No. 23 Washington plots to improve standing at Wisconsin’s expense

No. 23 Washington will look to move into the upper echelon of the Big Ten standings on Saturday afternoon when it visits reeling Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.Both the Huskies (6-2, 3-2) and Badgers (2-6, 0-5) were idle last week. Before the bye, Washington recorded a 42-25 victory over then-No. 23 Illinois while Wisconsin dropped its sixth straight decision with a 21-7 setback to then-No. 6 Oregon.The Huskies, who have won three of their last four games, are among four teams with two conference losses. There also are four teams with one conference loss, trailing undefeated Ohio State and Indiana, ranked first and second in the country, respectively.”We certainly understand the task at hand,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said Monday about the Badgers. “We know that it has always been one of the best defenses in college football in the Big 10. We know we’ve got to be on our P’s and Q’s and be locked in and ready roll, so we’re ready for them.”Huskies running back Jonah Coleman leads the nation in total scores (15) and is tied for second in rushing touchdowns (13). Demond Williams Jr. is No. 2 nationally in completion percentage at 73.1. Williams has thrown for 2,117 yards and 14 touchdowns, with four interceptions.Denzel Boston is the top target with 44 receptions for 668 yards and seven touchdowns, and Dezmen Roebuck has 24 catches for 394 yards and four scores.The Huskies average 35.5 points and 438.6 yards per game. Washington’s two losses were 24-6 to Ohio State on Sept. 27 and 24-7 at Michigan on Oct. 18.Wisconsin has struggled offensively since opening the season with victories over Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee.Until their fourth-quarter score against Oregon, the Badgers had gone 14 quarters without a touchdown.Starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., a senior transfer from Maryland, was injured in the opener. Backup Danny O’Neil was ineffective before giving way to Hunter Simmons, who has completed 50% of his passes with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

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