Crimson Tide's Stunning Victory Over Wisconsin Badgers: Key Winners and Losers

Crimson Tide's Commanding Performance

In a brutal 42-10 Big Ten-SEC battle, the Wisconsin Badgers were heavily outmatched by the Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday afternoon. After Wisconsin’s uninspiring Week 2 win versus South Dakota, there was fear that this result would take place. However, Madison was still determined to bring the energy on Saturday, and that it did. Our fears were realized.

Alabama held the Badgers to just a touchdown and a field goal, while dropping 42 points in an easy win. After starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke went down early in the first drive with a leg injury, backup Braedyn Locke came in, but the offense was already depleted with the loss of the Miami (FL.) transfer.

Winners and Losers Breakdown

Let’s get into our two winners and two losers from Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss to Alabama. SEC football has been beating up on the Big Ten thus far this season, with Texas and Alabama both manhandling Michigan and Wisconsin. Saturday was just another top-tier SEC program beating up on a worse Big Ten opponent.

Defensive Struggles

The defense looked non-existent when Alabama crossed into Wisconsin territory. When the Crimson Tide got into the red zone, forget it. Wisconsin’s run defense gave up 181 rushing yards, which isn’t horrible considering the opponent.

However, Alabama put up six touchdowns, three of which came on the ground. Despite the defense struggling for most of the game, the first quarter told a different story. There were big stops, solid pressure, and a sense of urgency from the other side of the ball.

It was evident in the score, as Alabama was up 7-3 after the first 15 minutes. The Van Dyke injury was a big blow, but the defense held off the Crimson Tide for as long as they could to start. It eventually fell apart, and the offense couldn’t keep up.

Expectations Moving Forward

Although the outcome was somewhat expected, it’s still not a great look for Fickell and his staff. There was hope that after two uninspiring wins to start the season, the Badgers would look different in a high-stakes matchup. Unfortunately, the game proves that Wisconsin is who everyone thought they were.

At this point, it would be a major positive if the Badgers could just beat their non-ranked opponents, but even some of those teams look better than Wisconsin.