No. 24 UW Huskies roughed up in frustrating road loss to Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis – Demond Williams Jr. didn’t have many options.

Senior running back Jonah Coleman was on the sideline without his helmet after sustaining a lower-body injury that ruled him out of the game in the second half. Junior wide receiver Denzel Boston was limping. He’d already been carted down the tunnel once late in the first half because of an ankle injury. Williams’ offensive line was down two starters.

All while No. 24 Washington tried to salvage the game – and potentially its playoff dreams.

So with Washington facing fourth-and-5 on its own 41-yard line, Williams tried to do it himself. The sophomore quarterback stepped up to escape the collapsing pocket and tried to surge forward for a first down. Instead, he found Wisconsin linebacker Mason Posa, who swung him down for a 1-yard loss and a turnover on downs.

Camp Randall Stadium swayed to the sounds of the Wisconsin student section belting The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” while the Badgers knelt out the win. A wave of cardinal red and white followed, as Wisconsin fans swarmed onto the field to celebrate amid the snowflakes that whipped around the stadium. It was Wisconsin’s first Big Ten win since Oct. 19, 2024.

“All together,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said, “just not a very good day for the Huskies.”

Washington slumped to a 13-10 defeat against Wisconsin on a frigid Saturday evening in front of an announced crowd of 71, 217 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison Wisc. It’s the first time the Huskies have lost to the Badgers in program history. Additionally, no three-loss teams were included in the 2024 CFP, the first year with a 12-team bracket.

“Wisconsin played a really good football game today,” Fisch said. “Played exceptionally well on defense, what we expected them to do. Congratulations to them. Felt like we never got in much of a rhythm today, offensively.”

The Huskies (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) struggled on offense for most of the game. Williams registered a season-low 134 yards passing while completing 20 of his 32 attempts. He also turned the ball over twice. He threw an interception with 4:28 remaining in the first half and fumbled on his own 7-yard line while trying to evade pressure with 7:34 on the clock in the third quarter. The latter led directly to a Badger touchdown that tied the game at 10-10.

Fisch, however, noted Washington’s offensive malaise wasn’t solely Williams’ responsibility. The Huskies had massive difficulty protecting him against the Badgers (3-6, 1-5). The 5-foot-11, 190-pound quarterback was sacked four times, with Posa registering 2.5 sacks by himself. The Wisconsin linebacker also forced and recovered Williams’ fumble.

Washington’s offensive line play also translated into a difficult night running the ball. The Huskies opened the game by rushing for 1 yard on six carries. They were held to 12 yards rushing on seven carries during the third quarter. It’s just the second time this season they haven’t scored a touchdown rushing.

“They have a very good defense, there was no surprise there,” Fisch said. “They’re very physical, which we knew they were going to be. We wound up having some injuries at center, right tackle and running back, so that’s going to make a difference.”

Coleman, who was injured after catching a 11-yard screen with less than five minutes remaining in the first half, ended the game with five carries for 2 yards rushing. Fisch credited sophomore running back Adam Mohammed, who had 54 yards rushing on 12 attempts, for stepping up in Coleman’s absence, but sixth-year left tackle Carver Willis said the offensive line, and especially himself, were hounded by uncharacteristic mistakes.

“When you’re playing a good defense, those mistakes hurt more,” he said. “They were able to fly around and be in the right position at the right time. Kudos to them. They played lights out.”

Washington’s offense didn’t help itself out much, either. The Huskies committed six offensive penalties for 35 yards including four false starts – two on sophomore tight end Decker DeGraaf, one against sophomore tackle Soane Faasolo, who stepped in for junior right tackle Drew Azzopardi, and one on sophomore center Zachary Henning, who replaced junior Landen Hatchett late during the second quarter.

Willis, however, praised his offensive line teammates for accepting the challenge after being thrown into difficult situations. Particularly Henning and redshirt freshman guard Paki Finau, who spent most of the second half at right tackle.

The Huskies only stayed within striking distance because of their defense and the Badgers’ own offensive issues. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell gave sophomore Danny O’Neil his first start since Sept. 13, but the San Diego State transfer went down early in the first quarter after breaking off a 21-yard rush. He was eventually carted off the field and ruled out for the game with a lower-body injury.

So Fickell turned to true freshman Carter Smith, who relied on a heavy dose of option offense while making his college football debut. He did not complete a pass during the first quarter and finished 3 of 12 passing for eight yards.

Washington’s defense, led by junior linebacker Xe’ree Alexander’s 10 tackles, allowed 157 yards rushing on 47 carries and just 3.3 yards per attempt. Wisconsin went 2 of 14 on third downs. The Husky defense forced six punts, and even set up the team’s only offensive touchdown. Sixth-year edge rusher Deshawn Lynch batted a pass on second-and-9 from Wisconsin’s 26-yard line with nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, then junior edge rusher Jacob Lane sacked Smith for a 9-yard loss.

Husky linebacker Anthony Ward blocked the ensuing punt, giving the offense the ball on the Badgers’ 1-yard line. Two plays later, Williams connected with Boston on a goal-line fade to give UW a 10-3 lead.

Washington’s offense, however, didn’t return the favor. Williams’ fumble set up Smith’s 2-yard touchdown run with 6:26 left on the clock during the third quarter, tying the game 10-10. The Huskies went three-and-out on their next possession during a drive that included two false starts and an intentional grounding penalty. That gave the Badgers a short field, which kicker Nathanial Vakos converted with a 32-yard field goal.

The Husky offense had one final chance to pick up its defense in the fourth quarter, but the drive stalled out on the Badgers 32-yard line. Fisch sent senior kicker Grady Gross – who made a 42-yard attempt earlier in the game – to attempt a 50-yard kick, but he was blocked by Wisconsin defensive lineman Ben Barten.

It’s the closest the Huskies got to tying the game. Washington never reached Wisconsin territory again, and Posa’s sack on fourth down clinched the result.

“More teams lose on Saturday than get beat,” Willis said, recalling a quote from a former coach. “Although they are a great defense, I think really the mistakes we made on offense hurt us more.”