The Badgers have seen inconsistent quarterback play for much of the year.
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year for the Wisconsin Badgers, who currently stand at 5-4 and 3-3 in the conference after consecutive losses in primetime games.
The latest came in a 42-10 thrashing against the Iowa Hawkeyes, who dominated in every facet of the game in Wisconsin’s worst loss of the year.
Offensively, the Badgers couldn’t get the run game going and quarterback Braedyn Locke completed just 15/29 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in another inconsistent effort.
Locke has turned the ball over at least once in each of his six starts this season, and he currently has nine turnovers this year, while completing just 56.8 percent of his passes.
While there has been improvement, it’s been a lot of the same issues for the redshirt quarterback this year, as his fundamentals in the pocket, especially his feet, remain inconsistent under pressure, leading to a low completion percentage, while he continues to make turnover-worthy plays on a given basis.
Locke, of course, wasn’t expected to start this year, as the Badgers landed transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke from the transfer portal with hopes of getting consistent play from the position in 2024.
But, things were slow offensively over the first two weeks and Van Dyke tore his ACL early in the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide, diverting those plans and inserting Locke into the starting lineup for the second consecutive season.
There have certainly been some positives, as seen during Wisconsin’s three-game win streak, but Locke just hasn’t been consistent enough to churn out quality quarterback play for the Badgers, which has hurt their run game, despite having one of the better offensive lines in the country.
With the ongoing struggles, should the Badgers bench Locke and turn to true freshman Mabrey Mettauer?
Well, there are several factors at play when discussing the quarterback position for Wisconsin.
The main worry is Mettauer’s readiness factor, as the true freshman looked a ways away from being ready to hit the field at this stage back during training camp. Now, it’s been quite some time since that period and Mettauer has earned a good amount of snaps with the No. 2 offense now, but it doesn’t make sense to throw a young quarterback out there if he isn’t ready to compete at this level yet.
Moreover, Wisconsin has their toughest challenge yet against the No. 1 Oregon Ducks coming off their bye week. That doesn’t seem like the most ideal situation for a true freshman quarterback to make their first career start.
The other aspect is Mettauer’s redshirt. Wisconsin has already used their true freshman in three games this year, as the quarterback saw snaps against Purdue (11), Rutgers (3), and Northwestern (2). The usage in the final two games was interesting, as Mettauer didn’t attempt a pass, instead getting closer to his limit prior to burning the redshirt.
It seems as if Wisconsin would like to preserve that redshirt, which would leave only one game left for the quarterback to play in during the regular season. Not ideal to make the switch with that in mind.
Wisconsin will very likely explore all of its quarterback options in 2025, which will be a crucial year for the program as it tries and navigate a tough schedule without a clear plan in place at the most important position in football.
While the transfer portal could be an option, it wouldn’t be ideal to go that route for a third consecutive year, but the Badgers may not have a choice as their younger options continue to develop.
If Locke is to be the guy, he would need to show considerable growth from his current stance with his accuracy, footwork, and turnover-worthy plays, which may be tough with how the rest of the schedule is shaping out.
But, I don’t see how a quarterback change at this stage of the season would be beneficial unless Mettauer has made leaps in practice behind closed doors.