Luke Fickell might be in trouble at Wisconsin.
This is one of the biggest games of the season if not the biggest game of the season for Wisconsin, and right now they have everything working against them. Wisconsin is currently down 21-3 to Alabama at halftime.
The Badgers were dealt a tough hand on the first drive when starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke went down with what looked like a knee injury. Van Dyke was looked at in the medical tent on the sideline but was then carted back to the locker room for further examination, and when the cart comes out, that is never a good sign.
The extent of the injury has yet to be announced, but at halftime, Wisconsin officially announced he is out for the rest of the game with a knee injury.
Backup quarterback Braedyn Locke entered the game for Van Dyke. Locke and Van Dyke were in a quarterback battle for all of the spring and most of the fall camp before Van dyke won the job just before the season started. It is a little puzzling how there was a big competition because Locke has struggled the entire first half.
Locke is just 7-for-16 with 55 passing yards, and this was after Van Dyke started the game 5-for-5 with 16 passing yards. Locke just doesn't look comfortable in the pocket and can't seem to get anything going.
Nothing was going Wisconsin's way in the first half with a fumble by running back Chez Mellusi on a big run, a turnover on downs, and a missed field goal. The offense can't get anything going, special teams is struggling as well, and the defense has problems of its own.
In the first quarter, it seems like the Wisconsin defense was able to get some stops against Jalen Milroe and the Alabama offense. However, toward the end of the second quarter, Milroe and Crimson Tide's offense hit a different gear and nothing was stopping them.
Alabama will get the ball in the second half and let's hope Fickell and the coaching staff figured out some adjustments to make at halftime, or this game could be over by the end of the third quarter.