The Wisconsin Badgers went to Iowa City and were embarrassed once again under Luke Fickell.
For whatever reason, the Iowa Hawkeyes have Fickell's number, and that was no different on Oct. 31, 2026.
UW was ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in three seasons, but they can kiss that No. 25 goodbye after this horrendous 30-0 loss.
Calling it horrendous is one of many words to describe the loss. In the end, here are three of the main reasons why things didn't go the Badgers way at Kinnick Stadium.
Time of possession
TONY D RUNS IT IN FOR IOWA! @HawkeyeFootball@Wendys pic.twitter.com/Zrt9DCDhkB
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 31, 2026
Wisconsin had the ball for just three minutes in the first quarter, and somehow, that number seemed to get worse as the game went on.
Colton Joseph put forward his worst game
as a Badger, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Each of Wisconsin's drives looked worse than the last, and they gave their defense no room for error.
UW lost the time of possession battle, 23:39 to 36:21, had two more turnovers, and six more penalties which accounted for an extra 60 yards.
Wisconsin's defense couldn't get off the field
A BIG gain on @HawkeyeFootball's first drive of the game! pic.twitter.com/mqVxxd5Jz5
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 31, 2026
With each offensive possession lasting what felt like 30 seconds, this defense had no time to get their feet under them.
Sure, allowing a 99-yard drive was less than ideal, and one has to give Iowa's offense credit, but UW's third-down defense was horrific.
Hank Brown looked like a superhero in this game, and he was coming off one of the worst games of his entire life. This was an embarrassing, lifeless performance from a Wisconsin defense that just blew out USC last weekend.
Colton Joseph was benched
From bad to worse for the Badgers... pic.twitter.com/Tejf7EEkft
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 31, 2026
Joseph's performance in this game can't be talked about enough. Sure, the offensive line was in shambles, but Joseph once again failed to get anything going in the air.
With how well Iowa's defensive line played against the run, basically all UW could do was rely on the passing game, especially with a number of false start penalties pushing them back.
Upon being benched at the end of the third quarter, Joseph was just 5-for-14 for 90 yards with a fumble. He also had seven carries for six yards.
Keep in mind, 41 of those 90 yards came on one reception, so without that deep ball it would've looked even worse for the Old Dominion transfer.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Three takeaways from Wisconsin's worst loss of the season at Iowa
