Watch Wisconsin freshman Carter Smith, a Bishop Verot grad, throw first touchdown vs. Indiana
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Wisconsin true freshman quarterback Carter Smith, a Bishop Verot graduate, made his Badgers debut and helped his team upset Washington 13-10 on Nov. 8.
Fresh off that performance, Smith made his first start Saturday, Nov. 15 vs. No. 2 Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
And the former Vikings QB threw his first college touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 in the second quarter. The Hoosiers took a 10-7 lead into halftime.
How did Carter Smith throw his first college touchdown
Wisconsin offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes seemed to completely fool Indiana on fourth-and-1. Carter Smith threw to a wide-open Lance Mason, who could jog into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 3:35 left in the second quarter.
It capped an eight-play, 79-yard touchdown drive that was otherwise somewhat run-heavy.
Smith finished the first half completing 7 of 11 passes for 91 yards and the score. He also had 5 carries for 3 yards (13 positive yards, minus-10 yards from two sacks).
Why is Carter Smith starting for the Badgers
Smith entered the game against Washington for Wisconsin in the first quarter as the Badgers took on No. 23 Washington on Nov. 8. Smith scored the Badgers’ only touchdown as Wisconsin upset its first ranked opponent since 2021 with a 13-10 win.
Smith replaced an injured Danny O’Neill, who was carted off the field with an injury after a 21-yard run with 7:14 left in the first quarter.
Smith had six carries for 31 yards and went 0-for-5 passing in the first half after replacing O’Neil. After the Badgers recovered a fumble at the Huskies 7, Smith scored his first collegiate TD on a keeper from 2 yards out to tie the game at 10-10 at 6:26 of the third quarter.
Smith finished the game completing 3 of 12 passes for 8 yards as he did most of his damage with his legs. He carried the ball 15 times for 47 yards and his score.
Carter Smith was originally committed to a rival school
Smith, who played high school at Bishop Verot in Fort Myers, Florida, was committed to play for the Michigan Wolverines before decommitting in October 2024. About a month later, the four-star recruit made his intentions clear that he would be a Badger.
Carter Smith was a high school phenom
Smith shattered records in his high school career with the Vikings. A starter since his freshman year, he broke 10 area records, including single-season passing yards (3,104), all-time passing yards (8,828), single-season passing touchdowns (29), and total touchdowns in a single season (48).
In November 2024, he surpassed Dallas Crawford to become Lee County’s leader in career passing yards.
Smith was named the Gatorade Florida Player of the Year in 2023 after throwing for 2,223 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 715 yards and 19 more scores.
Smith has a knack for putting his head down and getting tough yardage when needed. In high school, Smith rushed for 2,640 yards and 57 touchdowns on 501 carries. In each of last three years, he rushed for at least 13 touchdowns.
−Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writer John Steppe contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Watch Wisconsin QB Carter Smith, a Bishop Verot grad, throw first touchdown vs. Indiana
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