For the first time in five years, Iowa (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) won a game on the road against ranked opponent, and now the Hawkeyes are ready to make some things happen in the wide-open Big Ten West. Iowa held on for a 10-6 win against No. 19 Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) in Madison.
This one was far from pretty, especially for the Badgers. Wisconsin turned the football over four times, none more crucial than a fourth quarter fumble just yards away from a potential go-ahead touchdown. Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave lost his footing and botched a handoff to the running back as Wisconsin was on the two-yard line. Iowa recovered and used the possession to run some clock.
Iowa managed to win the game despite gaining just 221 yards of offense and giving up nearly 100 more yards on defense. Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard completed just nine of his 21 pass attempts for 77 yards, but one of those passes was for a touchdown in the first half. Naturally, that touchdown was made possible in part to a late Wisconsin turnover before halftime.
Iowa’s recipe for success thrive son the running game. Against Wisconsin, Jordan Canzeri rushed for 125 yards and an average of 4.8 yards per rushing attempt. Wisconsin’s bread and butter for years has also been the running game, but the loss of Corey Clement took a toll. Wisconsin rushed for just 86 yards on 34 rushing attempts.
Wisconsin should now drop out of the polls on Sunday, making room for an undefeated Iowa squad. It seems Kirk Ferentz puts together a solid season every few years. Could 2015 turn out to be a good season for Iowa in the Big Ten West (a division that already sees Northwestern doing some good things too)?