Big Ten Daily (Sept. 17): Wisconsin Now Turns to QB Braedyn Locke

Wisconsin received disappointing news on Monday, with starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke reportedly ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury. That puts redshirt sophomore Braedyn Locke into the starting role for the remainder of the season.

The news was first reported by Colten Bartholomew of BadgerExtra.

Van Dyke was injured in Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss to Alabama on Saturday, after completing all five of his passes for 16 yards and picking up nine yards on one run. Locke finished the game for the Badgers, completing 13-of-26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Although Van Dyke won the starting job in Madison to start the season, Locke made the decision difficult in fall camp. Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo was extremely pleased with what he saw out of the redshirt sophomore throughout the offseason.

“We kind of see it as a 1A and 1B situation, as opposed to a No. 1 and No. 2,” Longo said of the quarterback battle in fall camp. “That’s how well Braedyn has done here in camp.”

With Van Dyke out, the Badgers offense now turns to Locke. It’s a position he’s familiar with, starting three games a season ago when Tanner Mordecai battled injury. He finished the 2023 campaign with 777 yards, five touchdowns and one interception while completing 50% of his passes.

Through the first three games, it’s fair to say that Wisconsin’s offense has sputtered. The Badgers are averaging just 21.7 points and 354.3 yards per game. Those numbers rank 16th and 15th in the Big Ten, respectively.

There’s a lot of room for improvement.

While there’s no good timing for an injury, the announcement regarding Van Dyke comes during Wisconsin’s first bye week. That gives the Longo and the offense a lot more time to get adjusted to playing with Locke under center for the remainder of the year.

Luke Fickell’s team could certainly use the extra preparation. When the Badgers return from the bye week, they’ll open Big Ten play on the road against USC on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Michigan makes QB change

Coach Sherrone Moore is making a change in Ann Arbor. With quarterback Davis Warren struggling through the first three games of the 2024 season, the keys to the offense are being handed to Alex Orji.

Warren was pulled from Michigan’s game against Arkansas State on Saturday after throwing three interceptions. The Wolverines still got the win, improving to 2-1 on the season. Moving forward, though, Orji will be in charge of the offense.

“Alex will start on Saturday,” Moore said Monday from Ann Arbor. “Excited for him. He’s been in here champing at the bit.”

Warren has thrown six interceptions with just two touchdowns in Michigan’s first three contests. The turnovers are a huge reason why Moore wants to make a change.

“It’s a tough situation when the big thing we talk about protecting the football and it gets put in harms way,” Moore said. “But (Warren), he’s a great team player … at the end of the day, we have to play the guys we think will help us win.”

Orji has played in all three of Michigan’s games but has been primarily used in the run game. He’s thrown just six passes, completing three for 15 yards and two touchdowns. The junior has also rushed for 58 yards on 10 carries.

We’ll see if Michigan’s offense looks any better with Orji running the show this weekend against USC.

Extra crispy bacon for PJ Fleck

It’s Floyd of Rosedale week, with Minnesota preparing to host Iowa on Saturday. You had to know bacon was going to be brought up at some point, right?

At his weekly press conference on Monday, Fleck was asked if he has any special traditions leading up to this rivalry game against Iowa. With a large pig trophy at stake, he was asked if he indulges in any extra bacon throughout the week.

“Just prepare, just prepare,” Fleck said with a smile. “I do like bacon — extra crispy, though. I don’t like anything that’s soggy about the bacon. Extra, extra crispy bacon.”

Last year, Fleck led the Gophers to their first win over the Hawkeyes since 2014. If Minnesota keeps Floyd of Rosedale in Minneapolis, he might celebrate with a plate full of that extra crispy bacon.

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