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Badgers quarterback Danny O'Neil was carted off the field and into the locker room after injuring his leg in the first quarter of Wisconsin's 13-10 win over No. 24 Washington on Saturday. O'Neil got up at the end of a 21-yard keeper, limped and then went back down and clutched his right leg. O'Neil had a towel over his head as he was carted into the locker room. Wisconsin announced in the second quarter that O'Neil would miss the rest of the game because of a lower-body injury. The San Diego State transfer was making his first start since a Sept. 13 loss to Alabama, though he had played in a reserve role Sept. 20 against Maryland and Oct. 18 against Ohio State. Freshman Carter Smith took over for O'Neil and made his college debut Saturday. Four Badgers threw passes in the victory. On the other side, Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston was carted from the sideline to the locker room in the second quarter, but he returned for the second half. Boston, who scored his eighth touchdown of the season Saturday, was returning a punt when a defender grabbed his left ankle while making the tackle. Quarterback issues have hindered Wisconsin all season, and throughout coach Luke Fickell's three-year tenure. Billy Edwards Jr. was Wisconsin's first-team quarterback at the start of the year, but he sprained his knee in the second quarter of the Badgers' season opener and has played only one full series since. Tanner Mordecai missed 3½ games because of a broken hand in 2023. Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the third game of the 2024 season. Wisconsin's intended season-opening starting quarterback has been available for the entirety of only 11 of the 34 games the Badgers have played since the beginning of the 2023 season. The last time Fickell had his season-opening starting quarterback healthy for a full game was in a 27-13 victory over South Dakota on Sept. 7, 2024. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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