The Wisconsin Badgers have secured a massive win over the Washington Huskies just days after Coach Luke Fickell was officially confirmed as the 2026 coach.
A true freshman quarterback by the name of Carter Smith managed to carry the Wisconsin offense after Danny O’Neil, the starting quarterback, was not able to finish the first-quarter. O’Neil had to be carted off of the field and the Badgers were forced to play a fourth quarterback this season after being beaten down by injuries.
Smith did not test the Huskies’ secondary, with just eight passing yards, but added 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Directly after the game, Fickell stated, “We had him prepared. He stepped up for us tonight.”
The Badgers recorded just 205 yards and 48 passing yards against the Huskies’ defense without having a quarterback record more than 20 passing yards. Punter Sean West led Wisconsin with 24 passing yards, 16 more yards than Smith recorded through the air. Wisconsin did not need to score more than 13 points as the defense put together an excellent game.
Wisconsin Badgers Secure Much Needed Win Over Strong Washington Huskies’ Squad
Entering the game, the Huskies had a record of 6-2 with one of the top defenses in the Big Ten Conference and a high-powered offense. Wisconsin held the Huskies’ offense to just 251 yards. Washington has averaged 438.6 yards per game this season while scoring 35.5 points per game.
Fickell had previously not been able to gain any real traction on the field with the team which was what was arguably holding the program back the most. The vibes in Madison had not been very high and reached significant lows this season in the midst of a 2-6 year. A win over Washington takes some of the pressure off of Fickell and gives the coach a signature win with the program now.
The Badgers notably now have a conference win this season after suffering through a difficult five game, 143-27 stretch to kick-off conference play. Wisconsin showed signs of improvement against Oregon in a tough Autzen Stadium last week and now has secured another win.
The season might be over after the final three games for Wisconsin but earning a third win after such a bleak start feels like a breath of fresh air. Young stars like Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano combined for 30 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and four tackles for loss. Defensive Back Ricardo Hallman recorded an important interception that helped the Badgers greatly.
On offense, running back Gideon Ituka built upon his best career game against Oregon last week with a 73-yard performance against one of the strongest run defenses in the Big Ten Conference.
The true freshman Smith had a solid performance considering the limited amount of experience the quarterback has within the offense. Playing Smith this season was not supposed to be something that would happen this season, at least under competitive circumstances like the Washington game. To see the freshman limit his mistakes and do what the offense needs in his first appearance is promising.
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