The Badgers have a major game ahead of them with a rivalry weekend against Iowa in Week 10.
The Wisconsin Badgers head to Iowa City to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Both teams sit at 5-3, meaning the winner becomes bowl eligible.
The Badgers have dropped two straight to the Hawkeyes and look to bring the Heartland Trophy back to Madison for the first time since they upset #9 Iowa in 2021 at home.
Here are three players to watch for the Badgers this Saturday.
Braedyn Locke
Braedyn Locke was having a solid game against Penn State until his costly pick-six which ultimately was the turning point in that matchup. Locke has thrown an interception in every game he has started this season, so he needs to try and limit turnovers Saturday against Iowa.
Iowa hasn’t been as stellar in the passing defense as in years past, so expect Locke to try and bounce back from last week’s disappointing game with a strong passing game in this one.
Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo did a good job finding opportunities for his speedster receivers against Northwestern, Purdue, and Rutgers, and I expect it to continue in this game. Locke mentioned to the media on Tuesday that he wanted this game badly since it was his first-ever start as a Badger, so expect him to have a big game for Wisconsin.
Will Pauling
Will Pauling had some costly drops last weekend which hurt the Badgers’ chances at a potential upset of Penn State. Pauling did bounce back later with a nice catch and run which set the Badgers up to score their only touchdown.
Pauling mentioned on Tuesday that he was bummed that they lost at home to Iowa last season during the first time playing in the rivalry. I expect Pauling to bounce back in this game by creating plays with his legs and speed as well as catching deeper balls than he normally does.
He’s been excellent on deep passes despite being a slot receiver, so I see him playing a hybrid role in this game where he catches both short passes up the middle as well as a few deep shots.
Jaheim Thomas
Jaheim Thomas has had a nice stretch of games where he’s successfully limited the opposing team’s running games. His toughest test yet comes in Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson who leads the Big Ten in both rushing yards and touchdowns.
Iowa’s offense is all built around Kaleb Johnson, so if the Badgers defense can even limit him slightly, it’ll make Iowa’s job a lot more difficult in this ballgame. Johnson is dynamic and creates a lot of long runs on the edges, so linebackers like Thomas need to be aware of that and not overcommit.
This game will be close as it always is, but I still see Wisconsin pulling out a victory because of their defense.
Final Prediction: 28-24 Wisconsin