Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke has faced a similar situation before.
After stepping in as an injury replacement for 3 1/2 games last year, Locke is now set to take over again since Tyler Van Dyke will be out for the rest of the season due to a torn right ACL.
Locke will make his first start of the 2024 season this Saturday when Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) begins its conference play against No. 13 Southern California (2-1, 0-1).
“I’ve been out there,” Locke said Tuesday. “I’ve felt the bullets flying.”
Wisconsin’s goal of achieving a 23rd consecutive winning season, which would extend the longest streak among power-conference teams, relies partly on how well Locke performs this year. His teammates believe he will succeed.
“Braedyn’s in this building probably more than any of the other players,” wide receiver Will Pauling said. “He knows the game plan like the back of his hand. He knows what checks to make, what reads to make. The offense has full confidence in him.”
After Van Dyke hurt his knee in the first series of a 42-10 loss to No. 4 Alabama on September 14, Locke stepped in and completed 13 of 26 passes for 125 yards with one touchdown. He didn’t throw any interceptions but did have two fumbles, both of which Wisconsin recovered.
This performance aligns with Locke’s career statistics. He started three games last year after Tanner Mordecai broke his throwing hand. Locke has completed exactly half of his pass attempts (89 of 178) for 902 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception.
Locke’s coaches and teammates say they see a difference in him this year.
When Van Dyke won the starting position after transferring from Miami, offensive coordinator Phil Longo mentioned that the competition was very close, considering Van Dyke as 1A and Locke as 1B. A year earlier, Mordecai had more clearly separated himself from Locke.
The preseason competition for the quarterback position allowed Locke to spend a lot of time with the first-team offense.
“I think that was very valuable to us now because it’s not this huge change that nobody’s ready for,” Locke said. “Our guys have had me in there. I think they have confidence in me, and I have confidence in them.”
His teammates trust him because they can see his self-assurance.
“He kind of walks around with this moxie,” center Jake Renfro said. “It’s cool to see. He’s very vocal. I really enjoy having a guy like that back there. Tyler was very similar, so it’s been an easy, smooth transition so far.”
Wisconsin had mixed outcomes in the three games Locke started after taking over for Mordecai midway through a loss to Iowa.
In his first start, Locke helped Wisconsin come back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 25-21 at Illinois. Wisconsin then lost 24-10 at home to Ohio State and 20-14 at Indiana.
“A lot of his experiences give him, me and a lot of the guys around him a lot more confidence because he was thrust into some really tough situations even last year,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “All those things kind of work together. It also gives you a better idea of what you need to do, how you need to adjust because of the strengths he has.”
The Badgers also need to be cautious about some potential weaknesses in his game.
Locke’s shorter height—he is listed at 6 feet—has made it easier for defensive linemen to block his passes. For comparison, Van Dyke is 6-4.
However, the experience Locke brings should help Wisconsin adapt to playing without Van Dyke. Pauling pointed out after the Alabama game that Locke didn’t hesitate when he had to take the field against one of the top teams in the country.
