Braedyn Locke Injury News & Updates

With Tanner Mordecai (hand) expected to start Saturday, Locke will likely return to a backup role against Northwestern, Benjamin Worgull of TheBadgerNation reports.

Locke came in relief for Mordecai against Iowa and has started in Wisconsin's last three outings. However, the freshman signal-caller isn't expected to see action Saturday.

Locke completed 21 of 41 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns during Saturday's 20-14 defeat versus Indiana. He also had six rushes for -13 yards.

Locke threw for multiple scores for the second time this season, connecting with receivers Bryson Green and Will Pauling on 54 and 18-yard touchdown passes, respectively. His 243 yards through the air marked a season-high for the freshman quarterback as well. Another solid matchup against Northwestern awaits Locke next week.

Locke completed 21 of 41 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns during Saturday's 20-14 defeat against Indiana. He also had six rushes for -13 yards.

Locke failed to establish any consistency with his pass catchers. This was particularly true when he targeted slot receiver and top wideout Will Pauling, who only hauled in five of 16 targets for 51 yards and a wide-open touchdown. The redshirt freshman quarterback did manage to hit two long passing plays to big-bodied wideout Bryson Green, including a catch on a slant route short over the middle of the field which he took for a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter. These highlights didn't make up for Locke's lowlights, as he struggled to find any comfortability with pass rushers in his face for much of the game, leading to numerous passes knocked down by defensive linemen near the line of scrimmage. The 6-foot signal-caller may similarly struggle if he once again has to play without bell-cow running back Braelon Allen (lower leg) during the Week 11 matchup against Northwestern.

Locke completed 18 of 39 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown during Saturday's 24-10 loss to Ohio State. He also had five rushes for 14 yards.

Locke had another rather inefficient outing in his second career start, as he's now completed 39 of his 80 passes over the past two games. The redshirt freshman still performed relatively well considering his youth and the pressure he faced at the hands of Ohio State's hounding defensive front. Locke also led the Badgers on a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive before hitting top wideout Will Pauling for a 13-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, tying the game at 10-10. The 6-foot signal-caller also broke a 29-yard run on this drive. Yet, this still wasn't enough to ever truly threaten the final outcome of the game, as he struggled to move the ball for the remainder of the second half with star running back Brealon Allen sidelined due to a leg injury. With Allen's status now unknown, Wisconsin may have to put more on Locke's shoulders when Wisconsin travels to Indiana in Week 10.

Locke completed 21 of 41 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns during Saturday's 25-21 win against Illinois.

Locke struggled early as he and his receivers didn't appear to be on the same page for much of the first half. The redshirt freshman completed eight of his first 15 passes for 61 yards, and he coughed up a fumble on QB draw in the first quarter. He bounced back with a quick eight-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to keep the score at 14-7 at the end of the first half. He then led the Badgers to three more scoring drives on four offensive series in the second half, including a 20-yard touchdown to wideout Will Pauling followed by a game-winning three-yard passing score to offensive lineman Nolan Rucci with just under 30 seconds remaining. Locke showed encouraging poise and command on the final scoring drive of the game, though he'll need to clean up the inconsistencies in order to hang with Ohio State in Week 9.

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell confirmed that Locke will start at quarterback Saturday at Illinois, Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Locke will be taking over for the injured Tanner Mordecai, who is out indefinitely after fracturing his hand in this past Saturday's 15-6 loss to Iowa and undergoing surgery Sunday. After Mordecai was unable to return for the second half of the Week 7 loss, Locke stepped in under center and completed 15 of 30 pass attempts for 122 yards and an interception while also losing a fumble. The redshirt freshman will be making his first career start this Saturday and could have an extended run atop the depth chart with Mordecai uncertain to make it back before the end of the regular season.

Locke was 15-for-30 passing for 122 yards and one interception during Saturday's 15-6 loss against Iowa. He also logged three carries for -1 yards and a fumble.

Locke had to step in after starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai exited with a significant hand injury during the second quarter. The redshirt freshman backup clearly struggled in this big moment, logging just 4.1 yards per attempt to go along with two turnovers. Locke also took a brutal safety that set his team back 12-6 early in the fourth quarter. Locke will hope to play better if the Badgers can establish a more advantageous game script against Illinois this coming Saturday, as it appears likely Mordecai will miss some time moving forward.