Tag: braedyn locke

Wisconsin football in exclusive company since start of College Football Playoff era

Wisconsin football in exclusive company since 2014

The Wisconsin Badgers football team will conclude their spring practice schedule Thursday ahead of their 2024 campaign.

Luke Fickell and his staff will look to extend Wisconsin’s incredible streak of having a winning record in every season since 2001. The program is one of only 10 in the sport to boast that since the College Football Playoff began in 2014. The Badgers’ streak just happens to also go back another 13 years to the start of the century.

Fickell’s squad is coming off of a 7-6 season in 2023, which concluded with a 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl in January. It was an up-and-down season for the Badgers, struggling to find consistency on both sides of the ball.

With offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s air raid offense, Wisconsin never really found its groove, something they’ll look to do with a new quarterback at the helm in 2024. With Tanner Mordecai moving on to the NFL, it will either be graduate transfer Tyler Van Dyke (Miami-FL) or redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke operating as the team’s starting signal-caller.

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Other programs to have a winning record every year since 2014 include Ohio State and Iowa from within the Big Ten as well as juggernauts like Alabama, Georgia and Clemson.

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Wisconsin OC Phil Longo discusses Badgers ongoing quarterback competition

Who should start at QB for Wisconsin this fall?

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo met with the media Friday as the Badgers’ spring season continued. One topic of conversation was his quarterback room and the state of the competition between veteran transfer Tyler Van Dyke and returning youngster Braedyn Locke.

Van Dyke joined the Badgers this offseason after three years of starting at Miami. He brings a wealth of experience, plus 912 career pass attempts, 581 completions, 7,469 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

Related: Evaluating the Big Ten’s next targets for conference expansion

Locke, on the other hand, returns after a redshirt freshman season at Wisconsin that saw him thrust into action after an injury to starter Tanner Mordecai. He played in five games, completing 50% of his passes for 777 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

The veteran figures to be the starter — as was the case with Mordecai last season. But Wisconsin is reportedly approaching it as a pure competition and giving Locke a real chance to win the job.

“I think any time you have more talent in the room, and not just bodies, it breeds competition,” Longo said. “So if you want reps and you want to get on the field on game day, you have to beat out a number of other good players.”

Related: Ranking Wisconsin football’s incoming transfers by expected impact in 2024 season

That last part rings true, as the Badgers quarterback room currently consists of Van Dyke, Locke, highly touted youngster Nick Evers and true freshman Mabrey Mettauer. The room is as talented as it’s ever been, which should breed the productive competition that Longo refers to.

Here is his full answer and emphasis on the job being up for grabs:

As I wrote on X yesterday, Wisconsin fans should be thrilled if Locke somehow wins the job. It would mean he beat out an impressive room of QBs, including one of the more established starters in the nation.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Breakout candidates for Wisconsin football 2024 spring practice

Who do you expect big things from this spring?

The spring practice period is the college football fan’s glimpse into the future at what the upcoming season may hold. That was the case for the 2023 Wisconsin Badgers, as a big spring from wide receiver Will Pauling translated into a productive fall, while a poor spring from the offensive line also foreshadowed what was to come.

That’s the importance of spring practice, and why the Badgers’ upcoming spring period will draw so much interest. Head coach Luke Fickell must improve the team from its 7-6 2023 campaign as the Big Ten expands and the road gets more challenging.

Related: Wisconsin football’s biggest questions entering spring practice

Year two is a time for progress forward. But that progress cannot come without breakout performances from young players on both sides of the football.

That is our focus as spring practice quickly approaches.

First, looking ahead to the season, we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked the 18 starting quarterbacks, ranked all 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now, it’s time to look at the breakout candidates entering Wisconsin’s 2024 spring practice:

PHOTOS: Badgers versus Northwestern All-time series

Will Badgers snap skid versus Northwestern?

The Badgers football team (5-4) will host Northwestern (4-5) on Saturday at Camp Randall at 2:30PM. The two programs have faced each other 104 times throughout their football history with Wisconsin owning a 61-38-5 overall record against their Big Ten foe.

