The 9th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes will return to the road this Saturday, after a bye week, to take on their rival in the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Saturday morning. The Hawkeyes bye week came after their first loss of the season, a 24-7 stunner at the hands of the Purdue Boilermakers, as Iowa fell from #2 all the way to #11. Iowa bounced back to #9 in this Sunday’s AP Poll, and will have a tough test against an old bully.
Iowa broke a 4-game losing skid to Wisconsin in the 2020 season finale, where Iowa won 28-7 in a snow globe at Kinnick Stadium. Many are pointing to the Iowa offensive line to see how they hold up against a stout Wisconsin front. Spencer Petras will look to bounce back from a 4 interception game against Purdue as well. Iowa’s defense will look to stuff an improving Wisconsin run game, and force inept Badgers passing attack to win the game.
Wisconsin enters the game fresh off a win against the Purdue team that defeated Iowa 2 weeks earlier. Wisconsin is riding a 3-game winning streak, and has rushed for near or over 200 yards in the last 3 contests. The Badgers are winning despite the play of quarterback Graham Mertz, who has thrown 2 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on the season. Wisconsin’s defense has remained stout, as the Badgers have allowed 18.4 points per game, while having the #1 run defense in the country, allowing 53.3 yards per game.
Kickoff is slated for 11 AM from Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.