MADISON — Facing a top-5 non-conference opponent at home for the first time in 35 years, Wisconsin was no match for Jalen Milroe and No. 4 Alabama as the Tide came to Madison and dominated on their way to a 42-10 win.

Play of the Game

Facing fourth-and-1 inside Alabama territory with the game still in doubt in the first quarter, Wisconsin went for it, calling on Tawee Walker to plunge ahead for the needed yardage. The only problem? Right guard Joe Huber failed to block anyone, allowing linebacker Deontae Lawson to come untouched to stuff Walker for no gain. Four plays later the Crimson Tide were in the end zone for a 14-3 lead and the rout was on.

Game Balls

Offense:

WR Will Pauling

The highlights were minimal for the Badgers offense but Pauling showed up at times for the team. He finished with a game-high nine catches for 83 yards and a score. It was the second-most catches he’s had in a game and four of them ended with a first down or a touchdown. The junior was the only Wisconsin receiver with more than two catches.

Defense:

OLB Aaron Witt

Like the offense, there wasn’t a ton to like about the defense. But Witt did have a career-high five tackles, including a pair of tackles for loss. As a defense, Wisconsin had five TFLs and a couple of sacks.

What Went Right

A third-quarter drive

This feels like a stretch but we have to put something here. Down 28-3 just a few minutes into the third quarter, the Badgers embarked on a 17-play, 75-yard drive that ended with short touchdown from Braedyn Locke to Pauling to cut the lead to 18. It was the sixth scoring drive this season of double-digit plays for the Badgers.

What Went Wrong

Everything else

Wisconsin needed to be perfect to have a chance against a team like Alabama and the Badgers couldn’t have been further away. The game was very simple — the home team made a bunch of mistakes and the away team took advantage of them.

The Crimson Tide forced two turnovers and their offense turned both of them into touchdowns. They got a fourth-and-1 stop and four plays later scored a touchdown. And just before halftime, after the Badgers missed a field goal, it took Milroe all of two plays to go 73 yards for a 21-3 lead that was essentially the kill shot for the game. Oh, and the Badgers lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to what appears to be a very serious knee injury.

It was a disastrous day in what has the makings of another very long season for the Badgers under coach Luke Fickell with games against ranked opponents like USC, Oregon, Penn State and Nebraska still on the schedule.

What They Said

Luke Fickell’s first words in his post-game press conference:

“I’ll give you the same message I just gave (the team). If you haven’t had your ass whooped before, you just did. It hurts and it’s not easy. But in this game, that’s going to happen. It’s a part of the game and it stinks.”

Fickell said Van Dyke will undergo further testing on his knee:

“I don’t think it looks real good for us, for him.”

In Case You Missed It

— Wisconsin’s honorary captain for the game was former offensive tackle Aaron Gibson. He was part of the 1998 Big Ten championship team and a first-round pick by the Detroit Lions.

— Wisconsin honored Ron Dayne during the game as part of the 25th anniversary of him winning the Heisman Trophy and breaking the all-time rushing record.

— FOX’s pregame show — Big Noon Kickoff — was in town and held its show on the lawn of the Kohl Center. Former Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon made an appearance and later attended the game.

— Wisconsin linebacker Jake Chaney was forced to sit the first half after getting ejected for targeting in the second half of the South Dakota game. He played the second half and finished with two tackles.

Inside the Numbers

32 — That was the margin of victory for Alabama. It’s the most lopsided home loss for the Badgers since 2008.

7 — That’s how many losses Wisconsin has in its last 11 home games against power conference teams

53 — That’s how long the field goal was that Nathanial Vakos hit to put the Badgers up 3-0. He’s now 2-2 beyond 50 this season after going 1-for-4 last year. Vakos later missed a kick from 45 yards.

50 — That was the completion percentage for Braedyn Locke after he replaced Van Dyke. The redshirt sophomore completed exactly 50-percent of his passes last season, too. For the day, he was 13-of-26 for 125 yards and a touchdown. He also fumbled twice but both were recovered by Wisconsin.

6 — That’s how many yards Chez Mellusi averaged on his 11 carries. However, he also lost a fumble that led to an Alabama touchdown.

271 — That’s how much total offense Alabama’s Jalen Milroe accounted for. The quarterback had 196 yards passing with three touchdowns and ran for 75 yards and two more scores.

What’s Next

Wisconsin (2-1) gets next weekend off before heading to No. 11 USC on Sept. 28 to open Big Ten play.