Earlier this week, athletic director Chris McIntosh announced that head coach Luke Fickell would return for the 2026 season, saying Fickell “sees the potential in what this team can be,” according to a statement. 

Publicly backing Fickell for next season seemed to boost the performance on the field as the University of Wisconsin Badgers (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) went on to snap their six-game losing streak and beat the No. 24 Washington Huskies (6-2, 3-2) 13-10.

“I have an incredible appreciation and respect for Chris McIntosh,” Fickell said postgame. “I can’t say thank you enough.”

Sophomore quarterback Danny O’Neil returned to the field for the first time since a brief appearance against Ohio State. But, after breaking out for a 21-yard rush down the left sideline, O’Neil took a big shot and did not get up. After being carted to the locker room, he was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

The injury created an opportunity for younger players to step up, as true freshman quarterback Carter Smith took to the field for the first time in his collegiate career. The offense under Smith relied heavily on the run game, with redshirt freshman running back Gideon Ituka continuing his hot streak in the backfield, carrying for 49 first-half yards. 

The Badgers were not able to find their way into the end zone in the first half, but junior kicker Nathanial Vakos drilled a 42-yard field goal after missing a 48-yarder earlier on in the game to give the Badgers their first points at home since the Oct. 4 game against Michigan.

Smith also utilized his legs on the offense, taking his first snap for a nine-yard rush on the exact same play that O’Neil ran when he was injured. By the end of the first half, Smith carried the ball nine times for 31 yards.

Wisconsin could not connect with their receivers, as they failed to complete a pass until redshirt freshman quarterback Hunter Simmons stood under center for the final minute of the first half, with the offense attempting to drive their way to a field goal. 

Simmons fired two passes in quick succession to move the ball down the field, but penalties pushed the Badgers out of field goal range heading into halftime.

At halftime, the Huskies led 10-3, thanks largely to a blocked punt that Washington recovered on the one-yard line, setting up an easy score. The Badgers, though, would not go down without a fight in a tightly-contested matchup.

Coming out into the second half, snow began to fall on Camp Randall stadium, as the 71,000 fans in attendance persevered through the storm and brought energy to the historic stadium. That crowd energy matched the energy on the field, as redshirt freshman Sean West converted a fake punt on a fourth-and-10 for a 24-yard gain, the longest play of the night.

“It’s great to have a crowd that made a difference,” Fickell said postgame. “The student section, they had a factor [and] I appreciate them and thank them for that.”

The crowd also had an impact on the Huskies, as on the ensuing drive they were called for a false start, backing them up on their own 19-yard line. The tight field position allowed for freshman linebacker Mason Posa to shoot past the offensive line and hit the Washington quarterback, forcing a fumble and recovering the ball on the seven-yard line.

“It [the forced fumble] was a huge momentum changer, we could see in their [Washington players’] eyes and in their body language, they were out of it,” Posa said postgame. 

Two plays after the fumble, Smith kept the ball himself and ran through the gap to score a much-needed touchdown, evening the score a 10-apiece.

The crowd continued to impact the game, as on Washington’s next drive the Huskies were called for three straight penalties, one for intentional grounding and back-to-back false starts. The miscommunications pinned the Huskies on a third-and-30 from their own five-yard line, giving the Badger defense a quick three-and-out and putting Smith back on offense. 

With the snow coming down, the Badger offense continued to rely on the run game, as a 16-yard scramble up the middle from Smith gave Vakos a chance for a 32-yard field goal to give the Badgers the lead late in the third quarter.

Despite the strong winds, Vakos drilled the kick, putting Wisconsin up 13-10 with 17 minutes left to play. 

The Huskies came into the fourth quarter strong, driving down the field on rushes and quick throws. The play style helped gain field position, but took almost five minutes off of the clock as they lined up for a 50-yard field goal. 

As they had so many times during the game, the Badgers came up big. Graduate student Ben Barten used his 6-foot-5 frame and raised his arm high into the air to block the kick at the line and all but end the game for the Huskies. 

“There’s nobody that’s been more consistent,” Fickell said about Barten. “ He gives us everything he’s got and I don’t know where we’d be without him.”

To put the nail in the coffin, the Badgers held the Huskies to a fourth-and-6, game-deciding play. Once again, Posa got home and sacked the quarterback, putting the game fully out of reach for Washington.

In true Wisconsin fashion, the fans celebrated the upset by storming the field. Saturday’s game marked the first time in 10 games that Fickell beat a ranked opponent, and the first win over a ranked opponent since beating No. 9 Iowa in 2021.

The real story of the matchup, as it has been many times this season, was the young Wisconsin core. The freshman linebacker duo of Posa and Cooper Catalano dominated underneath, tallying 11 and 19 tackles, respectively. Posa got home for 2.5 sacks, and 12 of Catalano’s 19 tackles were solo. 

On the offense, Ituka and Smith led the offense in rushing yards, combining for 120 of the team’s 157 yards on the ground. 

The veteran players still had a decisive impact on the game, with graduate student Ricardo Hallman snagging an interception in the end zone late in the first half. Redshirt senior Jackson Acker led the receivers with 27 yards, 24 of those coming off West’s fake punt.

The Badgers will hope to use this momentum as they travel to Bloomington to face the undefeated No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten). The game will kick off at 11 a.m. on the Big Ten Network.