When Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell met with reporters to preview his team’s matchup against Iowa, he tried to set the tone with his opening remarks by acknowledging that it would be a tough, hard-fought, physical football game. Before fielding questions, he finished that statement by noting the game would “probably come down to the fourth quarter.”
It turns out Fickell was being far too optimistic.
By the time the fourth quarter arrived, Iowa already led by 25 points in an eventual 42-10 victory against Wisconsin on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium. The Badgers were hammered in embarrassing fashion during a game that continued to reveal just how far away they are from being a legitimate Big Ten competitor. Iowa won by its largest margin against Wisconsin since 1968.
Iowa now has won three consecutive games in the battle for the Heartland Trophy. It marks the first time the Hawkeyes have won at least three straight games in the series since they won four in a row from 2002-05.
Here are three initial takeaways from the Badgers’ performance.
1. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it: Wisconsin’s offense against Iowa was atrocious. The Badgers needed to establish the rushing attack because this was not the type of game to put on quarterback Braedyn Locke’s shoulders. Instead, Wisconsin repeatedly found itself in third-and-long situations early and registered more passes than rushing attempts. Wisconsin rushed for 48 first-half yards, the team’s lowest in the first half of a game this season.
Locke simply can’t get out of his own way because he continues to commit too many turnovers. He threw two more interceptions, the first on a first-and-10 at midfield late in the first quarter when his pass intended for receiver Quincy Burroughs was picked off by Iowa cornerback Deshaun Lee, whom Locke didn’t see breaking on the pass. Iowa converted that turnover into a touchdown on quarterback Brendan Sullivan’s 1-yard sneak to give the Hawkeyes a 7-3 lead.
In the third quarter, Locke once again made a poor throw into coverage when Iowa linebacker Nick Jackson stepped in front of Wisconsin receiver Trech Kekahuna and intercepted a pass that led to yet another Iowa touchdown and a 28-3 advantage.
That means Locke has now been intercepted at least once in all six of his starts this season since replacing injured starter Tyler Van Dyke. Locke has a total of nine turnovers — eight interceptions and one lost fumble — during that stretch. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s results have been less than inspiring against good competition, and the performance Saturday certainly won’t do much to quell outside noise about whether he is the answer moving forward.
2. It was no secret to Wisconsin’s defense what Iowa’s offensive plan would be on Saturday. The Hawkeyes had one of the best running backs in the country in Kaleb Johnson and a mobile quarterback in Sullivan making his first start of the season. Yet the Badgers played like they weren’t equipped to handle anything related to the ground game.
Wisconsin surrendered a 30-yard rush to backup running back Kamari Moulton, allowed Sullivan to escape the pocket and pick up nine yards and then gave up a 16-yard rushing touchdown to Johnson. The score gave Iowa a 14-3 lead with 8:49 remaining in the second quarter. Iowa continued to dominate up front on a 10-play, 86-yard third-quarter touchdown drive in which the Hawkeyes ran the ball on every play.
Iowa (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) was able to completely take the pressure off Sullivan as a passer because of how well it established the run — something Wisconsin couldn’t do. Johnson finished with three rushing touchdowns, and the Hawkeyes eclipsed the 300-yard rushing mark as a team.
3. Whatever positive vibes Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3) generated during a three-game winning streak against Big Ten teams that are now 3-13 in conference games are completely gone. Wisconsin is a team that looks lost as the second season under Fickell approaches its conclusion. The Badgers trailed by double digits six minutes into the second quarter against the Hawkeyes and weren’t even competitive the rest of the way.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Wisconsin’s next game comes against No. 1 Oregon at home in two weeks. Wisconsin closes the regular season at Nebraska and home against Minnesota and could find itself in the same situation it was last year under Fickell — 5-5 and needing to win one of the last two games to ensure bowl eligibility. Wisconsin’s schedule this season was always going to be a challenge, but that can’t be an excuse. Meaningful progress remains elusive.
(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / Imagn Images)
