The Badgers hosted the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide at Camp Randall Stadium Sept. 14, suffering a tough 42-10 defeat, the Badgers’ biggest margin of loss in the Luke Fickell era.
Saturday’s game marked the third-ever matchup between the Badgers and Crimson Tide, the first coming as a win for the Badgers in 1928 and a more recent victory for the Crimson Tide in 2015.
Both teams came into the matchup 2-0, with the Badgers defeating Western Michigan and South Dakota, and the Crimson Tide handily beating Western Kentucky and South Florida.
Seen as one of the most highly-anticipated games of the season, Fox Network recorded the ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ show throughout the day, including a pregame performance by rapper Offset.
First Half
The game got off to a rough start for the Badgers as quarterback Tyler Van Dyke went down with a knee injury on the first drive, ruling him out for the remainder of the game. Backup Braedyn Locke stepped up, setting kicker Nathanial Vakos up to make a 53-yard field goal.
The Badger defense held strong on Alabama’s first drive, forcing kicker Graham Nicholson to miss a 46-yard field goal.
The Badgers were unable to convert on a Chez Mellusi fourth down rush, and Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe was able to find 17-year-old Ryan Williams for a 31-yard passing touchdown, giving the Crimson Tide a 7-3 lead.
At the end of the first quarter, UW Athletics celebrated legendary Badgers running back Ron Dayne. During his time at UW, Dayne rushed for the most yards in NCAA Division 1 history with 6,397, a record which stood for 17 years. Dayne also led the team to back-to-back Rose Bowl victories and won the Heisman Trophy in 1999.
Early in the second quarter, Mellusi broke off for a 21-yard run, but fumbled the ball, giving Milroe the opportunity to rush for a four-yard touchdown.
Locke began to find his stride throwing the ball, completing a 12-yard pass to receiver Bryson Green and a 10-yard pass to receiver Will Pauling, but Vakos was unable to convert the 44-yard field goal.
On the final two plays of the half, Milroe found Williams for a 47-yard pass and then hit receiver Germie Bernard for a 26-yard touchdown, putting the Crimson Tide up 21-3 going into halftime.
Second Half
The second half didn’t start any better than the first for the Badgers, as Alabama running back Jam Miller went 34 yards untouched into the endzone, widening the Crimson Tide’s lead to 25.
The Badgers responded with their longest drive of the season so far at 17 plays, including two fourth-down conversions, one of which was a three-yard diving catch by Pauling for a touchdown, closing the gap back down to 18 points.
Any momentum that the Badgers were building was cut short when, on their next drive, running back Cade Yacamelli fumbled the ball, which led to another Milroe rushing touchdown. The Crimson Tide killed the game in the fourth quarter, scoring a 37-yard touchdown pass to tight end Josh Cuevas.
“They beat us in every phase of the game today,” said Fickell postgame. “We knew coming in here that we were going to have to play really, really well, and we did not do that today.”
Locke ended the game 13-for-26 on pass attempts for 125 yards and one touchdown, while Pauling caught nine balls on 11 targets for 83 yards and a touchdown.
The extent of Van Dyke’s injury is currently unknown.
“We’ll get a little more clarity soon,” Fickell said. “I don’t think it looks real good for us, for him.”
