Against Wisconsin, Alabama football assistant coach JaMarcus Shephard prepared his receivers to face grizzly bears.
Instead, the Crimson Tide encountered something closer to bear cubs.
Already underdogs heading into the game, Wisconsin had to play most of the game without its starting quarterback; Tyler Van Dyke sustained a knee injury early in the first quarter. It certainly didn’t help, but Alabama looked like the stronger, more physical and faster team anyway.
All of that resulted in the Crimson Tide cruising to a 42-10 victory over the Badgers on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
Here are our takeaways from watching No. 4 Alabama (3-0) vs. Wisconsin (2-1).
Kadyn Proctor returns, and offensive line improves
The Crimson Tide offensive line left the tumultuous USF week in the rearview mirror.
Fresh off a penalty-ridden, struggle-filled game against South Florida, Alabama’s offensive line became much less noticeable against Wisconsin. That’s a good thing for that position.
A big piece of that: The return of left tackle Kadyn Proctor. He missed the first two games with a shoulder injury he sustained in pregame warmups before the season opener. Then he got the start against Wisconsin and helped bring stability back to the group. That allowed Tyler Booker to move back to left guard. Meanwhile, a healthy Elijah Pritchett got the start at right tackle, instead of Wilkin Formby.
All of those moves led to a group that provided an overall solid pocket while creating opportunities on the ground. Wisconsin seldom got much pressure on quarterback Jalen Milore. The offensive line wasn’t perfect, but it saw significant improvement from a week ago.
Kane Wommack gets his wish
Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack wanted more takeaways, and he didn’t mince words about it.
Ahead of the Wisconsin game, Wommack called no takeaways during the USF game “absolutely unacceptable.”
His players answered the challenge in Madison.
Safety Malachi Moore forced a fumble in the open field during the first half. Then in the second half, Deontae Lawson forced a fumble again. Both of those takeaways resulted in scores from the Alabama offense.
Ryan Williams’ game transfers to Power 4
The level of opponent became more challenging than the first two games, but Ryan Williams didn’t change. He still made plays.
The true freshman shined yet again, extending his touchdown streak to three games. He scored the first touchdown of the game with a 31-yard catch in the end zone to give Alabama a lead it never surrendered.
That gave Williams his fourth touchdown in three games. He has quickly emerged as Milroe’s top weapon and is becoming a game-changing receiver that Alabama has missed in recent years.
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
