On Saturday, the Wisconsin Badgers Big Ten West title hopes took a significant hit with a 15-6 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. To add to the loss, Luke Fickell and the Badgers have lost their starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai for the foreseeable future.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Mordecai suffered a broken hand against the Hawkeyes and has since had surgery with a pin placed in his hand. He additionally reports that Mordecai is expected to be out “for the immediate future” and that a specific timetable for his return is currently unknown.
For Wisconsin, Mordecai’s injury is especially tough considering the Badgers had already lost senior tailback Chez Mellusi for the season. Mellusi suffered a fractured fibula in Wisconsin’s 38-17 win over Purdue in late September.
With Mordecai out, the Badgers will have to turn to freshman quarterback Braedyn Locke to lead the way. Locke in relief of Mordecai completed 15-of-30 passing attempts against Iowa for 122 yards while throwing one interception.
The 6-foot-0 quarterback like Mordecai transferred into the Wisconsin program this offseason, joining the Badgers after spending a year with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
While there is excitement surrounding Locke’s potential, there is still expected to be a drop-off from Mordecai to Locke, at least in the immediate future. Locke has appeared in just two games in his collegiate career, including this past weekend against Iowa.
The injury and drop-off are not great news either for a Wisconsin offense that was already struggling at times throughout this season. Through six games, the Badgers offense has averaged 399 yards of offense and 28 points. The passing attack for the Badgers has not been much of a threat, averaging just 212 passing yards per game, don’t be surprised to see that number drop over the course of the next few weeks.
With that, expect Wisconsin to lean on tailback Braelon Allen even more going forward. Allen this season has averaged 6.1 yards per carry and has totaled 559 yards and seven touchdowns in six games. Redshirt sophomore running back Jackson Acker will likely see a slightly increased role as well. The Madison, Wisconsin native has 24 carries for 106 yards this season, including three carries for 10 yards against Iowa.
The good news for Wisconsin, however, is that the schedule going forward is not overly difficult especially with the Badgers’ defense being giving strong efforts on a weekly basis so far this season.
Over their last six games, the Badgers have just two opponents who have records of .500 or better. This weekend, the Badgers will travel to Champaign to take on Illinois. They’ll then host Ohio State in Week 9 before finishing their season off with matchups against Indiana, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
Overall, despite the injuries to both Mellusi and Mordecai and starting an inexperienced Braedyn Locke, a potential nine win season is still very much in play for the Badgers this season.