Coming off a tough 28-13 loss to Penn State last week, Wisconsin football is looking to rebound this week. The Badgers will travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes as a part of NBC Prime time Saturday night. The Hawkeyes defeated Northwestern 40-14 and enter this game at 5-3. The Heartland Trophy is also on the line. It’s been one of the better Big Ten rivalries in recent memory. Here are the keys to beating Iowa this week.
Make Brendan Sullivan Beat You with his Arm and not his Legs
Iowa will be rolling with junior Brendan Sullivan this week. Cade McNamara is injured and also has not been very good since stepping foot on the Iowa campus. Sullivan has been a weapon at the goal line because of his ability to run the ball. Even as the backup, Sullivan still has 77 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
On the other hand, Sullivan has only thrown for 93 yards and one touchdown. The running part of a quarterback can be a weapon at the college level and Sullivan is pretty good at it. I think this is a game where the Wisconsin football defense needs to sell out on the run and make Sullivan and the Iowa receivers win this game.
Eliminate the Big Play from Kaleb Johnson
Kaleb Johnson is an absolute stud. If it wasn’t for Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Johnson would be the front runner for the Doak Walker award. He already has over 1,100 yards rushing and has more yards than the entire Iowa passing game.
Iowa doesn’t hide it either. It’s give the ball to Johnson and make any defense stop him. It hasn’t failed them yet. Johnson can also break out for the big run that can be a back-breaker for a defense. If I’m this Wisconsin football defense, all hands have to be on deck with Johnson. If he is contained, I think you make this Hawkeye offense do something they are not necessarily comfortable with
Wisconsin Football Needs to be Clean on Both Side of the Ball
This Iowa defense is so stout. This Wisconsin football offense will have to beat them because they don’t beat themselves. They do a great job giving their offense a short field to work with that takes a lot of pressure off an offense that is not much outside of one player.
Braedyn Locke is almost guaranteed to throw an interception. It’s a little harsh to say that, but it’s been the case. His interception last week turned the entire momentum of the game around. If he commits an early turnover, he has shown to recover quickly, but this Iowa defense will be hungry.
On the other side, I think possessions will be limited in this game. It is the way Iowa wants to play. This Badgers defense will need to force at least one turnover to win the field position battle. That means getting pressure on Sullivan, keeping him in the pocket, and winning the line of scrimmage.
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