Football: Three things we learned from No. 10 Wisconsin’s win over Iowa

When Paul Chryst said both quarterbacks would play eventually, he wasn’t kidding

October 22, 2016

The University of Wisconsin football team took down Iowa 17-9 Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. Here’s three things we learned about the No. 10 Badgers (5-2, 1-2 Big Ten):

1) Both quarterbacks will be used

UW head coach Paul Chryst wasn’t kidding when he said he would need both of his quarterbacks to contribute for this team to be their best. On Wisconsin’s third drive, fifth-year senior Bart Houston replaced redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook, who took over the starting job after his relief performance against Georgia State on Sept. 17.

Houston led the Badgers on their first scoring drive of the day, capped by a 17-yard touchdown to Troy Fumagalli. Houston was 3-for-3 for 38 yards on the drive, and finished 4-of-6 with 59 yards.

2) The offensive line shakeup will continue

Wisconsin started the game with the same starting offensive line it has used since Michigan State. But even after a bit of mixing and matching against Ohio State last week, the merry-go-round was in fuller effect against Iowa.

Unofficially, the Badgers used at least four different offensive line combinations. The only constants for the unit are left tackle Ryan Ramczyk and Michael Deiter, who plays left guard when Brett Connors is at center and moves inside to center during different personnel groupings.

Redshirt freshman Jon Dietzen, finally healthy after missing time with a leg injury, played at left guard on a few series with Micah Kapoi subbing in for Beau Benzschawel at right guard. David Edwards, a converted tight end, took several series at right tackle, replacing Jacob Maxwell.

Going forward, it will be interesting to see if the coaching staff settles on a consistent five-man line or continues with the eight-man rotational style.

3) Jack Cichy is human

Redshirt junior inside linebacker Jack Cichy has been arguably the defense’s MVP this season. He entered this game with 27 tackles in his last two games, and recorded 10 stops on Saturday. That number easily could have been higher. But after chasing down Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard near the UW sideline, he injured what appeared to be his left shoulder.

He came out for the second half in a brace on the shoulder, but his play suffered. He missed a sack on Beathard, who bounced off him with ease. Cichy went on to miss a few more tackles before the coaching staff subbed in Ryan Connelly with about seven minutes left in the game.

Chryst said he appreciated Cichy’s toughness but it got to the point where he wasn’t really doing what was best for the team or for himself.