Instant analysis: Wisconsin Badgers' talent gap too much to overcome against Alabama

The Wisconsin Badgers just weren't good enough to hang with the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 3.

The talent gap between the two teams was too much for Luke Fickell to overcome.

Wisconsin had moments of playing well, but even their best efforts didn't quite feel like enough at any point of the game.

In the second and third quarter, the Badgers had multiple drives of eight or more plays where it felt like Danny O'Neil and the offense were starting to get some momentum.

Both ended without points, despite taking over six minutes off the clock. It gave the defense a breather, but that didn't seem to make much difference either.

While Wisconsin's run defense limited what the Crimson Tide could do on the ground, the Badgers had no answers for Ty Simpson's passing attack.

Outside of a flea-flicker screen pass touchdown, it wasn't like Alabama was scheming up complicated passing plays and route concepts.

The difference was four and five star receivers like Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams creating separation and extracting yards after catch against a Badgers secondary that had no answers.

Offensively, the struggles on Wisconsin's offensive line were too much to overcome.

Injured center Jake Renfro was clearly not 100 percent as he came in and out of the game, and Alabama's defense attacked the two redshirt freshmen starting at right guard and right tackle.

Stalwart left tackle Riley Mahlman and left guard Joe Brunner had their share of mistakes too, as the talent of the Crimson Tide defensive line proved to be too much.

O'Neil was under pressure far too often, and Wisconsin couldn't generate enough of a running game to give him better down-and-distance situations.

The backup quarterback's first interception was a stinker, but his second was partially the fault of tight end Lance Mason not running his route correctly.

It all added up to a debilitating loss to an Alabama team that Wisconsin was never supposed to beat, but Badgers fans were just hoping for a closer contest that made it feel like UW belonged on the field.

That was not the case on Saturday.

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