Iowa football: Top three players in loss to Wisconsin

The Iowa football team suffered a heartbreaking loss Saturday night to Wisconsin. There were many bright spots, however. Here are the top three.

Losing a home game is never easy nor is losing to a long-time rival in the Wisconsin Badgers. Unlike previous years where Iowa either stole a win or Wisconsin looked superior throughout, the Iowa football team appeared to be the better team for the majority of Saturday night. Had it not been for a few untimely, unforced mistakes, there is a strong chance we are talking about how big of a win this was for the program this season. Despite the loss, there were many bright spots from the game, and more specifically, a few players who really shined.

Heading into this game, the general consensus was that Wisconsin had more talent plain and simple. Their offensive line features four All-Americans and a multi-year starter. These big guys pave the way for a Heisman trophy candidate in Jonathon Taylor. Defensively, the Badgers are always strong. The Badgers are basically a spitting image of what Iowa football teams strive to be year in and year out.

Each team emphasizes the run, finds and develop big, athletic lineman, and relies on a consistently strong, intelligent defense to close out games. The other main similarity is each team’s strong push to protect the ball. That’s why a lot of these games are low-scoring NFL type of games as opposed to the shootouts we have become accustomed to seeing in college football.

There were a number of Hawkeyes that had outstanding performances in this week’s big matchup, but here are the top three.