MADISON, WI – After receiving a 42-10 beatdown in Kinnick Stadium last season, Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers had one date circled on their 2025 calendar.
That date was Oct. 11, a home date in Camp Randall Stadium against the same Hawkeyes team that embarrassed them on that chilly November evening in 2024. Fickell and the Badgers were open about this, openly professing their disdain for their rivals from the southwest, even going as far as doing 42 push-ups after each training camp practice session, a reference to the points they allowed Iowa to score last year.
Wisconsin finished 5-7 last season, forcing Fickell to desperately reload his roster with the hopes of competing with the Hawkeyes. But his efforts might as well have been all for naught on Saturday, as Iowa dominated Wisconsin from start to finish, winning in a 37-0 shutout. That’s the first time the Badgers have been blanked at home since 1980.
Much of the focus will be focused on Fickell’s future in Madison, but the real focus should be on the Hawkeyes. Iowa didn’t just win this game by accident, it dominated in all phases of the game – offense, defense, and special teams.
Leaving Camp Randall with a victory was expected, but many assumed a win would be hard to get. The Hawkeyes entered this game with plenty of question marks of their own, primarily centered on the health of quarterback Mark Gronowski. The fourth-year was injured early in the fourth quarter of Iowa’s loss to Indiana two weeks ago, leaving his status for the Wisconsin game up in the air.
Gronowski would end up playing on Saturday, producing mixed results, but his presence and leadership on the field trickled down through the rest of the team.
“He’s a great leader, and he know how to lead, lead the team and keep us on path,” second-year running back Kamari Moulton said after the game. “So be having be able to lead us was just a good feeling for us.”
Those leadership skills shined bright on the rushing attack, which finished with 210 yards and four touchdowns. The Badgers featured one of the best rushing defenses in the Big Ten, but the Hawkeyes pushed them around from the start, a positive sign after their disappointing 95-yard showing against Indiana.
This wouldn’t be a column if Drew Stevens wasn’t mentioned. The senior kicker missed a crucial 42-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter against Indiana, but bounced back in a big way against Wisconsin. Stevens connected on all three of his field goal attempts on Saturday, including a 49-yarder to close the first half.
One of the many keys to being successful in football is battling back after a bad week, and Stevens did just that. But he wasn’t the only to bounce back, however.
Iowa’s defense has played some good football of late. The unit held Rutgers to just seven points in the second half, and carried it over to the Indiana game, holding the high-powered Hoosier offense to just 20 points (that Indiana team beat No. 3 Oregon this weekend). But that performance was overshadowed by a failed blitz that led to Indiana’s game-winning 49-yard score.
The Hawkeyes had to wait two weeks to respond, and respond they did.
Iowa held Wisconsin to just 82 passing yards and forced three turnovers, something it has struggled to do this season. Two of those turnovers were interceptions from defensive lineman Aaron Graves and Bryce Hawthorne, which is something that few football games in recent memory have produced.
Watching the men in the trenches get a chance to make plays is a treat for any defensive coordinator, but Phil Parker’s unit was flying all over the field in this one. The pressure was generated when necessary, and the secondary didn’t allow Badger quarterback Hunter Simmons to make any plays in the passing game. While Wisconsin’s passing game is one of the nation’s worst, don’t forget about what the Hawkeyes were able to do against Indiana.
As for the big picture?
A win over a reeling Badger squad won’t reveal much, but it could serve as a major confidence boost for Iowa, which one-daunting schedule suddenly looks manageable.
Next Saturday’s opponent, Penn State, has lost three straight games and its starting quarterback after entering the season as a national championship favorite, while rival Minnesota has looked shaky against some of the league’s worst teams, needing a pick-six to beat lowly Purdue this weekend. Both games will be in the comfort of Kinnick Stadium, with the Penn State game taking place under the lights.
While the Hawkeyes will be the first to admit they are far from a finished product, their dominant win tonight in Madison showed they could be on the right track to making a late-season splash.