Does Wisconsin play today? College football schedule for Badgers' next game after Week 4 bye
Wisconsin will rest this weekend, following an expected loss against Kalen DeBoer's No. 4 Alabama in Week 3. Entering Week 4, the Badgers are 2-1, having beaten WMU and South Dakota in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively.
The Badgers were handed a heavy defeat by the Crimson Tide, with the Tuscaloosa school imposing its will 42-10. The game was a disaster for Wisconsin nonetheless, as quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending injury almost at the start.
Quarterback Braedyn Locke, who filled in for Van Dyke, threw for 125 yards with one touchdown in last week's game. Not bad, but not near enough to win the game either. Wide receiver Will Pauling was the brightest spot in the Badgers game, with 83 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in nine receptions.
Wisconsin's defense was unable to stop Alabama's 407 yards of offense, resulting in the loss. A poor third-down conversion rate can also be blamed, with the Badgers advancing only three times out of 14 attempts.
Tyler Van Dyke's injury was the Badgers' biggest challenge on offense. Their experienced quarterback was pushed off the field early in the game with a ruptured ACL, which ended his season. That caused redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke to take over.
The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the Badgers, as in Week 5 they face another highly ranked school, the No. 11 USC Trojans. The Trojans have one of the signature victories of the year with their opening-week Sunday victory over the LSU Tigers.
What did Winconsin's Luke Fickell say about Braedyn Locke?
Coach Fickell was asked last week about what he thought about Braedyn Locke's new role in the Badgers' offense.
“He’s going to have to be ready, unfortunately, we could have to have a true freshman that’s got to be ready to roll," the Badgers coach said. "Even the first series or second series (against Alabama), Braedyn was in there, I see him kind of working his hand after he takes a shot and fumbles the football.
"And he’s one play away. And he’s a lot closer today than he was in the past. He’s going to have to grow up fast.”
Locke will have to fill in for Tyler Van Dyke, who's out for the season with an ACL injury. Van Dyke came to Wisconsin from Miami, looking for more playing time and looking to equal his ACC Rookie of the Year performance in 2021.