The University of Wisconsin football program’s struggles on offense finally came back to bite them Saturday as they suffered a brutal 15-6 loss to rival University of Iowa at home.
Third downs plagued UW all game, as they converted just twice in 17 tries, despite out gaining the Hawkeyes by 95 yards — the Badgers found themselves in punt formation more often than not.
“There was no flow of anything,” head coach Luke Fickell said in his postgame press conference. “If we did make a play, a first down, all of a sudden you look back at it and you’re second-and-12.”
Things only got worse for the Badgers as starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai broke his hand late in the second quarter and had to depart from the game. He is now expected to be out indefinitely, with former Mississippi State University transfer Braedyn Locke set to take the reins of the Wisconsin offense.
After Mordecai’s injury, Locke was handed the task of getting the UW offense down the field. Despite making a few solid throws, the young athlete looked overwhelmed at times — leading to two turnovers, including a fumble in the end zone for an Iowa safety and the game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter as the Badgers were driving.
While UW offense struggled to find its rhythm, the defense stepped up, holding Iowa to just 237 yards of offense. The Badgers only miscue was an 82-yard touchdown rush by Leshon Williams, who put up 174 total yards on the ground.
While Williams’ run got the Hawkeyes on the board, Iowa’s punter Tory Taylor likely had the biggest impact on the game. The senior punted for over 500 yards on the day, averaging 50.2 yards per punt.
“They beat us in every phase of the game today, tonight, this afternoon,” Fickell said. “It’s pretty obvious. Give them a lot of credit.”
Iowa’s game plan was simple — pin the Badgers’ offense deep in their own territory and control the game on the ground. Running the football was a central part of the Hawkeyes’ strategy, as former Wisconsin back-up quarterback Deacon Hill threw the football a minimal 14 times for Iowa — totaling just 37 total yards through the air.
Despite the Badgers being down 8-6 entering the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes felt like they were in command as UW, who continued searching for an identity on offense, remained riddled with inconsistencies. The Badgers rushed for just 124 yards in the game, as their heavy passing attack threw the football 50 times and rushed just 28.
The loss knocks UW out of the Big Ten West Division lead, but they still have a window to climb back in the standings and regain the top spot.
Unfortunately for the Badgers, the schedule gets no easier from here, as UW travels south to take on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with a matchup at home against No. 3 ranked Ohio State University looming in the not-so-distant future.
