During Barry Alvarez's tenure as coach, the University of Wisconsin became known as 'running back U' because of his willingness and commitment to running the football. This season, the Badgers have uncharacteristically opened up their attack. The passing game has worked well, but the Badgers are at their best when they run the football. With a young and inexperienced defense, running the football allows the offense to eat up large chunks of the clock, keeping the defense off the field. Wisconsin has won its last 11 games, dating back to 2003, when a Badger back ran the ball more than 23 times.
Against Penn State, the ground game struggled early. After falling behind, the Badgers were forced to pass and never got their running game into the groove. Junior running back Brian Calhoun had his worst game of the season, picking up just 38 yards on the ground. Establishing the running game early will be a huge factor in this contest. If Calhoun can find some nice holes early, Iowa will have to bring defenders up, leaving the secondary open for junior quarterback John Stocco to work against man coverage.
Iowa sophomore running back Albert Young had the best game of his career against Northwestern last weekend. He accounted for 274 yards of offense and scored two touchdowns. Young currently ranks No. 4 in the Big Ten with 1070 yards and has added seven touchdowns.
The Badgers hope to get back to stopping the run. Early in the season, they ranked near the top in the conference in rush defense, but they have now fallen to No. 8, allowing 187 yards per game. Wisconsin has allowed six players to rush for a 100 yards in the past five weeks. As junior linebacker Mark Zalewski and sophomore defensive tackle Justin Ostrowski continue to get closer to 100 percent, the Badgers should start closing the holes quicker. Stopping Young will go a long way to securing a victory.
Early in the season, many picked Iowa as one of the top teams in the conference, but the Hawkeyes have failed to live up to that billing.
Injuries have been part of the problem. No defensive back has played in all nine games this season. Senior defensive back Jovon Johnson is the top punt returner in the Big Ten with a 22.1 yard average. He missed last week's game with a muscle pull and his status is up in the air for this week's game.
Junior quarterback Drew Tate was hurt last game and missed part of the second half against Northwestern. Tate is one of the leaders for the Hawkeyes. He has been very efficient this season, passing for 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions, leading the conference's No. 4 pass offense. He is not a huge threat to run, but he is athletic, and mobile quarterbacks have shredded the Badger defense the past two weekends for 241 yards on the ground. With Tate's injury, the defense can shift its focus to stopping Young and the passing game.
In their two losses this season, the Badgers have been held in check by defensive playmakers. Northwestern linebacker Tim McGarigle totaled 25 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks. Last week, Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali had nine tackles, four sacks and seven tackles for a loss. Both were named Big Ten defensive player of the week for their efforts.
Iowa has two top playmakers of their own with senior linebackers Chad Greenway and Abdul Hodge. They rank No. 2 and No. 3 in tackles in the conference with 120 and 112, respectively. The Badger offensive line struggled last weekend, allowing nine sacks to the Nittany Lions and now ranks last in the Big Ten in sacks allowed. They will have to keep Greenway and Hodge out of the backfield and off Stocco if the Badgers are to get back to their scoring ways.
The Badgers have not beaten the Hawkeyes since 2001. For true seniors, Iowa is the only team in the conference that Wisconsin has not beaten. Last season, the Badgers went into Iowa City needing a victory to clinch a share of the Big Ten title, but the Hawkeyes sent them home empty handed with a 30-7 pounding.
The Badgers will have revenge on their minds. This game will also be Barry's last Big Ten game as coach. Alvarez has been a fantastic leader and the players will surely look to send him out on top. Even though the Badgers can not make a Bowl Championship Series game, they still have a shot at playing in a first-rate bowl. A win against the Hawkeyes will be their ninth and will probably mean they will be playing in a Jan. 2 bowl game.
