UW confident that QB Braedyn Locke's experience will help him adapt to his new role

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke has been through this before.

One year after filling in as an injury replacement for 3 1/2 games, Locke must take over once again now that Tyler Van Dyke will miss the rest of the season with a torn right ACL.

Locke will make his first start of the 2024 season Saturday when Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten) opens its conference schedule by visiting No. 13 Southern California (2-1, 0-1).

"I've been out there," Locke said Tuesday. "I've felt the bullets flying."

Wisconsin's chances of producing a 23rd consecutive winning season — extending the longest such streak by any power-conference team — depends in part on how well Locke performs the rest of the year.

His teammates have faith he will deliver.

"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 injured his knee in the opening series of a 42-10 loss to No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 14. Locke took over and went 13 of 26 for 125 yards with one touchdown. He threw no interceptions but had a pair of fumbles that Wisconsin recovered.

That's pretty much in line with the career statistics for Locke, who started three games last year after Tanner Mordecai broke his throwing hand. Locke has completed exactly half his pass attempts (89 of 178) for 902 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.

Locke's coaches and teammates say they've noticed a difference in him this year.

When Van Dyke beat out Locke after transferring from Miami, offensive coordinator Phil Longo said the competition was close enough that he considered Van Dyke a 1A and Locke a 1B. Mordecai had separated himself more clearly from Locke a year earlier.

The preseason quarterback competition enabled Locke to spend plenty of time working 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 believe in him because they've seen the confidence he has in himself.

"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 results in the three games Locke started after taking over for Mordecai midway through a loss to Iowa.

In his first start, Locke helped Wisconsin rally from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to win 25-21 at Illinois. Wisconsin then fell 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 give you a better idea of what you need to do, how you need to adjust because of the strengths he has."

The Badgers also have to be wary of potential issues with his game.

Locke's relative lack of height — he's listed as 6-feet tall — has made it easier for defensive linemen to knock down his passes. For comparison's sake, Van Dyke is 6-4.

But the experience Locke brings should provide a boost as Wisconsin adjusts to playing without Van Dyke. Pauling noted after the Alabama game that Locke didn't flinch when he had to take the field against one of the nation's top teams.

Locke wants to show how far he's come over the last year.

"I do know that this is an extremely great opportunity for me and an opportunity to show what I can do," Locke said. "I definitely don't take that lightly."