Hopes were high for the Wisconsin Badgers ahead of their ‘must-win’ Week 4 matchup against the Maryland Terrapins. Unfortunately, Wisconsin massively disappointed in arguably their worst loss of the Luke Fickell era, losing 27-10 on Saturday despite entering the game as 9.5-point favorites.
It was a game that left fans booing with a half-empty stadium by the end of the fourth quarter, and one that could be a program-defining game for Fickell’s team as they embark on a difficult October after the bye
week.
1st Half
The Badgers began the game on offense and found themselves in Maryland territory early with a catch and run from Billy Edwards to Trech Kekahuana for a gain of 45 yards. With the Badgers at the Maryland 25-yard line and in prime scoring position, the drive quickly fizzled out.
A short run on first down, an errant throw from Edwards on second down, and a questionable run call on 3rd & 7 killed the momentum. Special team woes plagued the Badgers early in the first half, as Nathaniel Vakos’s 38-yard field goal was blocked, keeping the score at 0-0.
Maryland true freshman quarterback Malik Washington began his Big Ten campaign with a sweet 26-yard pass, attacking Ricardo Hallman early. After the initial big gain, however, the Badgers’ defense held up and forced a punt after a crucial drop from Maryland receiver Octavian Smith Jr.
With the ball and a chance to make up for the missed field goal, the Badgers made a surprise quarterback switch. Danny O’Neil came into the game on what initially looked to be a single read-option run play. However, Billy Edwards looked very uncomfortable on the following play after a pressured throw and walked off the field. He did not re-enter the game.
With O’Neil now at the helm, the Badgers found themselves in a 3rd and 16 after a huge sack from Maryland lineman Sidney Stewart. That’s where Wisconsin’s next major mistake came. With pressure coming on 3rd & 16, O’Neil lofted an errant throw to an open Trech Kekahuna that was intercepted, giving Maryland great field position after a quality return.
Now in a prime position to score, Malik Washington was able to run it in on a read option, giving Maryland a 7-0 lead with six minutes to go in the first quarter. The lack of complementary football hurt the Badgers early in the first half and continued to do so throughout the game.
The Badgers’ offense, looking to answer the Terrapins’ score, was quickly ushered back to the sideline with a three-and-out and only six total yards on the drive. O’Neil clearly was off rhythm, and Wisconsin’s offense looked out of sorts early.
The Terrapins were also held to a three-and-out on the following possession, giving the Badgers a chance to redeem themselves and get back into the game. An initial 10-yard run from Darrion Dupree, followed by a 15-yard end-around from Dekel Crowdus, put the Badgers in Maryland territory and provided the necessary momentum to score.
However, a bad snap on 2nd & 3 led to a 23-yard loss and absolutely killed their drive. What looked like a promising drive was immediately shut down, and the icing on the cake was a blocked punt by Maryland, giving them the ball once again in plus territory.
With the ball at the Wisconsin 27-yard line, Malik Washington took control of the game. Washington hit his lead receiver, Octavian Smith, for a quick 12-yard gain, and a run by Nolan Ray for six yards put the Terrapins within 10 yards of the goal line. Washington finished off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Shaleak Knotts on what appeared to be a busted coverage by Wisconsin.
With Maryland now up 14-0 and 14 minutes left in the half, the game was in their control.
Wisconsin tried to answer back and once again was able to push into Maryland territory with some luck from roughing-the-passer penalties and a great 19-yard catch and run from Vinny Anthony. Like all Wisconsin drives in the first half, the Badgers once again stalled. A sack led to a long 3rd & 18, followed by a questionable play call for no gain. Whether it was the change at quarterback or the moving pieces on the offensive line, the Badgers were unable to get any aspect of the offense working.
Following back-to-back punts from Wisconsin and Maryland, the Terrapins got the ball on their own 30-yard line with six minutes left in the half, and Washington got to work once again. He started the drive with a 19-yard pass to Octavian Smith, as Smith was able to layer himself on a deep out just behind the Badger defense.
