Wisconsin snapped a six-game losing streak by holding No. 24 Washington to one touchdown and riding a late field goal, according to the Associated Press.
Two days after athletic director Chris McIntosh announced that Luke Fickell would return as head coach next season, the Badgers delivered one of their most complete defensive efforts of the year.
Players said the public vote of confidence reflected how they already felt in the locker room.
“The whole locker room has been behind Coach Fick since day one,” said linebacker Cooper Catalano, who had 19 tackles. “Hearing that obviously reaffirmed us.”
Wisconsin (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) entered the game as a 10½-point underdog and had lost 11 straight games to Power Four opponents.
Cold, wet weather complicated offensive progress for both teams, but the Badgers’ defense repeatedly controlled the line of scrimmage and capitalized on Washington’s mistakes.
Freshman Mason Posa delivered one of the game’s biggest moments in the third quarter when he stripped Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. at the 7-yard line.
That turnover — Wisconsin’s first fumble recovery of the season — set up a short touchdown run by freshman quarterback Carter Smith that tied the game 10-10.
“We could just see it in their eyes and their body language,” Posa said after finishing with 11 tackles and 2½ sacks. “They were already out of it, so we’ve just got to keep on stepping on the pedal.”
Smith entered early after starter Danny O’Neil left in the first quarter with an apparent leg injury.
Making his college debut, Smith completed 3 of 12 passes for 8 yards but ran for 47 yards and the tying score.
Half of Wisconsin’s 48 passing yards came on a 24-yard completion thrown by punter Sean West on a successful fake.
Nathanial Vakos put Wisconsin ahead with a 32-yard field goal with 1:58 left in the third quarter.
The Badgers protected the slim margin the rest of the way, aided by a blocked 50-yard field goal from Ben Barten with 10:43 remaining and a fourth-down sack by Posa in the final 90 seconds.
Washington (6-3, 3-3, No. 23 College Football Playoff) never found rhythm offensively.
The Huskies’ lone touchdown came on a one-handed catch by Denzel Boston after a blocked punt set up first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
“I felt that we never got really in much of a rhythm at all today offensively,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said.
Williams went 20 of 32 for 134 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Huskies also lost starting center Landen Hatchett and right tackle Drew Azzopardi during the game, and running back Jonah Coleman was limited to 2 yards on five carries before suffering an injury.
Washington had a chance to extend its early 10-3 lead in the second quarter, but Ricardo Hallman intercepted a pass from Williams in the end zone.
The Huskies fell to 2-7 in road games under Fisch.
The win touched off a field-storming from the Wisconsin student section as snow and rain swirled at Camp Randall Stadium.
“It just feels incredible,” offensive tackle Riley Mahlman said. “You kind of have these thoughts in the back of your mind. I didn’t know if I was ever going to win another game as a Wisconsin Badger.”
A moment of silence was held before kickoff for Washington women’s soccer goalkeeper Mia Hamant, who died Thursday at age 21 after a battle with kidney cancer.