Luke Fickell discusses o-line improvement, Xavier Lucas and more [Video]

MADISON — Head coach Luke Fickell met with the media on Monday, offering some final thoughts on the 42-7 victory over Rutgers, as well as the upcoming matchup against Northwestern.

BadgerBlitz.com has compiled the key takeaways.

The Badgers have improved in a variety of ways over the past two weeks, but Fickell has repeatedly emphasized the offensive line’s role in their success.

According to Pro Football Focus, Wisconsin’s offensive line posted a 92.1 pass blocking grade on Saturday, the highest rating of the Fickell era. Quarterback Braedyn Locke was only sacked once.

The offensive line was given a break when the Scarlet Knights’ best edge rusher, Aaron Lewis, left the game early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and never returned. Still, the Rutgers defensive line is no slouch, and the Badgers have shown palpable improvement.

“Once you start to see some of those strengths, I think you can kind of focus on …