Should Wisconsin consider benching Braedyn Locke?

The Badgers offense has hit a wall.

Nov 2, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke (18) throws a pass against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

After winning three straight games, Wisconin's offense and quarterback Braedyn Locke have hit a wall. With three games left on the schedule, would it be worth it to give another quarterback some meaningful reps under center?

The Badgers' original starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke went down with a season-ending injury in Week 3 against Alabama. Locke was thrust into QB1 duties and he originally did quite well. After three straight wins, he has struggled, completing 52.1% of his passes for 177 passing yards per game with only one touchdown and three interceptions in the team's last two losses.

Locke is only a redshirt sophomore, so it made sense for the team to deploy a signal caller who's still young and he had made four starts last season. After averaging 11.5 points per game in their losses to Penn State and Iowa, it's worth asking whether or not Locke is the team's best option.

Wisconsin has three other healthy quarterbacks on its roster; Mabrey Mettauer, Cole LaCrue and Milos Spasojevic. Mettauer would be the only option that would make much sense, as he does have the pedigree of a four-star prospect and giving him meaningful game reps could go a long way in his development.

Mettauer is seemingly the team's backup already as he played 11 snaps against Purdue, 3 snaps against Rutgers and 2 against Northwestern.

"He's on a really good track. He got his first opportunity to go in there on Saturday. You want to give a young guy some opportunities, but I don't think it's the right thing to do, to just say hey let him open it up and let him sling the ball around a little bit, let him make checks," head coach Luke Fickell said after the Purdue game. "The game experience, being out there in front of the crowd, there's some things he did a really good job of and how he handled it."

The Badgers' challenging schedule to end the season should play a big factor in any decision to give Mettauer some more reps. They do have a bye this week, but welcome No. 1 ranked Oregon to Camp Randall Stadium in primetime next week. That is a tough environment for any player, let alone a true freshman. They then go on the road to Nebraska and finish the season hosting Minnesota in a rivalry matchup.

Given the circumstances of the transfer portal, NIL and Van Dyke's potential eligibility for next season, there is plenty of questions about who Wisconsin will want to start at quarterback in 2025. Giving Mettauer an extended look would help them know what they have at the position.