The snow began to fall with strength in the second half of Washington’s game at Wisconsin. And with it, the Badger defense continued to play with strength within its front seven. Wisconsin’s defense accounted for nine tackles for loss, four sacks, and three quarterback hurries. As such, the Badger offense needed just 13 points to defeat Washington 13-10. It was Wisconsin’s first-ranked win since 2021, and the team’s first win in conference this season.
Wisconsin Defeats Washington 13-10
Run Game Struggles
Outside of Demond Williams’ 36-yard scramble, the Husky offense had just 21 rushing yards in the first half. The Badger run defense was the team’s strength entering the game, and it showed up early. One play that exemplified this at its best was after Washington took possession after blocking a punt. Anthony Ward got his hand on the punt, and the deflected ball rolled to the Badger one-yard line, where the punter jumped on it. The play gave Washington momentum midway through the second quarter. But the first play of the drive was a Jonah Coleman run up the middle, where he was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Coleman would end up exiting the game with a lower-body injury. Jedd Fisch said he was rolled up on during his screen pass catch and run.
Interior defensive lineman Ben Barten, who stands at 6’-5” and 325 pounds, made the play, keeping the Huskies out of the end zone temporarily. Washington would score on the next play, but that rushing stop on first and goal at the one would be the theme of the Badger defense all evening. Wisconsin’s defense recorded four tackles for loss in the first half alone. Barten would also be responsible for a blocked field goal in the fourth quarter to ultimately help seal the upset.
The Wisconsin front seven would continue to show its strength into the third quarter. An illegal block in the back penalty backed the Husky offense up inside its own 10-yard line after a Wisconsin punt. Washington pushed the football outside of its own red zone, but Mason Posa forced quarterback pressure, and brought Williams down, and forced a fumble. Posa jumped on it, giving Wisconsin the football inside the 10-yard line. It was the Badgers’ first fumble recovery of the season. Two plays later, Smith took the football into the end zone to tie the game at 10.
Opportunistic Badgers
There were several moments in this game where Wisconsin generated significant momentum. It wasn’t in the form of scoring a lot of points, but rather in game-changing plays. Whether it was the fake punt for a 24-yard gain, the strip-sack to create a touchdown drive, or the blocked field goal early in the fourth quarter, this defense and special teams unit kept Washington on its heels all evening.
One of those plays was the blocked field goal in the fourth quarter. Barten got his hand on Grady Gross’ 50-yard attempt, keeping the Badger lead at 13-10. “We felt like the wind was in our favor there,” Fisch said after the game, regarding the decision to kick the long field goal. “Grady felt really good about the distance.” Instead, the block kept the Husky deficit at three points. And the fourth quarter ran under 12 minutes.
Six plays after the block, Wisconsin punted back to Washington. It pinned the Huskies at the five-yard line, a position the offense had to deal with frequently against the Badgers. “The field position today just felt like we were having to go 85, 90 yards almost every drive,” Fisch said after the game. “And that’s a real challenge with a defense like Wisconsin’s.” The Huskies’ average starting field position was their own 25-yard line. That’s compared to Wisconsin’s average starting field position of its own 45-yard line. Three of the Huskies’ final five possessions began inside their own 10-yard line.
Final Thoughts
Wisconsin controlled the field defensively all evening in Madison, and it translated into its ability to keep Washington out of the end zone. The Huskies turned the ball over four times tonight, two were on downs, and the other two were an interception and a fumble.
Washington’s defense played a solid game, allowing just 13 points on the road in treacherous weather conditions. “I thought defensively we did a really nice job of really holding them down and keeping them to six points,” Fisch said afterwards. He doesn’t fault Ryan Walters’ group for the short field touchdown in the third quarter. “Fumbling the ball at the six-yard line isn’t really the defense’s fault there.”
The Huskies, now 6-3 on the season, turn the page to Purdue back at home on November 15th.
Main Image: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
