Wisconsin Badgers
Washington
Baggot: Five things to know - Badgers host No. 23 Huskies
November 06, 2025 | Football
Wisconsin takes on #23 Washington Saturday afternoon
Sooner or later, every team in every sport must deal with injuries.
Sometimes they can be overcome. Sometimes not. Sometimes the list of those sidelined is long, but manageable. Then there are those cases where just an injury or two creates a major issue. There are a lot of challenges facing the Wisconsin football team as it prepares for a Big Ten Conference duel with No. 24 Washington at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
UW (2-6 overall, 0-5 in league play) has lost six straight games and sits in last place in the Big Ten. The Huskies (6-2, 3-2) are the fifth club ranked in the Associated Press’ top-25 that Wisconsin has faced this season with second-rated Indiana on deck.
This week began with word that two projected starters when the season began – redshirt freshman running back Dilin Jones and graduate senior center Jake Renfro – underwent season-ending surgeries.To date, no other UW players have been ruled out for the season, including graduate quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.
Entering November, Badger projected season starters have already had 37 games impacted or missed due to injury. On offense, we’re talking about Edwards (eight games missed), Renfro (five games) and Jones (one game). 2025 projected starters Tucker Ashcraft (six games) and Kevin Heywood (eight games) have also missed significant time.
Edwards suffered a lower-body injury vs.Miami (Ohio) in the season opener and his timetable for return is still unknown.
On defense, junior linebacker Christian Alliegro suffered an arm injury against Ohio State and returned to finish the ballgame. He was the Badgers’ last outing at Oregon. Meanwhile, graduate safety Preston Zachman has missed five games and senior cornerback D’Yoni Hill has been sidelined for three games.
Here are five more things to know:
PRETTY FINE COMPANY
Senior wide receiver Vinny Anthony II has caught at least one pass in 19 games dating back to the 2024 season-opener vs. Western Michigan. If he can extend that streak to 20 games, he’ll modestly join a club featuring the likes of Lee Evans, who had a run of 38 games with at least one catch on his way to setting the program record for career receiving yards with 3,468; Brandon Williams, who had two instances of 25-game streaks en route to setting the UW standard for most career catches with 202; and Jared Abbrederis, who had a 37-catch streak on his way to tying Williams for most career catches.
NOT VERY PLAYFUL
The Badgers rank 134th among Football Bowl Subdivision clubs with 471 plays from scrimmage. That works out to 58.8 plays per game. UW has been limited to fewer than 60 plays five times this season (51 vs. Alabama, 57 vs. Michigan, 57 vs. Iowa, 46 vs. Ohio State, 50 vs. Oregon).
FREEMASONS, PART 1
Mason Reiger, a graduate senior from Hoffman Estates, Ill., by way of Louisville, is making a name for himself on the UW defense. An outside linebacker, Reiger currently ranks second in the Big Ten with 20 quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. He also leads the Badgers with three sacks.
FREEMASONS, PART 2
Lance Mason, a graduate senior from Rockwall, Texas, by way of Missouri State, continues to be an offensive playmaker for the Badgers. His three touchdown receptions – tied for the team lead – are the most by a Wisconsin tight end since Jake Ferguson in 2021.
TAKING A LOOK
Carter Smith, a true freshman from Fort Myers, Fla., could see action against the Huskies. If so, it would mean UW will have played four quarterbacks this season. If Smith lands a start over the final three outings, it means the Badgers will have four debuts at that position for the first time since Richard Simonson, Ron Carlson, Gil Blackman and Sid Williams did so back in 1956.
