In one of the most stunning results of the college football season, the No. 23 Washington Huskies fell 13–10 to a Wisconsin Badgers team that entered the day with two wins, no quarterback, and one of the worst offenses in college football. The Huskies, who could only muster 251 total yards, not only squandered their first national ranking of the year, but also watched their postseason hopes dissolve entirely.
Wisconsin, starting Danny O’Neil and eventually turning to two more quarterbacks, ran the ball almost exclusively in the first quarter -- and Washington couldn’t stop it. The Badgers outgained the Huskies 88 to 43 in the opening 15 minutes, all on the ground, as Washington’s offense sputtered to just one rushing yard.
The Huskies eventually found some life in the second quarter thanks to a blocked punt that set up a one-yard touchdown to Denzel Boston. Washington went into halftime with a 10–3 lead, but between Boston and Jonah Coleman leaving with injuries, an interception from Demond Williams Jr., and repeated self-inflicted penalties, the energy felt far more fragile than the score indicated.
The second half began with a Wisconsin trick play: a fake punt that moved the chains past midfield. Though a Zach Durfee sack stalled the drive, the field-position trend that defined the day only worsened from there.
Williams’ fumbled deep in his own backfield, turning the game. Wisconsin recovered at Washington’s seven-yard line, and even its struggling offense couldn’t waste that kind of gift. Carter Smith, in the game despite going 0-for-5 through the air in the first half, powered in a quarterback keeper to tie the game at 10.
Washington responded with a series of more damaging mistakes: intentional grounding, false starts, and another punt from its own end zone that Wisconsin returned into plus territory. A 32-yard Nathanial Vakos field goal gave the Badgers a 13–10 lead, which was all that was needed to win the game.
With Coleman still sidelined, Adam Mohammed took over the backfield as heavy rain rolled in. He did everything he could to power the Huskies back into the red zone, ultimately ending his night with 54 rushing yards on 18 carries.
However, facing a 4th-and-5 at the Wisconsin 32, Jedd Fisch opted for a risky 51-yard field-goal attempt in the dreary conditions. Grady Gross never had a chance, as the kick was blocked by Wisconsin -- another wasted opportunity on a day full of them.
The Badgers didn’t do much with the ball, but they didn’t need to. Wisconsin kept pinning Washington deep with punts. Factoring out the drive that started on the one-yard line following the block punt from earlier, the Huskies’ average starting field position was on their own 17-yard line.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s was on its own 45-yard line, including five drives that began in Huskies territory. That disparity dictated every second-half possession.
The rinse-and-repeat sequence defined the final quarter: Washington punted, Wisconsin started near midfield, Washington’s defense forced a stop, Wisconsin punted again and buried the Huskies even deeper. With three minutes left, Washington needed to go 87 yards to win the game.
They went nowhere.
Williams had no passing rhythm and was forced to scramble repeatedly as Wisconsin keyed in on the quarterback run. The Huskies never crossed midfield, and when Williams was swallowed up on fourth down in the final minute, the reality of a stunning defeat settled in.
The Huskies quarterback finished the game with just 134 passing yards on 20-for-32 efficiency, with his lone touchdown being neutralized by an interception and a lost fumble. He led Washington with 61 rushing yards, but did so on 19 attempts, for an underwhelming 3.2-yard average.
Somehow Smith's stats at the quarterback position for Wisconsin were even uglier. He was 3-of-12 passing for only 25 yards, while rushing for 47 on 15 attempts -- only 3.1 yards per carry. The Badgers as a team were held to even less yards than Washington, with only 205 total, but it was still just enough.
Ultimately, it was Washington’s failures that delivered one of the program’s most embarrassing losses in recent memory. A team that hoped to climb the rankings instead collapsed under the weight of its own mistakes. After finally earning a national ranking, the Huskies have now suffered a third loss that officially kills all hope of a magical CFP run. They fell into the trap, and now have to pick up the pieces to salvage any kind of silver lining for the rest of the season.