The Hawkeyes’ defense shut down Wisconsin’s vaunted running game, forcing the Badgers into a style they aren’t accustomed to.

By Charlie Green
[email protected]

MADISON, Wisconsin — No. 22 Iowa made it a long and frustrating day for Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave on Oct. 3.

It may have started in the second quarter of their 10-6 victory over the Badgers, when Stave overthrew intended receiver Alex Erickson, with the pass ending up in the arms of Hawkeye cornerback Desmond King. Later, in the third quarter with the Badgers driving in Iowa territory, King picked off Stave for the second time.

King now has 5 interceptions in 2015 — a number tied for the best in the country, but he credited his team’s run defense for forcing the Badgers into a style that hasn’t suited them well in the past.

“[It was] stopping the run and making them pass more. That’s not their game, that’s not their game plan,” King said. “Our goal was to keep the ball in he air, and we created some turnovers doing that.”

Iowa’s defense held the Badgers to 86 yards on the ground, and Wisconsin’s longest run of the day went for 11 yards. The Hawkeyes held Badger runners to under 3.0 yards per rush, forcing Stave into 38 passing attempts.

So far this season, the only pass-run ratio comparable with that for Wisconsin came in its opening loss to Alabama, when it threw 39 times and 21 rushes. During a three-game winning streak that followed, their average margin was plus-21.3 in favor of the ground game.

Based on that, there’s a clear way to defeat the Badgers. When the Hawks made Stave beat them with his arm, the secondary stepped up — as did the pass rush.

He entered the matchup with Iowa 24-8 in his career — starting the majority of the Badgers’ games since his redshirt freshman season of 2012.

In that run, he has seen his share of ups and downs with talented Badger teams, and his most recent bout with the Hawkeyes was about as low of a performance as he has had.

“I felt good,” Stave said. “You know, I don’t think anyone on the sideline really wavered at all; it was a good team that we were playing.”

But Iowa’s defense kept him out of rhythm and at times uncomfortable in the pocket — particularly in the second half. He finished with 234 yards on 21-of-38 passing with 2 interceptions. The senior also registered a 9.7 on ESPN’s quarterback rating metric as Wisconsin’s offense failed to score a touchdown.

“We felt like we had him where we wanted him,” safety Jordan Lomax said. “It looked like he didn’t make the right kind of decisions that he wanted to, and you just have to give the credit to our defense for playing our assignments.”

Many of Stave’s passes seemed to hang in the air far too long. It allowed Iowa defensive backs to make up ground after Badger receivers had created separation. When he delivered the ball on time, he often missed his targets wide or long.

Stave’s inaccuracy and poor timing wasn’t all that plagued him, either. Late in the game, his offense looked poised to capitalize on a C.J. Beathard fumble that set the Badgers up at the Iowa 27-yard line.

A few plays later, facing second and goal from the 1, Stave tripped after taking the snap. Trying to salvage the play and hand off to his tailback, he lost the ball, and the Hawkeyes recovered.

Defensive end Nate Meier, acting as an impromptu nose guard, pushed a Badger lineman onto the quarterback’s foot, forcing the turnover.

“Our coaches always tell us, ‘Stay low and shoot the gaps as hard as you can,’ ” Meier said. “And that’s what I did.”

Even after the interceptions, a fumble, and missed opportunities in the passing game, the Badgers had one last chance to take the lead in the final minute. Down 10-6 with 40 seconds remaining on Iowa’s 16, Stave rushed a wide throw to Troy Fumagali on fourth and 2.

Linebacker Cole Fisher kept the tight end from getting a clean break on his out route as the defense sealed Iowa’s first win over Wisconsin since 2009. In that time, the Badgers have won three Big Ten championships.

“Obviously, offensively, we didn’t play as great as we wanted to,” Beathard said. “But the defense compensated for that and did a great job.”