After coming up just short against a top-15 Indiana squad in Kinnick, the Hawkeyes are poised to hit the road again this week fresh off a week of rest. The bye came at an ideal time for Iowa as starting
QB Mark Gronowski went down with a knee injury in the 4th quarter of that loss to IU.
On Monday, Gronowski’s name appeared atop the depth chart for Iowa’s road trip to Madison this week as they take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Whether that actually means Gronowski is healthy enough to play remains to be seen. But it does perhaps give some insight as to why the Hawkeyes opened this week as 3.5-point favorites over the Badgers in Camp Randall.
That’s where FanDuel opened the line on Sunday with an over/under set at 37.5 total points. Perhaps the most telling thing as it regards the injury status of Gronowski is there was no movement in the line following his appearance on the depth chart Monday. So either the folks in the desert expected Iowa to have their QB1 all along or they’re not putting much stock in that depth chart.
Given the low over/under, perhaps it’s the latter. In Gronowski’s absence down the stretch against IU, backup Hank Brown finished just 5/13 passing for 48 yards and an interception. As we all recall, he also whiffed on the open screen pass which would have melted things away for a Hawkeye win. On the season, Brown is 11 of 21 passing for 107 yards with one TD and the one pick from a week ago. He also added a rushing TD in Iowa’s season opener against Albany, but he clearly does not have the mobility of Gronowski with a grand total of -3 rushing yards on three attempts on the season.
That low over/under is not just a reflection of the Hawkeyes, however. Wisconsin comes into the week averaging less than 19 points per game and with their own issues at quarterback. Starter Billy Edwards is just 7/16 on the season with 45 passing yards and has missed the last several weeks. He was originally replaced by Danny O’Neil, who completed more than 70% of his passes for 640 yards, but was benched heading into last week’s matchup with Michigan after throwing 5 picks in four appearances this season.
O’Neil was replaced by Hunter Simmons, who went 7/9 for 70 yards and a TD in relief during the loss to Maryland. Simmons followed that up with a start against Michigan, but ended the day 18 of 29 passing for 177 yards with no TDs and an interception in the losing effort. He has just one rush attempt on the season for -12 yards.
Pair that with what we saw from Iowa’s defense against Indiana’s Heisman candidate Fernando Mendoza and you have all the makings of a low-scoring affair with the Hawkeyes favored on the road.
Of course, high expectations are where Iowa fans go to be disappointed. The Badgers are doing their best to salvage a season here. Wisconsin is 2-3 on the season with no P4 wins and are just 2-8 in their last ten games overall. They’ll be rocking alternate uniforms and playing under the lights in Camp Randall on Saturday with a loss potentially setting Luke Fickell’s seat ablaze.
Here’s a quick look at the details for Saturday’s matchup in Madison.
Date: Saturday, October 11th
Time: 6:05 pm CT
Matchup: Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2, 1-1) at Wisconsin Badgers (2-3, 0-2)
Location: Camp Randall Stadium – Madison, WI
TV: FS1
Updated Weather Forecast: mostly sunny with temps in the low 80s
FanDuel Opening Line: Iowa -3.5, O/U 37.5