Over the last 10 matchups, the Badgers have gone 6-4, but they have won the last two matchups including last year, when they took down the Wildcats 42-7.

The most notable storyline for the contest is the fact that the Badgers are coming in with a two-game losing streak and they’ll look to avoid dropping three in a row for the first time since 2020.

Luke Fickell and his Wisconsin squad could be without leading rusher Braelon Allen (leg) and wide receiver Chimere Dike (leg) for second straight contest.

Here’s some pics from their most recent matchups:

CHECK IT OUT: Best pics from Badgers 20-14 loss to Indiana

Badgers can’t get back into win column against Hoosiers

The Badgers football team took on Indiana on the road for a conference matchup on Saturday, falling to the Hoosiers 20-14. Wisconsin went into halftime down 17-7 and they were ultimately unable to complete the comeback.

The Badgers’ quarterback Braedyn Locke threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the contest while leading rusher Braelon Allen (leg) and primary wide receiver Chimere Dike (leg) were unavailable. Wide receiver Bryson Green compiled 96 yards and a score on four catches.

For the Hoosiers, quarterback Brendan Sorsby had 186 passing yards and a touchdown while also adding eight yards and a score on the ground. He connected with wideout Donaven McCulley five times for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Here are some of the best pictures from the game:

PHOTOS: Badgers versus Indiana All-time series

Will Badgers get back in win column versus Indiana?

The Badgers football team (5-3) will face Indiana (2-6) on Saturday at 11AM. The two programs have faced each other 62 times throughout their football history with Wisconsin owning a 41-19-2 overall record against their Big Ten foe.

Over the last 10 matchups, the Badgers have gone 9-1, but they lost their last matchup in 2020 by a score of 14-6. Prior to the loss though, Wisconsin had averaged an eye-popping 60 points over their previous five contests with the Hoosiers.

The most notable storyline for the contest is the fact that the Badgers are in a four-way tie with Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska for first place in the Big Ten West. All four teams currently sit at 3-2 in conference games.

Luke Fickell and his Wisconsin squad in all likelihood needs to win versus Indiana to keep their conference championship game hopes alive.

Here’s some few pics from their last three matchups:

Wisconsin is still without a quality win on its 2023 resume

Wisconsin is still without a quality win on its 2023 resume

Wisconsin football is 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play now eight games into its first year under new head coach Luke Fickell.

The team is winning, and showing glimpses of what the future will look like under Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo. It currently holds strong at No. 27 in ESPN SP+ on the strength of another top-12 defense.

I think we all agree the Badgers are a solid team, despite big injuries to both starting running backs and its starting quarterback. The team is ‘solid,’ but not quite ‘good.’ And it’s one that is clearly still building an identity.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 9: The West is a mess.

The 5-3 overall record has been recorded against college football’s No. 57-ranked strength of schedule. If it wasn’t already clear, the Big Ten West is not good.

But looking deeper, the Badgers do not have a single ‘quality win’ on their resume. The definition of ‘quality’ does not matter for these purposes. Wisconsin has defeated SP+’s No. 50, 62, 80, 82 and 108 teams, while it’s lost to No. 3, 36 and 44.

There’s a clear dividing line at the moment: every team ranked in SP+’s top 50 after Week 9 has given the Badgers fits.

 

Also, as the weeks go by, each win on Wisconsin’s resume somehow finds a way to look worse and worse:

  • The Buffalo Bulls (38-17 win in Week 1) are now 3-5 overall and ranked No. 108 in SP+
  • Georgia Southern (35-14 win in Week 3) is 6-2, but not a top-80 team in SP+
  • Purdue (38-17 win in Week 4) has dropped three straight and is now 2-6 (1-4 Big Ten)
  • Rutgers (24-13 win in Week 6) is the best argument for a quality win…but it’s still a Rutgers team ranked No. 50 in SP+ at home
  • Illinois (25-21 win in Week 8) is 3-5 (1-4 Big Ten) and not a top-60 team in SP+

Luckily, Wisconsin isn’t trying to build a College Football Playoff resume. The program is trying to build an identity while somehow winning the Big Ten West this year.

