Iowa football: Q&A with the Wisconsin Badger experts

The Iowa football program takes the field Saturday night against the #18 Wisconsin Badgers. In advance of that game, here is an insider’s perspective on UW.

Dear Old Gold had the opportunity to collaborate with the Wisconsin Badger’s FanSided website Badger of Honor this week in an effort to get an inside look at what each other’s team brings to the table in this important Big Ten matchup. The Iowa football Q&A can be found here. Here is what the Co-Editors (Tanner Nestle & Sam Land) over at Badger of Honor had to say in response to a few of my questions regarding their beloved Badgers taking on the Iowa football program.

What’s the impact this game has on your season?

Tanner: This is pretty much it. I gave up a while ago on the College Football Playoff hopes, but the Big Ten is still there for the taking. Getting this win over Iowa is massive. With a poor showing and a loss, there’s nothing that says this team can’t go 8-4, or worse.

Sam: The outcome of this game will have a massive impact on the rest of Wisconsin’s season either way. A loss unquestionably removes the Badgers from consideration for a College Football Playoff birth, this team’s goal since the end of last season. A loss would also put Iowa in the driver’s seat from the Big Ten West crown and an appearance in the Big Ten Championship. A win puts Wisconsin’s season back on track and keeps the Badgers lofty dreams within the realm of possibility.

Do you think Wisconsin will travel well after last week’s loss? I’ve already had a couple of friends in Madison offer me tickets since Saturday.

Tanner: It’s all about how the players respond. Wisconsin usually beats teams it has more talent than. And I think it has more talent than Iowa. Things like playing on the road or poor weather don’t impact the Badgers like it can other teams. But that’s the most optimistic view anyone could possibly have on the matter.

Sam: I’m not sure, to be honest. Considering the relatively short driving distance and the fact that this will be one of the marquee games this weekend, I would imagine a sizable number of Badger fans will be making the trip. That being said, I’m not sure how much it will matter. The atmosphere at Kinnick is going to be absolutely electric, and I would think that the enthusiasm of the Hawkeye fans would drown out any presence Badger fans would have in the stadium.

How strong is your guys defensive line this year? I think that will be a key matchup with Iowa’s rushing attack.

Tanner: I think Wisconsin’s defensive line is the weakest unit on the defense. Olive Sagapolu is the big, senior nose tackle and can block up the middle most of the time, but there’s too much youth around him. The middle linebackers are basically the reinforcement in the run game.

Sam: It has not been very strong through the first three games. In fact, it has probably been the worst level of the defense. There is a ton of youth and inexperience there, particularly at defensive end, as Wisconsin lost three rock-solid ends from last year’s squad who played a ton of snaps throughout their careers.

In addition, the two projected starters at defensive end experienced preseason injuries. Garrett Rand is out for the year, and Isaiahh Loudermilk just returned against BYU in a limited form after missing the first two games of the season. Olive Sagapolu is a stud at nose guard, but those young defensive ends have struggled quite a bit so far.

Why has the Wisconsin line been struggling?

Tanner: This is baffling to me. I have no idea why the offensive line has struggled. Usually when Wisconsin doesn’t expect to have a dominant line it does anyway. It just always seems to work that way. But these guys all played last year and were great. Maybe everything just got to their head. They needed some sort of wake up call.

Sam: That’s a very good question, and I’m honestly not sure what the answer is. This is a group that was expected to be one of the best offensive lines in the nation, if not the best. There are several future NFL players on that unit, including three that will be drafted in May in David Edwards, Michael Deiter, and Beau Benzschawel.

I think the problem may be more mental than anything else. It’s possible that all those preseason expectations have been wearing on these guys, and that they really needed a strong punch in the mouth to get back on track. I expect this group to get things figured out as soon as Saturday night against Iowa.

Do you trust Hornibrook to win a game for you?

Tanner: Nope. I’ve tried to be optimistic about Hornibrook all offseason but he’s still making the same bad decisions he made all last year. The final drive of the game to get Wisconsin into field goal range last week was promising, but it’s the sharpest he’s looked all year.

Sam: No. At least not a close game, anyway. I have been very disappointed in his play so far this season. This was a guy expected to break out this year after his MVP performance in the Orange Bowl against Miami, but so far that has not materialized. He has really struggled to take care of the football throughout his career, and Badger fans had been hopeful that after another offseason of honing his craft he would be able to cut down on those interceptions. He has not been able to do that. At this point, he is just as likely to throw a devastating pick in crunch time as he is to make a big throw.

Why did BYU have success against Wisconsin? It looked like they were doing a lot of outside runs and jet sweeps.

Tanner: BYU whipped Wisconsin in the trenches on offense and defense. The jet sweeps messed with the inexperience on the perimeter of the Badger defense and caused way too much second guessing. And Wisconsin couldn’t break any big plays because BYU kept all that in check with its defensive line play. Credit to the Cougars.

