TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Kalen DeBoer’s first road trip with his new look Alabama team ended up a rousing success as they defeated Wisconsin 42-10 on Saturday.

A major blow early for the Badgers

If the game wasn’t over before the opening whistle, it certainly was after Wisconsin’s first drive.

While attempting to scramble towards the sideline, Wisconsin starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke’s knee buckled and he was down for quite some time after taking a hit. He was helped to the injury tent, carted off to the locker room and ruled out for the game.

Now we know just how severe the injury was. As first reported by the Wisconsin State Journal, the Van Dyke is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 season with what was first reported as a knee injury. Now according to sources within the program, the Miami transfer suffered an ACL tear against Alabama – officially ruling him out for the season.

Offensive line shuffle

Early in the season, Alabama’s offensive line has been a major point of contention. The unit has struggled with injuries early on, forcing several players to be shuffled into secondary positions.

Against USF, it showed. According to Pro Football Focus, Alabama’s offensive line allowed 8 pressures on quarterback Jalen Milroe while committing 9 penalties. The main source of grief for fans was right tackle Wilkin Formby, who accounted for 4 pressures and 4 penalties alone before being subbed for Elijah Pritchett in the fourth quarter.

Against Wisconsin, Alabama was able to trot out a much healthier offensive line and it showed. The unit allowed just 2 pressures and committed 2 penalties against the Badgers. Both Tyler Booker and Kadyn Proctor returned from injury, while Pritchett once again assumed his spot with the starters.

17-year-old phenom continues to shine

Alabama’s offense shifted into high gear when Ryan Williams caught the opening  touchdown for the Tide on a 31-yard pass from Milroe. His performance just added to what is shaping up to be a special year for the freshman.

In total, Williams caught 4 passes for 1 touchdown and 78 total yards against the Badgers. Thanks to a streak of impressive games, Nick Saban compared the young receiver to legendary receiver Amari Cooper on College Gameday.

“Ryan Williams is a mature competitor, man,” said Saban.

“He’s one of the most mature kids I’ve ever recruited… This guy is explosive, he’s got great hands, he can run after the catch. I think this guy reminds me of Amari Cooper when he was a freshman and I think this guy’s got a great career [ahead of him].”

Potential presidential visit

In another late plot twist – and as first reported by political commentator Mark Halperin – former president and 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump plans to attend the week five matchup between the Alabama and Georgia.

It won’t be Trump’s first time attending an Alabama football game, as he also attended the 2019 LSU matchup inside Bryant-Denny as well as the 2018 title game in Atlanta.

Looking forward

Alabama gets a week to rest before they’ll take on No. 2 Georgia inside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

The Bulldogs will also benefit from a bye-week of their own. They’ll enter the game coming off a close call against Kentucky after Carson Beck and the offensive got off to a slow start. That slow start was the likely reason for their drop to No. 2 in the AP poll, with Texas surging to No. 1 behind a thrilling performance from Arch Manning.

ESPN had Georgia as 2.5 point favorites when odds opened, but their analytics give the Crimson Tide a 67% chance of upsetting the Bulldogs at home. Kalen DeBoer and Kirby Smart have never matched up before as head coaches.