MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was stretchered off the field and later ruled out of the game with a right knee injury after he touched the ball while attempting a scramble during the Badgers’ first drive Saturday against No. 4 Alabama.

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

Backup quarterback Braedyn Locke replaced Van Dyke and the Badgers scored 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 suffered a broken right hand. Locke then started the next three games before Mordecai returned.

Wisconsin entered the transfer portal for the second straight offseason to find its quarterback, adding 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 combined for three starts, all by Locke. Van Dyke and Locke were locked in a quarterback competition during spring training and early in the preseason. But Van Dyke won the job for two reasons.

First, he had a big arm that allowed him to push the ball downfield and complete passes in tight windows, and he was also a more effective runner out of Wisconsin’s read-option looks.

Van Dyke has struggled with injuries every year since a stellar 2021 season with Miami, winning ACC Rookie of the Year honors. He suffered a grade-3 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder during the 2022 season. And last season, Van Dyke suffered a Morel-Lavallee lesion in his right knee during a game against North Carolina. His skin separated from the muscle and fat in an injury most often associated with high-velocity 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 added a rushing touchdown in a season-opening win against Western Michigan.

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(Photo: Jeff Hanisch / Imagn)