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Wisconsin Badgers opening up offense for Carter Smith: 'Find out what this kid can do'

No one expected the Wisconsin Badgers to beat Indiana, so Luke Fickell felt more freedom to open up the offense for true freshman quarterback Carter Smith.
Lorin Cox|
Indiana's Stephen Daly (8) pressures Wisconsin's Carter Smith (5) during the Indiana versus Wiscsonsin football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025.
Indiana's Stephen Daly (8) pressures Wisconsin's Carter Smith (5) during the Indiana versus Wiscsonsin football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. | RIch Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Luke Fickell knew the Wisconsin Badgers had nothing to lose against the Indiana Hoosiers.

No one expected them to beat the No. 2 team in the country, so he felt more freedom to let offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes open up the offense for true freshman quarterback Carter Smith in his first-career start.

"In order to win, you're gonna need to take some chances," Fickell said after the game. "You get to that moment where, we've got to find out what this kid can do, and give him chances to play a little bit more."

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That risk taking paid off in the first half when Wisconsin dialed up a play-action pass on 4th and 1 that created a wide open 45 yard touchdown pass.

Not every true freshman QB has the poise to make that throw without setting his feet in a critical situation with a pass-rusher right in his face.

Related: Carter Smith gives Wisconsin Badgers hope at QB, showing progress in loss to Indiana

The Badgers saw the down-side of the risk taking in the second half.

Down by 17 in the fourth quarter, Smith was late when he tried to force a pass downfield to wide receiver Trech Kekahuna, leaving plenty of time for the underneath zone defender to sink back and step in front for an interception.

Obviously, Fickell doesn't want his QB throwing interceptions, but he knew that a game like this would require more than just short check downs.

"To think you are gonna methodically drive 12-13 plays against a really good football team is one of those things... it's not easy," Fickell said. "So, we have to turn him loose a little bit more, and unfortunately, it didn't always work out for us."

Still, Smith could represent the future of the quarterback position in Madison, and the last few games of this season provide low-risk opportunities for the true freshman to work through growing pains in the offense.

The coaching staff is ready to let him loose and live and die with the good and the bad.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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