MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was carted off the field and later ruled out of the game with a right knee injury after taking a hit on a scramble attempt on the Badgers’ first drive Saturday against No. 4 Alabama.

Van Dyke gained five yards on a third-and-7 attempt, but was left on the ground in front of Wisconsin’s bench after being tackled by Alabama’s Keanu Koht. He had to be taken to the sideline medical tent before a cart took him to the locker room. Van Dyke completed all five of his passes for 16 yards before sustaining the injury.

Backup quarterback Braedyn Locke replaced Van Dyke and the Badgers kicked a field goal on the opening drive.

Locke, a redshirt sophomore, has been in this situation before. He replaced quarterback Tanner Mordecai late in the first half against Iowa last season after Mordecai broke his right hand. Locke then started the next three games before Mordecai returned.

Wisconsin was looking for a quarterback for the second consecutive season and signed Van Dyke after he left Miami. Van Dyke brought the playing experience the Badgers lacked at the position, having started 28 games for the Hurricanes over the past three seasons.

The other quarterbacks on Wisconsin’s roster had three starts in total, all by Locke. Van Dyke and Locke engaged in a quarterback competition throughout spring practice and early this preseason. But Van Dyke won the job for two reasons.

First, he possessed a strong arm that allowed him to drive the ball far and complete passes in tight windows, and he was a more effective runner compared to Wisconsin’s read-option approaches.

Van Dyke has battled injuries every year since he had a stellar season in Miami in 2021 and was named ACC Rookie of the Year. During the 2022 season, he suffered a grade-3 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder. And last season, during a game against North Carolina, Van Dyke suffered a Morel-Lavallee lesion in his right knee. His skin separated from the muscle and fat layer, an injury most commonly associated with high-speed trauma such as a car crash.

Van Dyke has completed 43 of 68 passes for 421 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions this season. He also scored a rushing touchdown in the season-opening win over Western Michigan.

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(Photo: Jeff Hanisch / Imagn)