Danny Payne, Pregame editor: Well, Charlie and I were both at Wisconsin last week to watch this one, so Charlie, I’ll start off with you. What were your big takeaways from Madison?
Charlie Green, football reporter: Well first off, it was just a great game, great atmosphere. Very defensive game. Pretty ugly game actually, but one of those low-scoring games that might be kind of rare where it was still incredibly entertaining, incredibly fun to watch. Wisconsin’s pass rush got to C.J. Beathard a little bit, So Iowa shifted more to the run, and Jordan Canzeri had a big day. In the end, Iowa’s defense forced Wisconsin to throw the ball a lot, and I think it was that unit that really won the game.
Payne: Yeah, absolutely I’d have to say the same thing. Offense didn’t do much; that was a combination of Wisconsin’s defense and some struggles from Iowa. Tackle Boone Meyers was out with an injury and looks like he’ll be out, I think they called him week-to-week and day-to-day.
Tevaun Smith probably won’t be back before the bye with a knee injury, and LeShun Daniels Jr, is still not 100 percent.
On turnovers
Jordan Hansen, football reporter: It was the most Iowa-Wisconsin game I’ve ever seen. Someone tweeted earlier, I don’t remember who it was, but the question was what has been the difference between Iowa and Wisconsin games, and former Hawkeye Andy Brodell tweeted back turnover margin, and that’s what really won this game. If you go back and look at the games, it’s usually the team that turns the ball over fewer times wins.
On the offensive line:
Ryan Rodriguez, football reporter: Pass blocking, it was kind of ugly at times. That’s the most pressure Bethard has seen all year, and granted that’s probably the strongest defensive unit Iowa will face all season, but it just seemed as if there was nobody that could even kind of stem the tide of onslaught they were facing. Run blocking, they looked good. I thought Canzeri had all kinds of room, but pass blocking, especially when Wisconsin brought two or three guys, Iowa couldn’t handle it.
On hype surrounding Illinois:
Peter Bailey Wells, Daily Illini sports editor: Man, what a difference 4-1 makes compared to 3-2. They’ve been 3-2 the last two years, and now they’re 4-1, which has a lot of people maybe dreaming outside of what’s realistic but definitely getting excited about this matchup at Iowa.
On Illinois quarterback Wes Lunt
Wells: I don’t think he’s a first-round draft pick, but I do think that by the end of his college career, he’s going to be someone who is in a position to play pro ball. The guy he gets compared with a lot is Christian Hackenberg, someone who has a lot of natural talent. I know Hackenberg hasn’t seemed terrific this season, and Wes hasn’t either, but he’s very capable. He can make every throw you need him to make.