I guess here’s the general message: Wisconsin has still yet to truly overcome a tough matchup. And while the end of the schedule looked easy a month ago, November battles with Nebraska (5-3) and Minnesota (5-3) look more and more tough by the week.

This season won’t define what Luke Fickell accomplishes, or doesn’t, at Wisconsin. But as I always do with this sport and this program, they have to be graded on the same curve everyone else is. The resume just isn’t that good right now.

WATCH: Wisconsin radio analyst has his takeaways from Ohio State game

Tausch’s takeaways from Ohio State loss

The Badgers football team (5-3) lost to Ohio State (8-0) 24-10 in Week 9 at Camp Randall, battling hard against one of the best teams in the nation. Broadcast analyst Mark Tauscher, a former Badger, gave his takeaways from the game.

He highlighted Wisconsin’s ability to fight and scrap and make it a competitive game. He names cornerback Ricardo Hallman, safety Preston Zachman and linebacker Maema Njongmeta as notable defensive players, all of which were on the receiving end of a Buckeyes turnover.

Offensively, Tausch was impressed by quarterback Braedyn Locke’s ability to fire up the fans with a second-half touchdown. There are a lot of great things in the future, which starts Saturday at 11AM on the road at Indiana.

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Wisconsin versus Indiana football series history

Will Badgers get back on track versus Indiana?

The Badgers football team (5-3) will face Indiana (2-6) on Saturday at 11AM. The two programs have faced each other 62 times throughout their football history with Wisconsin owning a 41-19-2 overall record against their Big Ten foe.

Over the last 10 matchups, the Badgers have gone 9-1, but they lost their last matchup in 2020 by a score of 14-6. Prior to the loss though, Wisconsin had averaged an eye-popping 60 points over their previous five contests with the Hoosiers.

The most notable storyline for the contest is the fact that the Badgers are in a four-way tie with Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska for first place in the Big Ten West. All four teams currently sit at 3-2 in conference games.

Luke Fickell and his Wisconsin squad in all likelihood needs to win versus Indiana to keep their conference championship game hopes alive.

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Badgers still outside of Week 9 US LBM Coaches Poll

Wisconsin on outside of Top 25 again

After another week of college football action, there was some movement with the latest US LBM Coaches Poll.

The Badgers (5-3) weren’t able to pull off the upset over #3 Ohio State at home, falling to their Big Ten rivals 24-10. Both running back Braelon Allen (leg) and Chimere Dike (leg) were forced out of the game in the first half.

The entire US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 9 is listed below:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 7-0 1,590 (58) –
2 Michigan 7-0 1,520 (3) –
3 Ohio State 6-0 1,454 (3) –
4 Florida State 8-0 1,439 –
5 Washington 8-0 1,344 –
6 Texas 7-1 1,212 +1
7 Oregon 7-1 1,211 +2
8 Alabama 7-1 1,187 –
9 Penn State 7-1 1,072 +1
10 Ole Miss 7-1 1,021 +1
11 Oklahoma 7-1 948 -5
12 Notre Dame 7-2 847 +2
13 LSU 6-2 809 +2
14 Missouri 7-1 741 +2
15 Louisville 7-1 701 +3
16 Tennessee 6-2 553 +4
17 Air Force 8-0 523 +2
18 Utah 6-2 509 -5
19 Oregon State 6-2 465 -7
20 UCLA 6-2 309 +4
21 Tulane 7-1 304 +2
22 USC 7-2 239 –
23 Kansas 6-2 182 +15
24 James Madison 8-0 169 +1
25 North Carolina 6-2 120 -8

Schools Dropped Out

No. 21 Duke;

Others Receiving Votes

Kansas State 85; Oklahoma State 62; Fresno State 51; Miami (FL) 35; Duke 33; Iowa 20; Arizona 18; Liberty 15; SMU 6; Florida 3; UNLV 1; Toledo 1; Kentucky 1

Wisconsin will look to get back in the win column on the road at Indiana (2-6) on Saturday at 11 AM.

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