Feeling joy as a Wisconsin Badgers fan has been exceedingly rare in 2025, so an improbable and uniquely satisfying 13-10 victory over the Washington Huskies in cold/wet/snowy Camp Randall was an amazing
experience for happiness-starved Badger fans.
While there were still issues for the Badgers, most glaringly on offense, rest assured that the joy I just mentioned has leaked into my grading curve for this exercise.
Offense
Yes, punter Sean West led the Badgers in passing yards on the night, so we’re talking about a very modest output here. But after quarterback Danny O’Neil went out with what is believed to be an Achilles injury early, freshman Carter Smith emerged to lead the offense for most of the game.
Was it pretty? In a word, no. It was clear that Smith’s prep for this game likely consisted of a few run-focused packages.
But, Smith showed a lot of guts, as did running back Gideon Ituka, who ran hard against a good Huskies defense. Smith eventually scored the game-tying touchdown with his legs and was a big reason why the Badgers won the game.
Grade: C+
Defense
The Posa/Catalano Show has arrived in Madison.
The entire defense was really good all night for Wisconsin, but nowhere was their dominance more obvious than in the middle of the linebacker unit, where Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano were both extraordinary.
Catalano had a game-high 19 total tackles, and Posa was an absolute wrecking ball, with 2.5 sacks and a key second-half fumble recovery.
These dudes brought it every down, and it clearly rubbed off on the entire defense. There wasn’t even a whisper of the lukewarm unit that folded so easily against Iowa last month.
Grade: A
Special Teams
This was a carnival that had everything in a way that might have even made SNL’s Stefon break.
In no particular order: three punts that pinned the Huskies deep, a missed field goal, two made field goals, giving up a blocked punt near the goal line, blocking a field goal, and a 24-yard gain on a fake punt toss.
Just bonkers stuff.
Grade: B
Coaching
While I have issues with some things (mostly on offense), the overarching theme of this game was a combination of good preparation and outstanding execution on defense. Yes, the weather was a 12th man at times, but defensive coordinator Mike Tressel’s game plan was near perfection, and he had his dudes humming to the ball all night.
As far as the offense, Wisconsin played its fourth-string quarterback, who was handing off to a fourth-string running back, behind a gerryrigged offensive line. The guts that unit showed against a really good defense was impressive, and the coaches deserve credit.
Grade: A
Overall
Wisconsin secured its first win against a ranked opponent since 2021, and there’s no way this professor is handing out anything less than the top grade. It doesn’t magically wash away the program’s many issues, but, at least for one night, everything felt okay.
Grade: A
