GAME SNAPSHOT
KICKOFF: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET
SITE: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
TV: FOX
SERIES: Wisconsin leads 46-43-2. The Badgers beat Iowa 38-14 last season.
RANKINGS: Wisconsin No. 18
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Badgers
–RB Jonathan Taylor is the headliner in the matchup against Iowa. How Taylor and the offensive line responds to last week’s upset loss to BYU might be the key to the season. Sure, Taylor had a respectable game with 117 yards rushing, but the O-line was manhandled and whistled for several key penalties.
–WR Danny Davis had a respectable showing in his first action, but he also missed some critical blocks and showed some rust. His ability to make plays on third downs is a big plus for the Badgers.
–K Rafael Gaglianone saw his streak of 13 straight made field goals end with a missed 42-yarder at the end of the BYU loss. Don’t be surprised if the senior kicker finds himself in another critical end-of-the-game situation at Iowa.
–LB T.J. Edwards is one of the main leaders on defense. Edwards, a preseason All-American, ranks fifth on the team with 14 tackles, including 2.5 stops for a loss.
Hawkeyes
–QB Nate Stanley was on his game last Saturday in the 38-14 win over Northern Iowa after a slow start in Iowa’s first two games. The second-year starter connected on 23 of 28 passes (82.1 percent) against the Panthers for 309 yards. In the two previous games, he completed just 52.9 percent of his throws. Stanley’s most accurate passing games the past two years have resulted in big wins over Iowa State, Ohio State and Nebraska.
–RB Toren Young will be facing his home-state team on Saturday when Iowa plays Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium. Young, a Madison, Wis., native, has started the past two games for Iowa after opening-game starter Ivory Kelly-Martin went down with an ankle injury. The sophomore leads the Hawkeyes with 234 yards on 42 carries. Kelly-Martin may be ready to return this week, but Young should be motivated to have a big day against the Badgers. Young has shared time in the backfield with Mekhi Sargent, who ran for a career-best 72 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries last week against Northern Iowa.
–WR Nick Easley was quiet in Iowa’s first two games this season before setting career highs last week in the win over Northern Iowa with 10 receptions for 103 yards, becoming the first Hawkeyes player since 2011 with 10 or more catches in a game.
–DE A.J. Espenesa continues to become more of an impact player for Iowa’s defense, which will face its biggest challenge to date on Saturday against Wisconsin and standout running back Jonathan Taylor. Epenesa, a sophomore, is tied for first in the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally in sacks with four after three games. He also is tied for the most forced fumbles in FBS with two.
KEYS
TO THE GAME
Wisconsin quickly went from having championship aspirations to recovery mode.
The Badgers entered the season with experience, perhaps the best offensive line in the country, a Heisman Trophy candidate in sophomore running back Jonathan Taylor and plenty of talent in the front seven on defense.
That put Wisconsin in the early discussion for the College Football Playoff, but along came BYU last week, beating the Badgers 24-21 in Madison as Rafael Gaglianone missed a 42-yard field goal that would have forced overtime.
That dropped Wisconsin from No. 6 to No. 18 in the AP poll.
The Badgers have no time to dwell on that. Now comes what looks like the key game in the Big Ten West, with Wisconsin headed to play at Iowa for the Heartland Trophy on Saturday. It is the conference opener for both teams.
“You don’t ever want to rely on losing as a source to go win,” Wisconsin offensive lineman Michael Deiter said. “That’s never going to end well. But if you do have hiccups … it should be a feeling that you never want to feel again.”
Iowa is 3-0, with wins over Northern Illinois, Iowa State and Northern Iowa. The Hawkeyes held Iowa State standout running back David Montgomery to 44 yards, and they rank tied for second in the country in rushing defense, allowing 42.0 yards per game.
That sets up a big-time matchup against Taylor, a sophomore who has rushed for 100-plus yards in all three games this season and ranks second in the country in rushing with 171.7 yards per game.
“We just played an outstanding running back two weeks ago. I mentioned he might be the best in the country. If he’s not, it might be the one we’re playing this week,” said Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz.
“This guy is just a tremendous football player, too. It’s unusual when you play two guys of this caliber within a two-week span. That’s what we’re facing. They’re not the same exact runner, but I can’t imagine many guys in the country better than either of these guys. We witnessed this, how good Taylor was firsthand last year. He is really a great player.”
Taylor rushed for 157 yards in last season’s 38-14 victory over Iowa in Madison.
Iowa doesn’t have a running back with Taylor’s cache, but its pass offense started to click in last week’s 38-14 win over Northern Iowa after average performances by quarterback Nate Stanley in the two first games. Though the Hawkeyes were playing an FCS team, Stanley threw with accuracy, completing 23 of 28 passes for 309 yards and one touchdown.
In the two previous games, he completed only 52.9 percent of his throws.
Last year against Wisconsin, Stanley was 8-of-24 passing for 41 yards and one interception.
“In this series, we kind of know who they are, I think they know who we are,” Ferentz said of a typically strong Wisconsin defense that is 11th nationally in total defense (275.7 yards allowed per game).
“In the case of Wisconsin, they’ve got DNA that has been pretty consistent. At least from a preparation standpoint, when we look at film, we can say, ‘OK, this is probably what we can expect.’ Now the challenge is how do you crack the safe? It’s hard because these guys are really good at what they do.”
One of Stanley’s favorite targets is junior Noah Fant, whose 14 career touchdown catches are the most in school history for a tight end. He has nine touchdowns in his past 10 games at Kinnick Stadium.
The Wisconsin defense is led by 2017 All-American linebacker T.J. Edwards, safety D’Cota Dixon and nose tackle Olive Sagapolu. Iowa’s defensive crew is led up front by end Anthony Nelson and A.J. Espenesa, who is tied for first in the Big Ten with four sacks.
Given the strength of both defenses, this could be a low-scoring, grind-it-out affair, unless Stanley or Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook (43 of 68 for 595 yards, with three touchdowns and two interceptions) can find some magic through the air in this battle for early supremacy in the Big Ten West.
“We’re going to approach this week of practice with a new mindset,” Taylor said. “We know that we’re going to have to work harder for everything we want.”