Sam: There was so much that went wrong for the Badgers in all facets of the game. Overall, Wisconsin just did not come ready to play against BYU, and you could tell who the more motivated team was from the start. On offense, the Badgers struggled to get anything going, as Jonathan Taylor and the run game was largely held in check. On defense, you hit the nail right on the head. BYU’s running back torched the Badgers for some big runs, and the Cougars gashed the Wisconsin defense several times with those jet sweeps.

How is your secondary? We know this is going to be a ground-dominated game but the passing attacks for both teams could separate it.

Tanner: I actually like Wisconsin’s secondary. D’Cota Dixon is as good as any safety in the country and Scott Nelson flies to the ball. The corners aren’t great, but they’re active. As long as Iowa’s game plan isn’t to constantly test the secondary, I trust those guys to play a solid game.

Sam: The secondary has, somewhat surprisingly, been pretty solid this year. I love our duo at safety in redshirt freshman Scott Nelson and senior D’Cota Dixon. Nelson has been very impressive in the first three starts of his career, and Dixon is an All-Big Ten performer who is one of the unquestioned leaders on the entire team. The Badgers are breaking in some new starters at cornerback in Caesar Williams and Faion Hicks, but those guys are both very talented young players who have played well so far this season.

Any idea on why Wisconsin continues to start slow in games?

Tanner: I think a large part of Wisconsin’s game plan is to wear out its opponent. And that doesn’t happen early in the game. Not every run is going to break open for 60 yards, but you can specifically design passes to do so. And Wisconsin just doesn’t play that way. Slow starts here and there will always be a part of this team’s DNA

Sam: Wisconsin’s offense revolves around the run game. If the defense gives up a score or two early on, the offense can have a hard time catching up because it has to slowly work its way up the field. If the Badgers’ had a more dynamic passing attack I don’t think we would be seeing these slow starts as often, but Alex Hornibrook and his receiving group have not played as well as many anticipated prior to the season.

What matchup are you most concern about a Wisconsin perspective?

Tanner: It’s all in the trenches. Either the offensive line is broken, or it’ll play well and give the Badgers a great chance to win. If the defensive front seven can’t stop Iowa’s running game then we’ll see a similar outcome to last week against BYU.

Sam: The defensive front seven, mainly the defensive line, versus Iowa’s run game. The Badgers really struggled to generate a push up front and contain BYU’s rushing attack last week, and Iowa’s offensive line and running back group is probably more talented than BYU’s. This game will likely be decided by which team’s running game does more damage, so if the Wisconsin defense is unable to contain Iowa’s stable of backs it could be a very long night.

Any key players I should be aware of?

Tanner: Danny Davis, A.J. Taylor, and Kendric Pryor are the three receivers on the team that can get open for chunk plays at any moment. That could be the difference in the game. If Hornibrook test the Iowa defense I trust those three receivers to make plays down the field.

Sam: Obviously Jonathan Taylor, but I’ll give you a few other names to keep an eye on. Look for wide receiver Danny Davis to have an impact on this game.  Davis had a nice day against BYU in his first game back from a two-game suspension, and I’m looking for him to build on that performance. He is probably Wisconsin’s most lethal big-play threat in the passing game, and if he and Hornibrook can get a connection going and open things up for the run game, Iowa is going to be in major trouble.

On defense, keep an eye on safety Scott Nelson, who has looked fantastic through the first three starts of his college career. One of the brightest young stars on the entire roster, Nelson is an incredibly smart player in the secondary who always seems to be around the ball making plays. I have a feeling that this is going to be a one or two possession game throughout, so a Nelson interception could be a deciding factor in the outcome.

What’s your prediction for the game?

Tanner: I have to be optimistic. I know Wisconsin has talent on offense and things have to get rolling at some point. If the Badgers used the loss last weekend to light a fire in the locker room, this could be a big win for Bucky. I think the leadership on the team plays great. That’s the offensive line and the core of the defense up the middle. I like Wisconsin to win 27-17.

Sam: This is going to be a fascinating game. I expect the Badgers to show up with a chip on their shoulder, ready to prove to the nation that they are still a Playoff contender. However, I also know that Kinnick is going to be absolutely electric and that the Hawkeyes will be just as motivated as the Badgers to get this win.

It is going to be a low-scoring affair that comes to the wire, but I think that the Wisconsin offensive line is going to start to resemble the unit we all thought it was prior to the season and that Jonathan Taylor busts a big play or two that will ultimately doom the Hawkeyes. Wisconsin wins 21-17.

Recap

A huge shout out goes to the guys at Badger of Honor for reaching out to collaborate on bringing you all this information. We are just over 24 hours away from game time, and I am cannot be more excited to watch the Iowa football team take on the Badgers. Continue checking Dear Old Gold for our game time information and our post-game analysis pieces after the Iowa football team plays.