Washington head coach Jedd Fisch hasn’t given a definite answer on whether he’ll stick around next season or accept an offer to go elsewhere. Under his lead, a program tired of being a stepping stone for eager coaches got stomped by the Wisconsin Badgers.
Among other things, Washington looked sloppy and overwhelmed, a recurring theme for the Huskies on the road. If Washington were playing the Wisconsin of old, you could understand it. But this is the struggling version of Wisconsin. A program that had to give head coach Luke Fickell a public vote of confidence after a 2-6 start to the season. One that has had putrid quarterback play, had scored a combined seven points in its last three games, and had not beaten a power-conference foe in 385 days.
There’s more.
Wisconsin had 11 straight losses to power-conference opponents, meaning it hadn’t won a game in conference play this season. With Washington, Indiana, Illinois, and Minnesota left on the schedule, it sure didn’t look like it would capture one this season. But games aren’t played on paper. If it were, Washington would be celebrating a road victory, still alive in its pursuit of the College Football Playoff.
Instead, the lasting image of Saturday is fans dressed in red covering the field at Camp Randall Stadium, giving Jump Around another spin after watching the Badgers snap a streak that stretched beyond a calendar year.
A scoreless first quarter was a sign of trouble. But hope for the Huskies grew when they took a 10-3 lead into halftime. Grady Gross nailed a field goal from 42 yards out for UW’s first score of the game, then Demond Williams connected with Denzel Boston in the endzone for a one-yard touchdown pass.
If the third quarter were a movie, I’d compare it to Uncut Gems. The viewer watches in agony as Adam Sandler’s character – Howard Ratner – makes one bad decision after another, catches bad break after bad break, yet still somehow has a chance in the end.
If you don’t know how that movie ends, you do now.
When trying to make something out of nothing, Williams was far too loose with the ball and fumbled on third and long. Wisconsin recovered, and its offense began its ensuing drive in the red zone. It took just two plays for the Badgers to tie the game.
Momentum was swinging rapidly, and UW needed to respond with points.
By third down, the first down marker was 30 yards away.
Roughly three minutes later, Wisconsin led 13-10.
Here is where Howard Ratner meets his demise.
On 4th & 5, UW called on Grady Gross for a 50-yard field goal attempt. Similar to if he were to attempt a layup against Hannes Steinback, it was blocked.
UW had two more chances after forcing a pair of punts. The first drive ended with a punt after just six plays. The other saw a door slam in the face of the Huskies as Williams was sacked on fourth down.
While Wisconsin had its biggest celebration in 385 days, Washington fans are left with little clarity on whether Fisch will be around next season, and the uneasy feeling that maybe they don’t want him to be.