Quick Reactions to the Badgers' Loss to Alabama

The biggest news from the game is the injury to Tyler Van Dyke. The quarterback was injured on a scramble in the first quarter and was carted into the locker room. He was later seen on the sidelines in a brace and crutches with what the team called a knee injury. His status is unknown at the moment, but it wouldn't be surprising to hear that the signal-caller will miss significant time, if not the full season.

Braedyn Locke was subsequently thrust into the starting quarterback role and struggled to find a rhythm. He missed throws and wasn't on the same page as his receivers at times as well. It's not terribly surprising considering Van Dyke now takes all the first-team reps and Locke had no intentions of playing today. The rest of the season may fall on Locke's shoulders moving forward.

Turnovers were a problem for the Badger backfield as both Chez Mellusi and Cade Yacamelli coughed the ball up. It's not easy to beat the fourth-ranked team in the country if you lose the turnover battle.

The defense was gashed all day. The Alabama offense had five plays of more than 20 yards and there were several times defenders were very out of position. The usual strength of the team was debatably worse than the offense in this one.

The play-calling was questionable, and frankly has been all season. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo inexplicably called runs on long downs and stacked boxes multiple times. There was a quarterback change mid-game, but the team still refuses to take shots deep. Through three games, the 2024 Air Raid looks no better than in 2023.

Overall, the team still faces most of the same questions they did before the game. The run defense is still a major problem and the offense has no identity. The team will have a bye week to regroup before heading out west to face USC.