Luke Fickell on Tanner Mordecai injury: ‘It doesn’t look good’

Wisconsin played all of the second half and a few plays at the end of the first without starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who left the game with an apparent right hand or finger injury. And the early prognosis from head coach Luke Fickell wasn’t promising.

Speaking after the Badgers lost to Iowa, Fickell shared that the outlook isn’t good for Mordecai. He didn’t offer a timeline on his potential return.

“No, I don’t know. It doesn’t look good for a little while. He couldn’t grip the ball so we’ll have to make sure we find out what the deal is tomorrow and see how long that may last,” Fickell said.

In place of Mordecai, Wisconsin turned to Braedyn Locke at quarterback to fill in. Locke was pedestrian, going 15-for-30 for 122 yards and an interception. Before he went out, Mordecai was 12-for-20 for 106 yards prior to leaving the game.

Mordecai told his coaches he couldn’t throw the ball

The message from Mordecai to his coaches on the sideline late in the 1st half against Iowa was crystal clear and concerning. The transfer signal caller had hurt his hand a few players early and he realized the issue.

Looking to his coaches, Mordecai appeared to say “I can’t throw” while mimicking a dart throw motion before checking out of the game.

Mordecai had hurt his throwing hand while rolling to his right and throwing late with a pass rusher in his face. As he followed through with his throw, Mordecai’s right hand collided full-speed with a defender’s helmet.

“I can’t throw.”

Never the sentence you want to hear your quarterback utter.

Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai hit his hand on a Hawkeye helmet on a previous pass attempt. pic.twitter.com/KypCd8bSbM

— Matt Schick (@ESPN_Schick) October 14, 2023

Mordecai wasn’t the only notable injury in Madison

Iowa tight end Erick All left the Hawkeyes contest against Wisconsin in the first quarter after suffering an apparent right knee injury late in the first quarter. All was helped off the field by trainers after staying down for some time.

All caught a pass just beyond the line of scrimmage near the right hash and was hit almost immediately as he turned upfield. Badgers linebacker C.J. Goetz dove at Alls legs, hitting his right leg around the knee.

All’s knee appeared to get flexed in the wrong direction on the hit. He was later shown being carted off the field to the locker room on the broadcast.

FOX sideline reporter Allison Williams noted that All did not put any pressure on his right leg going into the tent or getting on to the cart to go to the locker room.

As he came off the field with trainers, the transfer tight end from Michigan got words of encouragement from his teammates. Williams said that quarterback Cade McNamara and fellow tight end Luke Lachey, both of whom are out for the season with injuries, visited with All in the tent. McNamara transferred to Iowa with All ahead of the 2023 season.