{"id":82132,"date":"2025-11-07T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T17:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=82132"},"modified":"2025-11-07T08:46:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T13:46:12","slug":"washington-vs-wisconsin-offense-defense-prediction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/11\/07\/washington-vs-wisconsin-offense-defense-prediction\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington vs. Wisconsin: Offense and Defense Breakdown and Prediction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington will enter Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the first time since 1968. The 2-6 Wisconsin Badgers have yet to win a conference game this season. The Badger offense has struggled with injuries at quarterback and along its offensive line. Wisconsin\u2019s 12.5 points per game ranks 134th nationally as drive sustainability continues to be the biggest hurdle for Luke Fickell\u2019s group. Meantime, Washington\u2019s efficiency on offense continues to turn heads. Among the entire nation, it ranks second in third-down conversion percentage and 12th in available yards percentage while averaging 6.8 yards per play.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Previewing Washington vs. Wisconsin<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Offensive Inconsistency<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the last four games, Wisconsin has played two different quarterbacks. Senior <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/hunter-simmons-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hunter Simmons<\/a> has taken the vast majority of the snaps, with redshirt freshman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/danny-oneil-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Danny O\u2019Neil<\/a> having taken a few against Ohio State. Since starter Billy Edwards Jr. was injured in week one and re-injured in week four, he\u2019s been sidelined with no timetable for return. Fickell was unclear about who will start for the Badgers against Washington this weekend. He even said that former four-star true freshman Carter Smith is in the mix this week. Smith has yet to take a snap in 2025, but could theoretically play the rest of the season and still maintain his redshirt.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wisconsin has thrown at least one interception in every game this season and has thrown 10 total. The offense is gaining just 35% of its available yards (124th nationally), and is converting third downs just 34% of the time (117th nationally). Drive sustainability has been an issue for the Badgers this year. In their last four games, the Badger offense has averaged just 19 yards gained per possession. Just two of its 41 possessions during those four games spanned 70-plus yards. In addition to the inconsistency at quarterback, the offensive line has tried seven different combinations in eight games thus far.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a id=\"o1flvBk0QPZNUhx_DIbgjQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/2231953780\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'o1flvBk0QPZNUhx_DIbgjQ',sig:'4ZdYGVAsNlfx4uzk85DIM23YFCkukChSHnkgQwpDCQU=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'2231953780',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Rush Defense Strength<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wisconsin has struggled this season in a lot of areas. It\u2019s been shut out twice in conference play (against <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/iowa-hawkeyes\/\" target=\"_self\">Iowa<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/category\/bigten\/ohio-state-buckeyes\/\" target=\"_self\">Ohio State<\/a>), and remains winless in the Big Ten. But defensively, the Badgers\u2019 run defense is the team\u2019s strength. The group allows just 110 rushing yards per game on average, which ranks inside the top 25 nationally. Wisconsin\u2019s run defense gets its strength in two different ways.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of those ways is in its personnel. \u201cThey\u2019re very big, they\u2019re fast, they\u2019re physical,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2025\/11\/04\/jedd-fisch-discusses-washington-bye-week-ap-ranking\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Jedd Fisch said this week<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019ve got two outstanding pass rushers that we have to be able to handle.\u201d One of those pass rushers is outside linebacker\/EDGE <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/mason-reiger-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mason Reiger<\/a>. He\u2019s a prototypical Wisconsin defensive end who plays with twitch and physicality. His violent style allows him to shed blocks in the pass rush and fight his way into rushing lanes against the run. Reiger has generated a team-high 26 quarterback pressures this season and made 16 stops according to Pro Football Focus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other pass rusher to make note of is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/darryl-peterson-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darryl Peterson<\/a>, who\u2019s recorded four tackles for loss in the last four games. Peterson is second on the team with 15 quarterback pressures and has logged 12 stops. He and Reiger have the highest pass-rushing grades on the defense, according to Pro Football Focus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Defensive Schematics<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The other way Wisconsin finds success in run defense is with its scheme. The secondary plays conservatively, with the goal to keep everything in front of it while maintaining