How can the Badgers pull off the victory against Iowa on Saturday?
The Wisconsin Badgers are set to play the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. CT. The Badgers, coming off of a tough loss against the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions, look to bounce back against a tough Iowa defense.
Wisconsin and Iowa are both 5-3 on the season and have a 3-2 conference record. The Hawkeyes are coming off a 40-14 home win against Northwestern, but are 2-2 in their last four games. The Badgers will need to do a little extra to win comfortably in Iowa City.
Stop Kaleb Johnson
Johnson is by far Iowa’s most prominent offensive weapon. The junior already has over 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. Under a great offensive line, Johnson has thrived in this breakout season.
Wisconsin will not only have to worry about Johnson in the backfield but as a receiving option as well. He has 18 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown this season. Johnson is by far the biggest threat to the Badgers’ defense, and it will be a challenge as Wisconsin’s run defense continues to struggle.
Pressure Brendan Sullivan
Sullivan will be the starting quarterback for the second straight week after Cade McNamara went down with a concussion two weeks prior. Against Northwestern, Sullivan didn’t have to do much, going 9-for-14 with 79 yards. It was an efficient game, but not an explosive one for the backup.
The Badgers need to prevent Sullivan from using Johnson so much. They need to apply pressure behind the line of scrimmage and get Sullivan throwing early. Iowa is second-to-last in passing yards per game this season, and that was with McNamara.
Braedyn Locke Needs to Get Comfortable
Locke has the chance for a major bounceback game after throwing a costly interception against Penn State last weekend. He didn’t play all that great against the Nittany Lions, and this weekend won’t be that much easier against an elite defense.
However, if Wisconsin’s offensive line can get Locke enough time to make the right throws, he can get back on track. Iowa has one of the better rushing defenses in the Big Ten, ranking seventh in yards per game. However, they are in the bottom half of the conference in passing yards per game. Locke needs to find his receivers if the run game isn’t working.