The Wisconsin Badgers suffered an embarrassing 30-0 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday, falling to 5-3 and dropping out of the AP Top 25 just one week after entering for the first time since 2023.
It was a rough day for the defense, who let Iowa quarterback Hank Brown get far too comfortable and dice them up in the air, as opposed to a rough performance against the run.
Here are the snap counts and PFF grades for Wisconsin’s defense against Iowa.
Defensive Line
Hammond Russell IV – Snap Count: [32], Grade: 66.2
Junior Poyser – Snap Count: [32], Grade: 67.1
Charles Perkins – Snap Count: [29], Grade: 69.9
Nolan Vils – Snap Count: [21], Grade: 74.2
Michael Garner – Snap Count: [18], Grade: 71.5
Dillan Johnson – Snap Count: [13], Grade: 64.7
DeNigel Cooper – Snap Count: [7], Grade: 60.1
Jacob Anderson – Snap Count: [3], Grade: 60.0
Wisconsin did hold Iowa to 3.6 yards per carry, not including sacks, and that was boosted by a 20-yard end around from Tony Diaz. So the defensive line did its job defending the run, but Wisconsin did not get much pressure on Hank Brown.
Brown had a 2.57-second time to throw and was pressured on only five of his 25 dropbacks. This was more on defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, who didn’t come up with a game plan to make Brown uncomfortable. The Hawkeyes quarterback was blitzed on only 10 of his 25 dropbacks, and was 12 of 14 for 182 yards and a touchdown when not blitzed with a 2.68-second time to throw.
So, a good day stopping the run, but a very rough day disrupting the passer.
Outside Linebackers
Sebastian Cheeks – Snap Count: [47], Grade: 81.4
Justus Boone – Snap Count: [37], Grade: 64.4
Aaron Witt – Snap Count: [33], Grade: 55.6
Tyreese Fearbry – Snap Count: [32], Grade: 62.3
Nicolas Clayton – Snap Count: [7], Grade: 73.2
At times, it felt like Sebastian Cheeks and Mason Posa were the heart of the Badgers. Cheeks continued to see chips and different looks, but played hard and had four pressures and an elite 31.3 pass-rush win rate. He was dominant, and was second on the team with three stops as well.
Boone played 37 snaps, but recorded just one tackle, zero pressures, and zero defensive stops. Witt was the one who gave up the early touchdown in coverage, but he did force the late fumble that Wisconsin recovered.
Fearbry had three defensive stops, but also a pair of missed tackles at the line of scrimmage. And Nicolas Clayton just didn’t see the field much against Iowa’s run-heavy approach.
Linebackers
Cooper Catalano – Snap Count: [64], Grade: 91.5
Mason Posa – Snap Count: [63], Grade: 90.9
Jon Jon Kamara – Snap Count: [19], Grade: 89.4
Thomas Heiberger – Snap Count: [6], Grade: 64.1
Taylor Schaefer – Snap Count: [3], Grade: 60.0
Mason Posa was really good in this one. He was flying as a tackler and had a very impressive seven defensive stops. He and Cheeks were the two best defenders on the day, with Cooper Catalano in the mix as well.
Catalano had 16 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Posa had 13. Catalano had two defensive stops, but also forced a fumble that Wisconsin didn’t recover earlier in the game.
With how much Iowa was targeting their tight ends, I was a bit surprised that Jon Jon Kamara didn’t play more over someone like Aaron Witt with his athleticism.
Cornerbacks
Jai’mier Scott – Snap Count: [62], Grade: 52.5
Javan Robinson – Snap Count: [51], Grade: 59.7
Eric Fletcher Jr. – Snap Count: [24], Grade: 52.6
Bryce West – Snap Count: [17], Grade: 60.8
It was a rough day for the cornerbacks. I was interested to see whether Mike Tressel would get out of his coveted nickel package to account for the opponent, and he did. Bryce West played just 17 snaps.
It was a very rough day for Jai’mier Scott, who was flagged three times for pass interference or holding. I thought West could’ve slid in to play on the outside, as he has at times this year, but Scott ended up being the highest-snapped cornerback.
Fletcher gave up a key 17-yard catch, getting beaten easily by a nice route. Even Robinson gave up a pair of catches, including a 45-yard gain.
Safeties
Matthew Jung – Snap Count: [69], Grade: 54.4
Marvin Burks Jr. – Snap Count: [45], Grade: 68.9
Cairo Skanes – Snap Count: [25], Grade: 41.8
Cairo Skanes followed up a very good game against USC last week with a rough one in this game. He had some poor angles and missed a tackle on outside runs.
Matt Jung, though, really struggled in this one. He had a bad angle to a leaking tight end on the first drive, giving up a major gain. His instincts also just seemed off. He triggered late to a receiver at the sticks on another third down, allowing a first. Just wasn’t his day after also having a solid day against USC.
Burks was in coverage on one of the touchdowns in the red zone. He had two tackles and a defensive stop in this one.