eyes in the backfield. Safeties and cornerbacks are heavily involved in run defense, playing a leverage game rather than a tight-man-to-man to man coverage game. This type of coverage defense allows the Badgers to create solid run protection to the edge, not allowing big gains on outside runs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wisconsin\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/ben-barten-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ben Barten<\/a> (6\u2019-5\u201d and 330 pounds) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/parker-peterson-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Parker Peterson<\/a> (6\u2019-4\u201d and 315 pounds) are a significant physical presence on the interior of the Badger defensive line. The two don\u2019t fill up the stats column, but they excel in stuffing run lanes and directing running backs towards tackling defenders on the outside. This is where the EDGE and secondary defenders get involved in the run game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTheir safeties play extremely hard downhill,\u201d Fisch said this week. \u201cThey\u2019re a team that has always been known to be hard-hitting, physical, tough, defense to go against.\u201d Two of the Badgers\u2019 top three tacklers are safeties in Matthew Jung and Austin Brown. \u201cCoach Fickell has always done a good job with his defenses, going back to when he was at Ohio State in 2011. I coached against him when I was at Miami. So, certainly have a lot of respect for him and the program.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Misdirection &amp; Motion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of the nature of the Wisconsin defense, much of its tendency is reliant upon the first step of the offense. With eyes in the backfield, the second level can tend to be reactionary to offensive movement. This is where Washington can implement misdirection and reverse action into its run game. In the Badgers\u2019 game against Iowa, it was forced to defend the speed of Kaden Wetjen out of the backfield. The Hawkeyes frequently motioned him and other receivers pre-snap to get the defense on its heels. This helped open up big gains in the run game up the middle. Iowa had five runs of 10-plus yards in that game through the middle of the formation alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A similar approach for Washington this weekend can be impactful. Fisch has used <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/dezmen-roebuck-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dezmen Roebuck<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/raiden-vines-bright-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Raiden Vines-Bright<\/a> in a similar way in motion before the snap, getting the football to them with jet sweep action and pop-passes. If Washington can set up this kind of lateral run game early in the game, it will open up the run game for Jonah Coleman through the middle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Washingston vs. Wisconsin Prediction<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wisconsin\u2019s run defense is its best opportunity to force Washington into a single dimension. But even in that event, the Badger pass defense has struggled this season. It allowed just shy of 10 yards per attempt against Michigan and Ohio State. The Badgers are allowing successful passes on 45% of their plays, which ranks outside the top 100 nationally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This opens up a window of opportunity for Demond Williams to establish rhythm in the passing game on Saturday. Cornerback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/ricardo-hallman-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ricardo Hallman<\/a> has been stingy in coverage, allowing just 48 yards after the catch out of 305 total yards allowed. But on the other side, Geimere Lattimer II has given up 201 yards after the catch on 331 yards allowed. That\u2019s an average of 9.5 yards after the catch per reception given up. If Washington can execute the run game with misdirection and motion, it will create opportunities in the passing game over top of a Badger defense playing on its heels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington &#8211; 37<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wisconsin &#8211; 10<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>How To Watch Washington vs. Wisconsin<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Date\/Time<\/strong>: Saturday, November 8th; 4:30 pm Eastern<\/p>\n<p><strong>Location:<\/strong> Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, WI)<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong> BTN<\/p>\n<p>Main Image: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington will enter Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon for the first time since 1968. The 2-6 Wisconsin Badgers have yet to win a conference game this season. The Badger offense has struggled with injuries at quarterback and along its offensive line. Wisconsin\u2019s 12.5 points per game ranks 134th nationally as drive sustainability continues to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3944,"featured_media":82146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2,17,35612,35651],"tags":[1666,272],"class_list":["post-82132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","category-news","category-washington-huskies","category-wisconsin-badgers","tag-jedd-fisch","tag-luke-fickell"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3944"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82132"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82162,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82132\/revisions\/82162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}