Wisconsin @ Iowa preview
Kinnick Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2009 ) Iowa 20, Wisconsin 10
The winner of this week's game between visiting Wisconsin and Iowa gets to take the Heartland Trophy back home to its campus. They may also be on the verge of taking home an invitation to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl.
Both teams, who play a similar style, enter the game on an emotional high.
No. 12 Iowa (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) is fresh off its 38-28 victory at Michigan, where senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi completed 17 of 24 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns and was named Big Ten offensive player of the week.
Stanzi has thrown for 1,474 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and his efficiency rating (180.49) ranks third in the nation.
No. 11 Wisconsin (6-1, 2-1) is fresh from its 31-18 win over then-No. 1 Ohio State. It was the Badgers’ first win over a top-ranked team since they beat Michigan in 1981. John Clay ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns in the nationally televised game.
The game could come down to a test of wills between the Wisconsin running game and the Iowa defense. Led by Clay (796 yards rushing, 11 TDs) and James White (560 yards, nine TDs), Wisconsin averages 232.7 yards rushing per game. But the Iowa defense allows only 13.2 points per game and ranks seventh in rushing defense (83.8 yards).
The Hawkeyes allowed their first two rushing touchdowns of the season last week against Michigan, ending a 24-quarter touchdown-free streak that dated to the 2010 Orange Bowl.
Wisconsin's defense is pretty stout too. Defensive end J.J. Watts had two sacks and three tackles for loss against Ohio State and is tied for 11th in the nation with 11.5 tackles for loss. Linebacker Blake Sorensen had 10 tackles and the game-clinching interception against Ohio State.
The Badgers have allowed only two running backs to gain 100 yards over the last 20 games and eight of their last 15 opponents have failed to gain 300 total yards.
If the game comes down to special teams, the advantage goes to Wisconsin, where David Gilreath has become the Big Ten's career leader for kickoff return yards. Gilreath had 163 kickoff return yards against Ohio State; his 70 career punt returns are the second in the nation. Kicker Philip Welch has made 17 of his last 20 field goals.
Iowa leads the series 42-41-2, has won the last two and six of the last eight. The Hawkeyes have been dominant at home in Kinnick Stadium, having won 48 of its last 57 games.
In the race for the Rose Bowl, Iowa still has games remaining against Michigan State and Ohio State, both at home, while Wisconsin must still travel to Purdue and Michigan.