Washington followed that up with another 18-yard pass to Kaleb Webb, who was running a skinny post on Ricardo Hallman. With momentum and rhythm on their side, it looked like the Terrapins would take a three-touchdown lead. However, a great play from Darryl Peterson led to a four-yard loss and forced a third and long. Maryland ended up settling for a field goal, going up 17-0 with 3:43 left in the half.
Following another series of punts from both Wisconsin and Maryland, the Badgers had a chance to go into the locker room with some points on the board with 1:24 remaining. There was initial momentum, as the Badgers got into Terrapin territory. However, their inability to convert a 4th & 3 when in field goal range gave Maryland the ball back with the opportunity to put more points on the board.
Malik Washington took full advantage of the final possession, starting it off with a huge bomb down the middle of the field to Octavian Smith Jr. for 48 yards. Now in field goal range, the Terrapins went into the locker room with a 26-yard field goal, extending their lead to 20-0.
At halftime, the Badgers’ only bright spot was the 45-yard catch and run from Trech Kekahuna. Coming in as 10-point favorites and being down 20 at halftime was clearly a confidence killer for this Badger team.
2nd Half
The Badgers’ defense came out on fire in the second half, pressuring Malik Washington in the pocket and swarming to the ball. Tyrell Henry, trying to spark the Badgers, took a punt return 35 yards, setting up the Badgers around midfield. The Badgers, feeding off the spark from Henry, were able to march down to the Maryland 15-yard line off a great 12-yard pass to Chris Brooks and two runs by Darrion Dupree for 11 total yards. However, a bad loss on second down once again put the Badgers in a 3rd & 7. Unable to convert, Wisconsin settled for a field goal, cutting the lead to 17 with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.
Wisconsin’s defense’s dominance continued for almost the entire half, swarming to tackles and forcing Maryland into quick possessions. Mason Reiger tacked on a clutch third-down sack to get the ball back to the offense.
The Badgers’ offense, however, could not reciprocate the defense’s energy, continuing to struggle on third downs and unable to find any rhythm. Once again, the Badgers in Maryland territory were forced to punt due to another bad snap and questionable run call, leading to a 4th & Long. These struggles were evident throughout the third quarter, with only 77 yards of offense and going 2 of 5 on third down. Danny O’Neil, unable to find much open downfield, was using his legs to try to get the offense going, both on designed runs and via scrambles.
Going into the fourth quarter with the ball, the Badgers looked to be in prime position to put points on the board. However, back-to-back bad plays resulted in negative yards, then a poor 19-yard sack from Danny O’Neil pushed the Badgers completely out of field goal range. This was the last straw for many fans, as they started to head for the exits following the punt.
Malik Washington then stepped in and made this game his own. Marching out from the back of their own end zone to their own 40-yard line off a series of great runs and passes, Washington let the deep ball go, connecting with Shaleak Knotts for a 62-yard touchdown pass. With that, the final nail in the coffin was hammered in—the Badgers’ confidence, momentum, and will to win were lost.
Wisconsin and Maryland continued to play out the game with a series of punts from each team, with one Wisconsin possession resulting in a missed field goal and Danny O’Neil getting demolished by the defensive line on back-to-back plays.
The bright spot for the Badgers came on their final offensive possession. With Wisconsin on their third-string quarterback, Hunter Simmons, they were able to run a two-minute drill to perfection. Simmons led Wisconsin down the length of the field, connecting on seven passes for 70 yards and topping it off with a pass down the seam to Lance Mason for a 13-yard touchdown.
The Badgers ended the game with a total of 296 yards, which was 30 yards short of Maryland’s 326. Overall, on paper, the game was not as wide-margined as it looked, but bad plays and good field position for the Terrapins really gave Maryland the leg up and allowed them to cruise to a comfortable 27-10 victory.
For Wisconsin, this loss raises a lot of questions about the future and direction of the program under Luke Fickell’s leadership. There’s a lot to figure out heading into the bye week.
