After a tough 28-13 loss to Penn State last week, Wisconsin football is looking to bounce back this week. The Badgers will travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes on NBC Prime time on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes defeated Northwestern 40-14 and entered this game with a 5-3 record. The Heartland Trophy is also on the line. This was one of the better Big Ten rivalries in recent years. Here are the keys to beating Iowa this week.
Make Brendan Sullivan hit you with his arm, not his legs
Iowa will be dancing with junior Brendan Sullivan this week. Cade McNamara is injured and has also not performed well since he stepped foot on Iowa’s campus. Sullivan was a weapon on the goal line due to his ball-handling ability. Even as a backup, Sullivan still has 77 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Sullivan, on the other hand, only threw for 93 yards and one touchdown. The running part of the quarterback can be a weapon at the college level, and Sullivan is quite good at it. I think this is a game where the Wisconsin football defense needs to be at their best in the run game and make sure Sullivan and the Iowa receivers win this game.
Eliminate Kaleb Johnson’s Big Play
Kaleb Johnson is an absolute stud. If it weren’t for Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Johnson would have been a leading candidate for the Doak Walker Award. He already has over 1,100 rushing yards and more yards than Iowa’s entire passing game.
Iowa doesn’t hide it either. It’s to give the ball to Johnson and make any defense stop him. It hasn’t failed them yet. Johnson can also pass the ball to an attacker who can break down the defense. If I’m a Wisconsin football defender, all hands must be on deck for Johnson. If he’s stopped, I think you’re going to force this attacking Hawkeye to do something he’s not necessarily comfortable with
Wisconsin football must be neat on both sides of the ball
Iowa’s defense is so forceful. This Wisconsin football forward will have to beat them because they can’t beat themselves. They do a great job of giving their offense a low space to operate, which takes the pressure off the attacking team, which isn’t very large apart from one player.
Braedyn Locke almost certainly intercepts. It’s a bit difficult to say, but it was true. His interception last week completely changed the animated of the game. If he concedes an early goal, he will recover quickly, but Iowa’s defense will be hungry.
On the other hand, I think possession will be circumscribed in this game. That’s how Iowa wants to play. The Badgers defense will need to force at least one turnover to win the field position battle. This means putting pressure on Sullivan, keeping him in the pocket and winning the line of scrimmage.
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