Iowa Football Opponent Preview: Wisconsin Badgers

It’s crazy to say, but we have reached the home stretch of the college football season. This week, the Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3) are set to host the Wisconsin Badgers (5-3) in the battle for the Heartland Trophy. It’s the 98th meeting between the two programs dating back to 1894, with the Badgers leading the series 49-46-2.

Under third-year head coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers enter this matchup with a 5-3 overall record. This past weekend, they had their three-game winning streak snapped, falling to third-ranked Penn State 28-13 in Madison. Wisconsin needs just one more win to reach bowl eligibility for the 23rd straight season.

The Hawkeyes opened as a 4-point favorite by the sportsbooks, marking the first time they have been favored in this matchup in over a decade. Despite that statistic, Iowa has won three of the last four meetings, including back-to-back in Iowa City. For Wisconsin, it’s just their third time being a road underdog since 2018.

BADGERS OFFENSE

2024 Numbers: 27.0 PPG (77th), 179.9 RUSH (45th), 213.1 PASS (83rd), 393.0 TOTAL (69th)

Offensively, the Badgers are led by sophomore quarterback Braedyn Locke who took over for the injured Miami FL transfer Tyler Van Dyke. Over seven games, Locke has completed 102 of his 177 (57.6%) passes for 1,281 yards, including seven touchdowns and six interceptions. His 124.7 QB Rating ranks 14th in the Big Ten.

Joining him in the backfield is Oklahoma transfer running back Tawee Walker. Walker has gotten the bulk of the carries since Chez Mellusi stepped away from the team, totaling 624 yards on 126 carries (5.0 ypc) and ten touchdowns. He’s eighth in the Big Ten in rushing, but is tied for second in touchdowns trailing behind only Kaleb Johnson. You can expect freshman Darrion Dupree (47 car, 154 yds) and Cade Yacamelli (33 car, 274 yds, 8.3 ypc) to get some touches as well, but Walker will be the guy to get it 20+ times for the Badgers.

Wisconsin likes to spread the ball out, with six players totaling at least ten catches this season. Former Cincinnati receiver Will Pauling leads the way with a team-high 38 catches for 381 yards (10.0 ypr) and two touchdowns. Junior Vinny Anthony has emerged as a big play threat, totaling 20 receptions for 382 yards (19.1 ypr) and two touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Trech Kekahuna (15 rec, 233 yards, 2 TD) is third on the team, while CJ Williams (12 rec, 203, 16.9 ypr) is fourth. If Locke can be accurate with his passing, Wisconsin has a number of guys that can do damage at wideout.

Up front on the offensive line, the Badgers are pretty solid. Per Pro Football Focus, they rank sixth in the country in pass blocking grade (84.2) and 35th in run blocking (68.2). They’re especially good at tackle, with Riley Mahlman (77.6) and Jack Nelson (76.2) ranking seventh and ninth amongst all lineman in the Big Ten. Quarterback Braedyn Locke has only been pressured on 19.7% of his 183 drop backs.

BADGERS DEFENSE

2024 Numbers: 18.9 PPG (24th), 144.0 RUSH (67th), 167.1 PASS (14th), 311.1 TOTAL (22nd)

Starting up front on the defensive line, defensive coordinator Mike Tressel really relies on his starters to carry the snaps load. Just six guys have logged 100+ plus snaps on the line, with the top four each totaling at least 265 snaps. Edge rusher Darryl Peterson (19 tkls, 1.0 sk) rarely leaves the field and leads the team with 16 quarterback pressures. In the interior, Curt Neal (18 tkls), Elijah Hillis (15.0 tkls, 3.5 tfls, 2.0 sks) and Ben Barten (10.0 tkls) handle almost the entire workload, with Hillis ranking third on the team with 12 quarterback pressures. At the other end spot, John Pius (8.0 tkls, 1.5 sks) is second on team with 15 pressures, while Aaron Witt (18.0 tkls, 4.0 tfls) is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss.

The Badgers linebacking corp. is one of the best in the Big Ten, led by senior Arkansas transfer Jaheim Thomas (52 tkls, 2.0 tfls) and senior Jake Chaney (34 tkls, 4.0 tfls). Syracuse transfer Leon Lowery (23 tkls, 1.0 sk) will play some linebacker and some edge rusher. Those are the three guys that you predominantly see out there. However, when you rotate, sophomore Christian Alliegro (21 tkls, 2.0 sks) and USC transfer Tackett Curtis (18 tkls) will be the ones that get the snaps.

It’s fair to say that the Wisconsin defense gets better from front to back, with their secondary ranking 19th in the country by PFF in coverage grade (89.9). Safety Preston Zachman (35 tkls, 2 INT) is rated as the third-best safety in the Big Ten (80.0), while safety Hunter Wohler (48 tkls) always finds the ball carrier to make tackles. Wohler has also been great in coverage, allowing nine catches on 19 targets (47.4%), including six pass breakups.

The Badgers rank 17th in yards allowed per completion (10.4) and 20th in the country in yards allowed per attempt (6.13). Junior corner Ricardo Hallman (9.0 tkls) has allowed ten completions on 17 targets (58.8%) with four pass breakups. Nyzier Fourqurean (32 tkls) and Austin Brown (32 tkls) are the other two corners that will get the majority of the snaps. Overall, the Wisconsin secondary isn’t going to force a ton of turnovers (just 3 INT’s), but they will limit big plays, which forces opposing QB’s to be more accurate and complete more passes to move down the field.

BADGERS SPECIAL TEAMS

Punt Returner Hunter Wohler: 5 returns, 41 yds, 8.2 AVG, LNG 15

Kick Returner Vinny Anthony: 8 returns, 227 yds, 28.4 AVG, LNG 74

Kicker Nathanial Vakos: 8/12 FG, 26/26 PAT, LNG 53

Punter Atticus Bertrams: 33 punts, 46.3 AVG, 14 In20, LNG 74

FINAL THOUGHT

Over the past couple of seasons, Wisconsin just hasn’t been the same tough and gritty team that’s made them one of the best programs in the Big Ten over the last two decades. For Iowa, I think there will be some chances to get things rolling in the run game and if Brendan Sullivan is at quarterback, that just adds another dimension to the attack. As long as the Hawkeyes play sound defense and have some success offensively, this is a game they should win, plus night games in Iowa City are always different for the opponent.