) is throwing at him on Sunday night.
By the way, the last time a Wisconsin coach felt like he couldn't avoid Notre Dame's best corner? That was on September 25, 2021, when Paul Chryst took the same approach with Cam Hart. The two teams faced off in Madison, both hoping for a big statement win early in the season. Quarterback Graham Mertz completed just 18 of 41 passes and threw 4 interceptions, including two to Hart, who tallied two picks of his own. The Irish won the game, 41-13.
Safe to say Marcus Freeman fully endorses Luck Fickell doing Leonard Moore and Notre Dame a solid by helping prove Moore is the best in the country.
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