MADISON, Wis. — Earlier this season, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said he was willing to accept his offense becoming more pass-oriented — at least while the situation with the running game was being resolved.

In the Hawkeyes’ 20-10 victory over Wisconsin on Oct. 17, the passing game, especially in the latter stages, provided then-No. 11 Iowa with the explosive playmaking it needed to escape Camp Randall Stadium with a 7-0 record.

For all the flak thrown at junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi for his recent interceptions, the Mentor, Ohio, native delivered with a 17-of-23 passing performance for 218 yards through the air and one touchdown.

Stanzi said the consistency from his go-to targets allowed the Hawkeyes to perform as they did.

“I know where they’re going to be, and all I got to do is throw the ball to them,” he said. “It’s really mostly those guys doing a good job of getting off jams or whatever it may be in the game situation. They do a great job of keeping their poise and making it easy to get them the football.”

The touchdown Stanzi threw came on the Hawkeyes’ first series of the second half, when he found senior tight end Tony Moeaki for a 24-yard score that tied the game at 10.

But while Moeaki may have had the one touchdown reception, he was far from the only playmaker to deliver.

Junior wideout Derrell Johnson-Koulianos started for the first time this season and made the most of his opportunity with the first string. The Campbell, Ohio, native tied a career-high set against Northwestern in 2007 with eight receptions, and he hauled in a game-high 113 receiving yards.

“We just made the best of our opportunities, and that’s all it comes down to,” he said. “Coaches put us in position to make plays, and it’s our responsibility to go out and make plays.”

Also making key receptions in the passing game were senior wide receiver Trey Stross and junior tight end Allen Reisner. Stross only had two catches for 14 yards, but his second grab was the first of five third-down conversions the Hawkeyes made in the second half.

Reisner’s lone reception came on the go-ahead scoring drive for Iowa. The Marion native made an outstanding 21-yard catch near the Wisconsin sideline in the fourth quarter to help set up a 10-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman running back Adam Robinson.

“[Reisner] is playing really well, and that was another huge play for us,” Ferentz said. “It wasn’t a routine play. For us to win, we are going to need his contributions.”

Robinson managed to rush for 91 yards on 20 carries, but Iowa’s net total on the ground was 65 yards. The Des Moines native said getting the game Iowa did from its receivers and tight ends makes things easier for him and freshman running back Brandon Wegher.

“It’s definitely a relief to have guys like Tony, and Al, and [Colin] Sandeman, and DJK, and all those guys — our receivers,” Robinson said. “They just do a great job of catching and getting positive yards. It takes a lot of pressure off us as running backs. We don’t have to make the 10 yards every play or get first downs every time.”

It seems appropriate that when the clock expired, Johnson-Koulianos and Stross walked off the Iowa sideline with the Heartland Trophy, which remains in the Hawkeyes’ possession for the second-straight year.