The Wisconsin Badgers have made a big change by firing offensive coordinator Phil Longo, which could open the door to another change.
With Longo gone for the Badgers, quarterback Braedyn Locke might be the next person who loses his position in Madison. Locke has been subject to potentially being benched all season due to his play and the turnovers allowed. However, the Badgers were previously not in the same situation they are in now where the offense will have different minds involved.
Locke, the embattled quarterback who has been cast into the starting role two seasons in a row, is now in a position where he must prove his worth. Previously, Longo had been someone who went to bat for Locke and was in charge of development the quarterback further. Without Longo, however, Locke is not quite as safe as everyone must prove they are capable to winning games for the team.
Thus far into the season, Locke has recorded 1514-yards passing, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions while starting seven games and playing in eight. The quarterback has a completion percentage of 55.1% this season along with a quarterback rating of 45.5, which ranks 96th-overall in college football.
Locke was also supposed to be somewhat of a dual-threat quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers, which has proven to be the complete opposite. Locke has rushed for 19-yards total this season with just 18 carries and two touchdowns for the team.
Both the inaccuracy of Locke as well as the lack of an ability to move outside of the pocket have led to the quarterback becoming a prime “bench” candidate.
Should the Wisconsin Badgers Now Bench Braedyn Locke Moving Forward?
While previously it seemed like a hard “no” on the idea of benching the quarterback, the Wisconsin Badgers may finally give way after firing Longo.
Behind Locke is quarterback Mabrey Mettauer, who has appeared in two games this season for the Badgers. The quarterback would lose his redshirt playing the rest of the season, but then again the Wisconsin Badgers do not have a whole lot left to lose. As many fans have stated, Locke has had a long enough sample size with two different teams now to prove that he is unfortunately not capable of playing at this level.
You bench him. It’s simple. Doesn’t matter if you’re not sure if Mabrey is ready. You know 100% Locke can’t play.
— Michael Cunningham (@PSK102) November 17, 2024
Positive spin: The defense played well enough to beat the No. 1 team in the country
Negative spin: What the hell do you do with Braedyn Locke? #Badgers
— Jake Maier (@JakeJMaier) November 17, 2024
Regardless of whether or not the Wisconsin Badgers decide to bench Locke, the team will have to take another very hard look at who or what is currently bringing the program down. Longo unfortunately had been struggling at fulfilling the duties the team expected, which resulted in a swift firing before the season even finished.
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