MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was carted off the field and later ruled out for the game with a right knee injury after absorbing a hit on a scramble attempt during the Badgers’ first drive Saturday against No. 4 Alabama.
Van Dyke gained five yards on a third-and-7 but remained on the ground in front of the Wisconsin bench after being tackled by Alabama’s Keanu Koht. He had to be helped to the medical tent on the sideline before a cart took him to the locker room. Van Dyke completed all five of his passes for 16 yards before he sustained the injury.
Backup quarterback Braedyn Locke replaced Van Dyke, and the Badgers kicked a field goal on the opening drive.
Locke, a redshirt sophomore, has been in this situation before. He replaced quarterback Tanner Mordecai late in the first half against Iowa last season after Mordecai suffered a broken right hand. Locke then started the next three games before Mordecai returned.
Wisconsin went to the transfer portal for a second consecutive offseason to find its quarterback, adding Van Dyke after he left Miami. Van Dyke brought the playing experience the Badgers were lacking at the position, having started 28 games for the Hurricanes over the past three seasons.
The other quarterbacks on Wisconsin’s roster had a combined total of three starts, all belonging to Locke. Van Dyke and Locke were engaged in a quarterback competition throughout spring practices and early this preseason. But Van Dyke won the job for two reasons.
First, he possessed a big arm that allowed him to push the ball downfield and complete passes in tight windows. Plus, he also was a more effective runner out of Wisconsin’s read-option looks.
Van Dyke has battled injuries every year since he put together a tremendous 2021 campaign at Miami in which he won ACC Rookie of the Year honors. He suffered a third-degree AC joint sprain in his right shoulder during the 2022 season. And, last season, Van Dyke sustained a Morel-Lavallee lesion in his right knee during a game against North Carolina. His skin separated from the muscle and fat layer with an injury most commonly associated with high-velocity traumas such as a car crash.
Van Dyke has completed 43 of 68 passes for 421 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions this season. He added a rushing touchdown during a season-opening victory against Western Michigan.
(Photo: Jeff Hanisch / Imagn)
