Tuesday, November 5, 2024

‘This is rock bottom’ – Will the Wisconsin Badgers staff consider drafting a true freshman after a 42-10 loss?

The Wisconsin Badgers have had quite an fascinating season so far, sometimes looking like the team to beat and sometimes looking like the team to beat.

However, many fans have kept the faith as the Badgers still have plenty of talent and promise despite their recent on-field results. Often, great things take time to fully develop, and many fans have enough patience to endure hard losses. However, the loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes seems to have changed the minds of many Badgers fans this season.

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November 2, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett (49) runs toward Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke (18) during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Source: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke has been up and down this year, and so have the Badgers. Locke is in the midst of an unfortunate streak that has seen the quarterback throw interceptions in the last seven games he has been involved in. The quarterback has recorded two double-interception games this season and is currently on a six-game interception streak.

A season agoLocke only had one interception and it came in his worst game of the season, which was also against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Locke’s experiment last season wasn’t amazing, but there were glimmers of hope for the juvenile quarterback. This season, however, the quarterback seems to have regressed in terms of interceptions, receiver drops and unusual play calls.

While there were many reasons why Locke struggled this season, it’s really demanding to forget about the interceptions. Even with the declines and inconsistencies in the rest of the offense, Locke feels like he’s pre-deciding his pitches this year. The quarterback hasn’t read defensive coverage this season and has made throws that sometimes make it seem like Locke assumed the defender wouldn’t be on the field before the snap.

With another setback on the schedule, the Wisconsin Badgers may consider making some changes.

Can the Wisconsin Badgers staff change their quarterback this season?

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Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell watches as quarterback Mabrey Mettauer throws a pass during practice just outside Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, April 7, 2024.

While many Wisconsin Badgers fans may want the staff to put Locke on the bench, the idea of ​​drafting another quarterback may not be something the staff will be on board with.

With just three games left in the season and no prior experience this year, the Wisconsin Badgers staff may consider playing true freshman Mabrey Mettauer. The quarterback is a definite redshirt candidate because it’s a development year, but he can still play this season. The redshirt has not yet been applied and the limit is four games, meaning Mettauer would be eligible if the Badgers staff truly felt a change was necessary.

The Wisconsin Badgers coaching staff has been supportive of Locke since camp, saying they have “two starting point guards” on the roster. While Locke has struggled, it seems much more likely that the staff will force Locke to work things out rather than throw an unproven player into the mix. The real situation is that Mettauer is around the staff every day and they still feel like he’s not yet capable of fully demonstrating his offense at the collegiate level.

While a quarterback change may be what fans want, it would take non-competitive football like the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes to make a major change.

Wisconsin Badgers Luke Fickell
September 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell reacts to the Southern California Trojans in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Source: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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