Coming off a 24-10 loss to the Michigan Wolverines, the Wisconsin Badgers are back at home on Saturday for their homecoming game against the Iowa Hawkeyes with the Heartland Trophy on the line. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. on FS1.
Wisconsin had a strong start last week against Michigan, scoring a touchdown on its opening drive. But, things stalled from there as the Badgers had seven straight punts, once again struggling to run the ball. Their second score only came at the end of the game, with
the final score being 24-10.
Defensively, the Badgers had a quality first half, limiting the impact of a strong Michigan rush offense enough after an early Justice Haynes touchdown. But, they wore down as the game went along, with Bryce Underwood having a few shots downfield as he finished with 270 passing yards in the win.
Now, Wisconsin turns to the Iowa Hawkeyes, who embarrassed the Badgers at Kinnick Stadium in a 42-10 blowout. That loss came after Wisconsin dropped a 28-13 game to the Penn State Nittany Lions at home, and was part of a brutal five-game losing streak that caused the Badgers to miss their first bowl game in over 20 years.
Wisconsin has now lost three straight games against Iowa, with many of the players on the team not being there when the Badgers last beat the Hawkeyes in a major upset in 2021.
Currently, the Badgers are 3.5-point underdogs, with the over/under at 36.5 points. Let’s get into some fun predictions for the game.
Prediction
This game is going to come down to which team is more physical. And, until they prove me wrong, I have a hard time believing that to be Wisconsin.
The Badgers have yet to efficiently run the ball. Their offensive line remains a question mark and they’re facing another tough run defense with the Hawkeyes.
Wisconsin is going to have a chance to win this game if it can open up the passing game early and force Iowa to respect it in the air. That’s how the run game will start to open, and a more balanced approach can amount.
But, without a strong rushing attack and more passes on first downs, the Badgers are going to be consistently stuck behind the chains, putting even more pressure on their offensive line to protect in long passing situations.
Defensively, it’s all about stopping Kamari Moulton and the run game. Iowa’s offense has been better than in years past, even with inconsistent play from quarterback Mark Gronowski. When the Badgers faced their first true test in the run game last week, they did struggle a bit, giving up 175 yards and two scores on 5.1 yards per carry.
It projects to be a low-scoring game, but Wisconsin will need to generate some form of offense to win this one, which means they must out-physical Iowa. I don’t see that happening, hence a Hawkeyes victory for the fourth straight year.
Prediction: Iowa to win
