Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai goes to locker room early after injuring throwing hand vs. Iowa

The message from Wisconsin quarterback Tanner 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. He was replaced by backup Braedyn Locke before Wisconsin eventually punted.

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

He was seen going into the locker room a few minutes before halftime to get further tests done on his throwing hand.

Wisconsin trailed Iowa, 7-0, at the half.

The outlook on Mordecai is not good

Wisconsin played all of the second half and a few plays at the end of the first without 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 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.

Iowa suffered a significant injury on Saturday, too

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.