It happened. It finally happened.
In beating the No. 23 Washington Huskies at snowy Camp Randall Stadium, the Wisconsin Badgers exorcised some demons. The Badgers not only ended their six-game losing streak in 2025, but they also broke their 10-game losing streak in Big Ten games. It was the first win over a ranked opponent under Luke Fickell.
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The Badgers’ defense was outstanding. Wisconsin held the Husky offense to 3.3 yards per rushing attempt and forced two turnovers. We saw some glimpses of hope before the bye week against Oregon, but we needed to see that effort on a more consistent level. On Saturday, Mike Tressel’s unit played inspired defense for four quarters to deliver a win this fanbase and program desperately needed.
Here are three things that stood out from Wisconsin’s win over No. 23 Washington.
Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano
The Badgers have two burgeoning stars at linebacker in Posa and Catalano.
Posa was the Badgers’ MVP on Saturday. The freshman linebacker finished with 11 total tackles, six of which were solo, and two sacks against the Huskies. One was a strip sack of Demond Williams Jr., setting up the Badgers deep in Washington territory for what proved to be a game-tying score. The other sealed the deal on fourth down.
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Catalano was a tackling machine against Washington, finishing with 19 (!) total tackles, 11 solo, and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Special Teams Rollercoaster
This game did not start well for the Badgers’ special teams. Wisconsin drove to the Washington 31-yard line, but Nathaniel Vakos missed a 48-yard field goal wide left. Vakos got back on track with a 42-yard field goal at the beginning of the second quarter.
However, punter Sean West’s first punt in the second quarter was blocked deep in Wisconsin territory, and Washington capitalized on that special team disaster with a touchdown pass to Denzel Boston to make it 10-3 Huskies.
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But West, who successfully ran an unscheduled fake punt against Ohio State last month, had the longest pass play of the game for the Badgers, a 24-yard pass to Jackson Acker on another fake punt.
The Badgers took a 13-10 lead on a 32-yard field goal by Vakos, but the Huskies mounted a drive into Wisconsin territory. The Huskies had to settle for a 50-yard field goal attempt by Grady Gross, but Ben Barton came up with a huge block to swing momentum back to Wisconsin.
Shoutout also to Atticus Bertrams, who delivered two outstanding punts that put the Huskies’ final two drives deep in their own territory.
Quarterback Carousel
Luke Fickell’s starting quarterbacks can’t catch a break.
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Following Hunter Simmons’ struggles, the Badgers turned to Danny O’Neil as the starting quarterback. O’Neil was running the ball effectively but suffered a lower-body injury and was carted off the field.
In stepped Carter Smith. While not a factor in the passing game, the freshman quarterback finished with 15 carries for 47 rushing yards and the game-tying touchdown. Simmons did make an appearance late in the second quarter and helped the Badgers drive into Washington territory before stalling to finish the half.
Going forward, Smith should get first-team reps before the Indiana game. The Badgers must have a better passing attack, and 48 total passing yards will not be enough in Bloomington next Saturday.
