Following a dominating 40-14 homecoming win over Northwestern last weekend, the Iowa football team looks to keep the momentum going against rival Wisconsin, who enters the contest at 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play.
The Badgers began the year with a measly 2-2 record, but have won three of their last four games, with all three triumphs coming by 20 points or more.
Head coach Luke Fickell enters his second season in Madison and is under a bit of scrutiny from the Badger faithful after posting a 7-6 record last season, tied for Wisconsin’s second-worst campaign in the 21st century.
The Badgers have historically played a smashmouth, old-school style of football, but Fickell implemented a pass-heavy system after taking over. Wisconsin showed some initial struggles with the new scheme, but the system has seemed to pay off, as the Badgers have scored 29 points per game compared to only 23.5 in 2023.
This marks the 98th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Iowa taking three of the last four meetings. Since the introduction of the Heartland Trophy in 2004, Wisconsin leads the series 10-8.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. at Kinnick Stadium on NBC, marking the third time the Hawkeyes will play in the “Big Ten Saturday Night” matchup this season.
To fully digest this matchup, let’s take a deeper look at the Badgers.
Offense
Shortly after he took over, Fickell hired North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo to run his offense in Madison. Longo has been a longtime disciple of the air-raid offense during his coaching career, and the hire quickly gained national attention.
Wisconsin hasn’t thrown the ball around as much as it has hoped during Longo’s tenure, but a strong rushing attack led by Tawee Walker has opened the passing game up for Braedyn Locke and company.
Walker leads the Badgers with 624 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season but was held to only 59 yards against a stout Penn State defense last week, contributing to the 28-13 loss. Even still, Walker is an explosive back who the Hawkeyes will have to watch out for.
Locke was slated to be the backup quarterback behind Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke this season, but Van Dyke suffered a season-ending injury against Alabama on Sept. 14, forcing Locke to take over.
Locke’s results as the starter have been mixed, recording seven touchdowns and six interceptions on 1,281 yards passing. He struggled badly last week against Penn State, completing only 22 of his 42 passing attempts for 217 yards, no touchdowns, and a crucial pick-six in the third quarter.
Defense
The Badgers may have inconsistencies on offense, but their defense has been stout this year, allowing only 18.9 points per game under defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. Tressel, the nephew of legendary Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, had previously served in the same post at Cincinnati and Michigan State before coming to Wisconsin.
This unit is a well-balanced attack, with linebacker Jaheim Thomas leading the way with 52 tackles and a sack this season. Joining him at the linebacker spot is Jake Chaney, who has also posted an impressive 34 tackles and a sack in 2024.
The secondary has also been tough, with safeties Hunter Wohler, Preston Zachman, and cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean manning this unit. Zachman has a team-high two interceptions on the season.
Special Teams
Third-year placekicker Nathanial Vakos has made eight of his 12 field goal attempts and all 26 of his extra point tries this season. His season-long 53-yarder came against Alabama in Week 3.
Second-year punter Atticus Bertrams is in his second year as the starting punter, averaging 46.3 yards per punt on 33 attempts. Bertrams hails from Sydney, Australia, continuing the trend of successful Australian-born punters playing in the Big Ten.
Final Analysis
Both teams may be eliminated from College Football Playoff consideration, but it’s still a heated game between two bitter rivals.
Expect an old-school Big Ten football contest on Saturday in Kinnick.