Iowa Football Opponent Preview: Wisconsin Badgers

It’s been kind of shocking to watch the Wisconsin Football program fall off and struggle over the past few seasons. From 2015-2021, the Badgers posted a 65-23 record, including five 9+ win seasons and a 6-1 record in bowl games. However, they missed a bowl game for the first time since 2001 last season and are in serious danger of missing a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time since ’91 and ’92.

The Badgers enter this week with a 2-3 record but are currently riding a three-game losing streak. After opening the year with two wins over Group of 5 opponents, they’ve been outscored 89-34 in consecutive losses to Alabama, Maryland and Michigan. Under third-year head coach Luke Fickell, Wisconsin is 14-16, including a 2-8 record in their last ten games dating back to last season.

Last Week: #20 Michigan 24 Wisconsin 10

It used to be that the battle for the Heartland Trophy decided the winner of the Big Ten West and who went on the play in the Big Ten Championship game. The Badgers won seven of the eight meetings from 2010-2019, but the Hawkeyes have returned the favor winning four of the last five, including a 42-10 win in Iowa City last season. Over the last half decade, Wisconsin is averaging just 12.0 points per game against Iowa, scoring ten points or less in three straight. Iowa enters as a 3.5-point favorite (per BetMGM), which has historically been good news for the Hawkeyes. Over the last ten seasons, Iowa is 20-8-1 against the spread as a road favorite, while Wisconsin is 5-7 against the spread as an underdog under Luke Fickell.

BADGERS OFFENSE

2025 Numbers: 18.6 PPG, 109.2 RUSH, 200.0 PASS, 309.2 TOTAL

Quarterback

Since Jack Coan posted 18 touchdowns to five interceptions back in ’19, the Badgers have struggled to find consistent quarterback play, although it is fair to say injuries have played a role. Over their last 63 games, Wisconsin quarterbacks are averaging just 189.9 yards per game, totaling 76 touchdowns to 52 interceptions.

Who takes the snaps under center this week for the Badgers is pretty up in the air, but we will start with the guy that started in Saturday’s 24-10 loss to Michigan. Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons has seen action in two games, including the Michigan start, completing 25-of-38 (65.8%) passes for 247 yards and one touchdown to one interception. Last season, at SIU, Simmons played in five games before suffering a season-ending injury, throwing for 852 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil had been the guy after Billy Edwards Jr got injured in the season-opener but was benched in favor of Simmons for the Michigan game. In four games, O’Neil has completed 60-of-85 passes (70.6%) for 640 yards and five touchdowns, but has thrown five interceptions. In losses to Alabama and Maryland, O’Neil had just one touchdown to three interceptions.

Then there’s the aforementioned Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. He has played in just two games, with limited action due to injury, completing 7-of-16 passes for 113 yards. As a starter for the Terps last season, Edwards Jr completed 65.0% of passes for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He suffered a knee sprain in the opener against Miami Oh and played just one series against Maryland.

Running Back

Expect to see Wisconsin split their carries between two backs, with both guys getting a pretty even share of the carries. Their duo hasn’t run the ball very well, totaling 376 yards and two touchdowns on 93 carries (4.0 ypc).

Redshirt freshman Dilin Jones has gotten the bigger share so far, carrying the 52 times for 217 yards (4.2 ypc) and two touchdowns. He rushed for 73 yards in the season-opener against Miami Oh, but is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry over the last two games. As for Darrion Dupree, the sophomore has carried the ball 41 times for 159 yards (3.9 ypc). He is a threat out of the backfield, catching 12 passes for 119 yards last season, but has just five catches for 24 yards this season.

Wide Receiver / Tight End

Wisconsin ranks 89th in the country in pass attempts per game (28.0), but they rank 49th in completion percentage, so their pass catchers have still gotten a decent number of chances. Their top three have earned 74 of the 130 (56.9%) targets and have caught 50 of 92 (54.3%) passes. They also don’t drop passes, with PFF tagging them for just one drop for a 98.9% catch percentage.

The Badgers top playmaker, senior receiver Vinny Anthony II has caught a team-high 21 passes for 258 yards (12.3 ypr) and one touchdown. He has a kick return touchdown this season and put up a season-best nine catches for 97 yards against Michigan this past weekend. Sophomore Trech Kekahuna and former Ohio State transfer Jayden Ballard are the other two receivers to know. Kekahuna was WR3 last season with 25 receptions and has 12 catches for 143 yards (11.9 ypr) so far this season, including a season-best five catches for 77 yards against Maryland. As for Ballard, he’s made some big plays, catching seven passes for 150 yards (21.4 ypr) and two touchdowns. Four of his seven catches have gone for 10+ yards, including a 58-yard reception against Middle Tennessee.

At tight end, Missouri State transfer Lance Mason is second on the team with 26 targets and 17 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns. He had seven catches for 102 yards against Middle Tennessee and had 34 receptions for 590 yards for the Bears last season.

Offensive Line

The Wisconsin offensive line ranks 53rd in pass blocking (per PFF), giving up 11.6 quarterback pressures per game, while they rank 99th in run blocking. They go up against an Iowa defensive line that is averaging 12.0 pressures per game and ranks 50th in sacks per game (2.40). Their best lineman, center Jake Renfro, has played in just two games due to injury, including missing the last two games. Per Pro Football Focus, the Badgers do not have a lineman ranked top 50 in the Big Ten, with left guard Joe Brunner (61.8) and left tackle Riley Mahlman (60.9) ranking 56th and 60th in the conference.

