No. 4 Alabama dominated Wisconsin 42-10 at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, improving to 3-0 with its first road win under new coach Kalen DeBoer.
The Badgers (2-1) suffered an early setback when quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, making his third start after transferring from Miami, injured his right knee on the opening possession. He did not return, and Wisconsin finished with 290 total yards and just one touchdown behind backup Braedyn Locke.
Alabama, which entered the game with a 74 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to The Athletic’s model, confirmed its Playoff expectations on Saturday, and now it faces its biggest game next. Here’s what we learned in Madison:
Alabama aced its first test, but Georgia awaits
It was fair to question which Alabama team would show up to Madison on Saturday. Through two games, the team was dominant at times and stagnant at others. Saturday started with a little adversity — allowing an opening field goal to Wisconsin followed by a missed field goal of its own — but from that point on, Alabama rolled in its first road game under DeBoer.
Alabama was a large favorite and Wisconsin lost its quarterback early, but it was more about how the game was won. Last week against USF, Alabama was minus-3 in turnover margin and committed 13 penalties en route to a win. This week: plus-2 in turnover margin (plus one turnover on downs) and just four penalties. A clean performance in a rowdy road environment delivers some assurances that the first team of the post-Nick Saban era can rectify mistakes from week to week.
The Tide are 3-0 to start the season, as expected, and now the biggest question looms: How will it look against No. 1 Georgia in two weeks in Tuscaloosa? Georgia plays Saturday night against Kentucky, and both teams are idle next Saturday, creating two weeks of anticipation.
The expanded 12-team Playoff might make the game less consequential from a national championship perspective, but it’s a massive game in the power structure of college football. It’s an opportunity for DeBoer to answer questions about a drop-off post-Saban, while Georgia could affirm itself as the new measuring stick in the sport with a huge road win. — Smith
Wisconsin QB injury changes trajectory
Wisconsin essentially needed every break to go its way to have a chance at springing the upset against Alabama. As soon as Van Dyke sustained a right knee injury on the first drive, the Badgers’ ability to hang with the Crimson Tide all but evaporated. Van Dyke was carted off the field and missed the rest of the game. We’ll never know what could have happened had he stayed healthy, of course, but at least Wisconsin effectively moved the ball before his injury.
The path forward now could be with Locke, which changes the outlook of the season. Locke was thrust into a difficult spot against Alabama, just as he was when he was forced to replace an injured Tanner Mordecai a year ago. Locke did start three games last season for Mordecai and helped to spearhead a late comeback against Illinois. But his performances thus far have been mixed. In relief of Van Dyke against Alabama, he completed 13 of 26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Locke’s greatest strength is his intelligence and knowledge of the offense. However, he doesn’t possess as strong of an arm as Van Dyke and is less mobile. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo said this preseason after Van Dyke was named the starter that, “If Braedyn were our starter right now, we’d feel great about it.” Wisconsin may be forced to find out. After the Badgers are idle next Saturday, a trip to USC is next on Sept. 28.
“We’ll get a little more clarify hopefully here soon,” coach Luke Fickell said. “Get an MRI. I don’t think it looks real good for us, or for him, and that’s really difficult. I think he was really well prepared and I think that he had grown in those first few weeks and was really sharp to start that game.” — Temple
Could Alabama have nation’s most explosive offense?
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe entered Week 3 with a national-best nine total touchdowns, and he added another five on Saturday to go with 196 passing yards and 75 rushing yards. Milroe’s development under DeBoer has been noticeable, and as a result, Alabama can stake a claim to the title of most explosive offense in the country.
Four of Alabama’s six touchdowns on Saturday were 20-plus yards, and they finished with 407 yards and an average of 7.3 yards per play. It was a largely efficient day for Milroe, and it was a snapshot of how DeBoer can utilize his quarterback’s strengths.
There’s a considerable effort to incorporate Milroe in designed runs, an element that wasn’t consistent last season. Milroe scored on a pair of outside runs and ripped off a few nice rushes between the tackles too. His deep passing remains a strength, too. On a two-play touchdown drive just before halftime after Wisconsin missed a field goal, Milroe stood in a collapsing pocket and hit Ryan Williams for a 47-yard gain. On the next play, Milroe delivered an accurate ball to Germie Bernard in the back of the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown.
WOW @AlabamaFTBL only needed 17 seconds to find the endzone on that drive ⚡️😳 pic.twitter.com/MCPphanT0a
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 14, 2024
The Heisman Trophy race is still in its infancy, but Milroe has to be near the forefront of the conversation through three weeks. His confidence is soaring, Alabama’s offense is healthier with tackle Kadyn Proctor’s return and the next game against Georgia is an opportunity to make a huge statement against one of the nation’s top defenses. — Smith
No stopping Alabama’s star freshman
Williams, a five-star recruit who is just 17 years old, continued to dazzle on Saturday with four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. Through three games, here’s how he compares with other Alabama greats:
- Williams: 10 catches, 285 yards, four touchdowns
- Julio Jones: 10 catches, 107 yards 2 TDs
- Jerry Jeudy: 6 catches, 107 yards, 1 TD
- Calvin Ridley: 13 catches, 87 yards, 0 TDs
- Amari Cooper: 5 catches, 73, yards, 1 TD
- DeVonta Smith: 1 catch, 24 yards, 0 TDs
In August, there were questions about Williams’ potential role on offense after he reclassified from the Class of 2025 to 2024; now he’s arguably the team’s No. 1 wide receiver as a freshman alongside Bernard. Williams’ touchdown on Saturday, where he ran by Wisconsin’s secondary, is the latest example of his game-changing speed.
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Akxo44h0Iz
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) September 14, 2024
One of DeBoer’s biggest questions when arriving at Alabama was his ability to recruit. Earning Williams commitment after Saban’s retirement made an emphatic statement. The last time a new Alabama coach secured a potential generational talent from in-state? When Saban signed Julio Jones. — Smith
Championship expectations are a long way off for Wisconsin
Wisconsin fired Paul Chryst in 2022 and hired Luke Fickell — at an average annual salary of $7.8 million — because the Badgers had fallen further away from reaching their championship-level expectations. Sixteen games into the Fickell era, the Badgers are 9-7 and aren’t any closer to even competing at the level they want.
The Alabama game always was going to serve as a litmus test for where Wisconsin was under Fickell. It represented a significant opportunity on a national stage as the first nonconference home game against a top-10 opponent for the Badgers in 35 years. The fact most people believed the best Wisconsin could do was keep the game close into the second half said enough about the state of the program. But the Crimson Tide put the game away by halftime by taking a 21-3 lead.
Wisconsin still has four games remaining on the schedule against Top 25 opponents: USC, Penn State, Oregon and Nebraska. It could be a challenge just to reach a bowl game for a 23rd consecutive season. Fickell’s revamp of what Wisconsin football looks like was expected to bring quicker results. That hasn’t been the case, with the Badgers still searching to recapture the success they found the previous three decades with a new style. — Temple
(Photo: John Fisher / Getty Images)
