Five takeaways from Wisconsin football’s crushing home loss to Iowa
In a game where Iowa’s punter Tory Taylor was the most valuable player on the field, Wisconsin’s offense had no answers for the Hawkeyes all afternoon long.
It was fitting that Taylor led the way, as Iowa’s offense struggled yet again outside of an 82-yard touchdown run from Leshon Williams. The Hawkeye punter won the field position battle and helped Iowa win the game 15-6 when it was all said and done at Camp Randall.
The Badgers lost starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai late in the second quarter with a right-hand injury, and he returned in the second half in street clothes and with a sling on his right arm.
In his first collegiate action, Badger backup quarterback Braedyn Locke failed to help Wisconsin find the end zone.
Here are five takeaways from an ugly Wisconsin loss:
The kickers were the best players on the field
There are a lot of memes and jokes made about a punters value and the kicking game in the Big Ten. Today, in all seriousness, Iowa’s punter Tory Taylor was the best player on the field. The Australian native averaged over 50 yards per punt on ten kicks, with five punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
For Wisconsin, kicker Nathaniel Vakos provided the only scoring including a season-long 52-yard field goal make.
The offensive scheme was lost from the beginning
No, losing Tanner Mordecai does not help, but even with Mordecai in the game Phil Longo’s offensive scheme left a lot to be desired. Wisconsin went pass heavy early, and after a solid opening drive that resulted in a turnover on downs deep in Iowa territory, the Badgers fell apart offensively.
In his first collegiate action, the playbook shrunk a ton for Braedyn Locke as Wisconsin clearly did not look comfortable with him unleashing the ball downfield.
Wisconsin needed more than great defense, they needed a turnover
Iowa’s offense didn’t do many things well, but what they did do? Take care of the football. The Hawkeyes won the turnover battle 2-0 despite a few close calls on tipped balls and a late fumbled snap by Deacon Hill. In the end, Wisconsin was unable to force a needed turnover in a game where the Badger offense found nothing.
It felt like an old-school Wisconsin team against a Wisconsin team without any identity
Wisconsin barely ran the ball early on, the offensive line did not have the type of dominant performance we saw routinely just five years ago, and it was the Hawkeyes who used the ground game to beat the Badgers down.
This was the new era at its worst, and they were beaten by a performance that would have been a classic Wisconsin win in the old days. It’s still early in this experiment, but the old school won out on Saturday.
You can't lose the Big Ten West this year, you just can't
If there was ever, I mean ever, a chance to win the Big Ten West with ease this is it. The conference is completely atrocious, there’s no need to sugarcoat it. To make matters worse for Wisconsin’s chances, Oregon, USC, Washington, and UCLA say hello next season. Iowa is now in the drivers seat for a Big Ten West title, especially with Ohio State looming for the Badgers.
