While many Wisconsin football fans and analysts have been quick to point fingers, the Madison quarterback’s play is improving.
Quarterback Braedyn Locke is currently entering his second season as Wisconsin’s starting team. A similar situation occurred a season ago when an injury forced Locke into the starting role even though he wasn’t quite ready yet. However, as Locke progressed, other issues began to emerge that paint a very different picture.
To date, Locke has played in six games and has thrown for 1,281 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. Locke is currently on a six-interception streak, having given up one goal in each of his appearances this season. Last season, Locke had no issues with interceptions, throwing just one, but he struggled with interception issues as the season progressed.
Many fans and analysts felt that Locke was less true and made destitute decisions this season. While there may be truth to that, the quarterback is also improving in many areas that have gone unnoticed.
Wisconsin football quarterback Braedyn Locke is developing despite some struggles
Although Locke has more steals, his success percentage is a whopping 57.6%, which is 7.9% higher than last season. Locke’s adjusted completion percentage is 69.9% this season, which includes passes that are considered dropouts.
Drops have been a major problem for Locke this season, as Wisconsin football receivers have dropped 12 passes. Last season, the Badgers dropped 13 passes in just four games with Locke as the starting quarterback. The main culprit was wide receiver Will Pauling, who dropped eight passes for the Wisconsin football team this year.
Another aspect that has held Locke back is that the quarterback is mostly immobile, but he has shown some improvement. Locke never attempted the climb a year ago, but he has done it multiple times this season. Locke still doesn’t have the confidence to keep the ball often on option plays, but he has shown some improvement with his feet.
Sometimes for point guards, interceptions can be caused by two main reasons: pressing too demanding or fighting against something like a mental block.
Often, for quarterbacks who feel like they’re not doing enough, the player tries to make bigger throws and better plays. Trying to force an effective play is a recipe for turnovers or turnovers, and unfortunately Locke felt that way at times. Between receiver drops and the offense struggling at times, Locke can try to make something gigantic, which in turn slows down the offense more.
Another possible option is for Locke to struggle with the mental block that is typical of other players, especially kickers. This option seems most obvious when Locke threw seemingly terrible interceptions that the quarterback thought were safest to read before the snap. The quarterback can review his progress and focus on the target before the snap, but he doesn’t adjust quickly enough when the target isn’t open.
Whatever may have the biggest impact on Locke’s play on the field, the quarterback is still working on it. Sometimes development takes time, like in the case of quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Cam Ward and Dillon Gabriel, who all had bad seasons before developing into great players.
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