In schedule news, there’s been a big development regarding Penn State football’s 2024 opponent.
Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke will miss the rest of the season with an injury, per Colten Bartholomew of the Wisconsin State Journal.
Big development for Penn State football’s Oct. 26 game. https://t.co/O9Bt0ahf6M
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) September 16, 2024
Van Dyke suffered an injury in Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss to Alabama in Madison this past Saturday.
Through two games, Van Dyke had completed 43 of 68 passes for 422 yards and a touchdown, leading Wisconsin to a 2-1 record with wins over Western Michigan and South Dakota. After Van Dyke’s injury, Braedyn Locke played the rest of the game, going 13 for 26 with 125 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Locke is in his second season with Wisconsin, having started three games in 2023.
Depending on how Locke performs, Penn State’s Oct. 26 clash with Wisconsin in Madison could have just gotten a lot easier.
Of Penn State’s 10 remaining games, Wisconsin is tied for the fifth-most challenging per ESPN’s win probability.
Penn State’s chances currently sit at 85.3%, and it’s not clear how much, if any, of that is due to Van Dyke’s injury.
Before Wisconsin, Van Dyke was a three-year starter at Miami. His best year came in 2021 when he threw for 2,931 yards and 25 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. Those numbers led to him winning ACC Rookie of the Year.
He tossed for 1,844 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022 before throwing for 2,703 yards and 19 touchdowns, but also 12 interceptions this past season.
Penn State has a long way to go— in football time— before Wisconsin becomes a worry on the schedule. It has to play Kent State, Illinois, UCLA and USC, then has a second bye week before the trip to Madison. It will be favored to win every game at least until USC, which sits right behind Penn State in the AP Poll at No. 11.
