Last week, the Hawkeyes gave their fans a trick with a stunning loss to Minnesota, dropping from a top-15-ranked team to unranked. This time, against Wisconsin, they gave the Kinnick faithful a treat.
On a cloudy, rainy Halloween, Iowa hosted the No. 25 Wisconsin Badgers for the rivals’ 100th all-time meeting — a rivalry the Hawks have had the upper hand as of late, not having lost to Wisconsin since 2021. But the Badgers came into Kinnick Stadium riding high off an electric upset over USC at home the previous week. With Iowa being in a very different situation as the victims of an upset, they were adamant about leaving the loss to the Gophers behind and playing their best ball going forward. And they did just that on Saturday.
Hank Brown got the start under center for Iowa, and he went on to lead an offense that looked rejuvenated. He set the tone on the opening drive with a deep pass to tight end D.J. Vonnahme for a 45-yard gain that set up an opening drive field goal. Brown put together arguably his best performance of the season, an efficient 20-for-24 for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns, his first TD strike being a beautifully placed ball to Vonnahme on third-and-goal for a 4-yard score. Since Jeremy Hecklinski didn’t even see the field, even in garbage time, it seems the coaching staff is locked in on Brown being the full-time starter for the time being. His most impressive drive came in the second quarter, where he led a 98-yard scoring drive in just 7 plays, capping it off with a pop pass to Tony Diaz, who took it in for a 4-yard touchdown, his first score since week one.
Brown made sure to utilize his talented targets, as Tony Diaz was Iowa’s leading receiver on the day. With the talent Diaz possesses, it’s been rather surprising that he hasn’t gotten as many looks as he did early this season. In his first two games with Iowa, he recorded 17 touches for 189 scrimmage yards. Since then, in the five games that followed, he’s had just 16 touches. That changed on Saturday, as he hauled in four catches for 75 yards, with an extra 20 rushing yards on a successful jet sweep. Vonnahme had a good game too, bringing in five catches for 54 yards, scoring two TDs. These two stars in the pass game are going to have a bigger responsibility going forward, as the Hawkeye offense is already undermanned.
The week leading up to the game, it was announced that Kamari Moulton suffered a season-ending upper body injury. With a major loss in a backfield that has seen struggles in production, the Hawkeyes turned to their deep depth at the running back position. Against Wisconsin, it was Xavier Williams who saw the starter’s workload. He toted 20 carries for 78 yards, averaging just under four yards per carry and leading the offense’s 140 team rushing yards. While they eclipsed the 100-yard mark, the running game still isn’t meeting the standard that’s been set by previous elite Iowa backfields. Had this game been a close one, their continued struggles could’ve cost them another game, as they did against Ohio State and Minnesota.
But this game was never in the realm of close, as Phil Parker’s defense continued its stellar season. Quarterback Colton Joseph lived through a horror movie in real time, going just 5-for-14 for 90 yards, and being held to six yards on the ground before being benched prior to the fourth quarter. The Badgers had just 52 team rushing yards while committing eight penalties and three turnovers. Linebacker Cam Buffington once again was everywhere on the field, racking up eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. It’s Buffington’s fourth game this season as Iowa’s leading tackler, as the junior LB continues his breakout season.
The defense as a whole didn’t allow Wisconsin any chance of being competitive, let alone allow any points. On eight of the Badgers’ 10 offensive drives, they failed to reach 20 yards. Their closest chance to score came during a near seven-minute drive in the second quarter that saw them get downfield thanks to a big 41-yard catch. They were pushed to fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, and Wisconsin kept the offense out to try and get six rather than three. Running back Abu Sama took a jet sweep handoff and linebacker Jayden Montgomery read it perfectly, wrapping up Sama’s legs before Buffington and Zach Lutmer finished the turnover on downs. The Badgers’ next closest chance to getting points came with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter, after Wisconsin wideout Tyrell Henry caught a deep ball for 57 yards around the Iowa 10-yard line before Lutmer jammed the ball loose. That’s when Rashad Godfrey Jr. tracked it down and recovered it in his own endzone for a touchback, completing the shutout.
Iowa defeated Wisconsin for a fifth straight year, also achieving a second straight shutout against them as they have outscored the Badgers 109-10 in their last three meetings. This is also the third time this season Iowa has pitched a shutout. The Hawkeye defense is allowing just 12.5 points per game, second best in the Big Ten. While it may be a long shot, the College Football Playoff could still be achieved — the 6-2 Hawkeyes will not only have to win out, but need other ranked teams to keep losing. Next week, they’ll hit the road to play Northwestern in the newly built Ryan Field, likely the toughest team and environment they have remaining on their schedule.
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