3 Bold Predictions: Wisconsin Football Exacts Revenge on Malik Washington

It's absolutely critical that Wisconsin continues to stack wins and build momentum late in the season during this November stretch run.

After getting whooped by Iowa, the Badgers are in the midst of a stretch of three games that, at least on paper, appear to be quite winnable.

So far, so good — Wisconsin authored a commanding win over Rutgers in true freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins' starting debut.

Next up is a scrappy Maryland team that, after having fired its head coach, is playing inspired football and playing much more freely overall. Players had clearly tuned former head coach Mike Locksley out; there's new life in College Park under interim head coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim.

Ahead of the crucial clash with the Terps, here's three bold predictions for Saturday morning's showdown in the DMV:

Wisconsin exacts revenge on Malik Washington

Maryland Terrapins quarterback Malik Washington. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Not many of the same faces remain from last season's Wisconsin defense that got shredded by Maryland quarterback Malik Washington in his first career Big Ten start. Aside from safety Matt Jung, the Badgers don't have a single starter still on the team from that unit that got taken behind the woodshed by Washington in 2025.

That's probably a good thing; the gunslinger tossed for 265 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a 62-yard bomb, and he added a score on the ground in a dominant 27-10 victory that was even less competitive than the final score indicates.

This season has been uneven for Washington. He's struggled mightily against defenses worth their salt. Against UCLA (No. 7 total defense in the country), he threw four interceptions. Against Ohio State (No. 15 total defense in the country), his 25 passing attempts netted 64 passing yards.

Now, he must face the Badgers, who check in with the No. 14 total defense in America. Wisconsin's secondary has been more permeable than its defensive front, but the Badgers have the No. 18-ranked run defense in the country; if Maryland can't run the ball, it'll fall on the right arm of Washington.

The Terps' offensive line has allowed just 10 sacks, which is one of the better numbers in the country. However, the left side of their offensive line in particular looks penetrable, and the Badgers are coming off a five-sack performance against Rutgers; that defensive front should be red hot.

What's more, though I'm not always sold on defensive coordinator Mike Tressel's schematic chops, I'd be surprised if he didn't have a handful of exotic packages and play-calls with which to confuse the quarterback who embarrassed his unit last season.

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Bryan Jackson sees his biggest workload yet

Wisconsin running back Bryan Jackson. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Head coach Luke Fickell acknowledged this week that the Badgers need to hone in on two backs to feed the ball to. There's several reasons for Wisconsin's sputtering ground game, from inconsistent blocking up front to an overreliance on the legs of Colton Joseph when he was the starting quarterback. But the lack of a true bell-cow back has also handicapped Wisconsin's rushing attack.

"The backs have to have the ball in their hand a little more, we have to find ways. Sometimes it's harder when you’re playing multiple guys back there, you don’t give a guy a chance to get a little bit hot," Fickell said this week.

"I’ve kinda challenged them, I said look, I’m not saying you go to a one-back system, where only one guy is in there, I’m not even saying go to a two-back system. But I think it’s much more difficult to think you’re gonna go with more than two guys."

Conventional wisdom says Abu Sama and Darrion Dupree are the Badgers' top two tailbacks and should constitute the one-two punch Fickell referenced. But last week, Bryan Jackson had five carries for 32 yards, leading the way with 6.4 yards per carry.

Jackson is a big, physical back who's hard to tackle up high. He'd be a great way to gauge just how badly Maryland wants it, just how physical the Terps are willing to get in the trenches. And while Sama and Dupree like to dance around in the backfield from time to time, Jackson is a true north-and-south runner; more than anyone in running backs coach Jayden Everett's room, he sets the tone.

Ryan Hopkins keeps playing the hits

Wisconsin quarterback Ryan Hopkins. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

What concerns me about Maryland's defense is its front seven. There's a handful of very capable linebackers, and the true freshman former five-star recruit Zion Elee is already an elite pass-rusher. Last week at Purdue, he racked up seven pressures and three sacks.

However, if the Badgers' offensive front can hold up, I have no reason to believe that Hopkins won't be able to replicate the performance he put together against Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights have one of the worst overall defenses in the Power Four, sure. That was always going to be a knock on Hopkins' starting debut. Well, if you thought Rutgers defense was bad, here's some food for thought: the Scarlet Knights' defense ranks 87th nationally in passing yards per game. Maryland's defense, meanwhile? 91st nationally.

Furthermore, Maryland could be down its top cornerback Jamare Glasker, who's allowing an elite reception percentage of 45.8 on 48 total targets.

If Wisconsin can keep Hopkins moderately clean, there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to have similar success in his second career start.

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