BADGERS DEFENSE

2025 Numbers: 19.8 PPG, 75.0 RUSH, 241.6 PASS, 316.6 TOTAL

Defensive Line

Last season, the Wisconsin defensive line averaged 7.3 pressures per game, while they ranked 121st in the country in sacks per game (1.42). So far this year, they are averaging 9.8 pressures per game, while they are tied for 39th in sacks per game (2.20).

The Badgers really rely on their top two to generate the majority of the pressure, with defensive ends Mason Reiger (198 snaps) and Darryl Peterson (131 snaps) combining for 30-of-63 (47.6%) pressures by the defensive line. A transfer from Louisville, Mason Reiger has totaled 15 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks, while his 18 quarterback pressures is third-most in the Big Ten. As for Darryl Peterson, the junior, has nine tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and 12 quarterback pressures. The Reiger-Peterson duo is fourth in the Big Ten in pressures generated.

A couple other names to know coming off the edge, former UNC transfer Sebestian Cheeks (170 snaps) is overshadowed by what Reiger and Peterson have done, but has totaled 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and nine quarterback pressures. Kentucky transfer Tyreese Fearbry (51 snaps) and senior Aaron Witt (53 snaps) have combined for 16 tackles and five quarterback pressures.

On the interior, they’ll rotate four players, with LSU transfer Jay’Viar Suggs (135 snaps), junior Ben Barten (114 snaps), senior Brandon Lane (114 snaps) and Tulane transfer Parker Petersen (94 snaps) splitting time. Those four have combined for 17 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and 14 quarterback pressures. This is the biggest group of interior defensive lineman that Iowa has faced, with an average weight of 314.3 pounds between the those four.

Linebackers

One of the easiest position group breakdowns of the entire season, the Badgers don’t rotate much at linebacker, with LB1/LB2 combining for 495 snaps to just 48 total snaps for LB3/LB4. Junior Christian Alliegro (254 snaps) was the leading returning tackler from last season (66 tkls) and is well on his way to lead the team this season, with 31 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. It is worth noting that he is third in Big Ten in missed tackles (10). Alongside him, junior Tackett Curtis (251 snaps) is second on the team in tackles (24). Alliegro and Curtis have combined for 22 stops, which is a tackle that constitute a “failure” for the offense When forced into coverage, the pairing has combined to allow 25 catches on 32 targets for 227 yards (7.1 ypt).

Defensive Backs

The Wisconsin secondary, through five games, has allowed opponents to complete 64.1% of passes, allowing eight touchdowns and grabbing three interceptions. They’re 83.9 coverage grade ranks 36th in the country.

Starting with the Badger corners, junior Ricardo Hallman (270 snaps) is going to be on the field more than anyone else on the entire defense. He leads the team in snaps played and is fourth on the team in tackles (15). In coverage, Hallman has been targeted 25 times, allowing 18 catches for 248 yards (9.9 ypt) and three touchdowns. At slot corner, they have Jacksonville State transfer Geimere Latimer II (210 snaps), who is fifth on the team in tackles (14). In coverage, Latimer has allowed 14 receptions on 21 targets for 265 yards (12.6 ypt) and three touchdowns. The Hallman-Latimer corner duo has allowed the most receiving yards (513) and touchdowns (6) of any duo in the Big Ten.

Other names to know, Miami FL transfer D’Yoni Hill (177 snaps) and redshirt freshman Omillio Agard (103 snaps) will see time at the corner position. A solid corner at Marshall and Miami FL over the past two seasons, Hill has 12 tackles and one tackle for loss. In coverage, he has allowed five receptions on ten targets for 85 yards (8.5 ypt). As for Agard, the former three-star has allowed five catches on eight targets for 69 yards (8.6 ypt) but does have an interception.

On the back end at safety, the Badgers have been without senior Preston Zachman for the last three weeks with an undisclosed injury. It’s a sizeable loss, as Zachman, dating back to last season, had totaled 70 tackles and four interceptions. It’s unclear whether or not he will be back this week. In his absence, junior Austin Brown (244 snaps) and DIII Bethel transfer Matthew Jung (176 snaps) have handled things. Brown is third on the team with 21 tackles, while he has allowed eight catches on 13 targets for 123 yards (9.5 ypt) and a touchdown when in coverage. As for Jung, he won the Small College Defensive Player of the Year award a year ago at Bethel. He has allowed four receptions on six targets for 74 yards (12.3 ypt) and has 13 total tackles.

BADGERS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Nathanial Vakos: 3/5 FG, 12/12 PAT, LNG 42

Punter Atticus Bertrams: 24 punts, 1,050 yards, 43.8 AVG, 9 In20, LNG 54

Kick Returner Vinny Anthony II: 7 returns, 227 yards, 32.4 AVG, LNG 95

Punt Returner Tyrell Henry: 4 returns, 43 yards, 10.8 AVG, LNG 35

FINAL THOUGHT

Whether it’s Mark Gronowski or Hank Brown at quarterback, this is a must win game for the Hawkeyes. They are just a couple of plays away from a 5-0 record, but instead, they have a 3-2 record and there are still four games remaining against ranked teams or teams receiving votes. Unless something changes quickly, the Badgers are headed for their worst record since they went 1-10 back in 1990. The optics of a loss to a team on that track would be really bad, but the Hawkeyes are better on both sides of the ball even if Gronowski isn’t able to go. Iowa should be able to make it five wins in six seasons against Wisconsin and keep the Heartland Trophy in Iowa City.