Iowa remains a nightmare for Wisconsin, earning its fifth straight win in the series.
The Hawkeyes came out laser-focused after a sloppy week-eight performance against Minnesota, and unfortunately for the Badgers, they were next on the schedule. Iowa played angry but focused and shut out Wisconsin for the second straight season. Iowa has now outscored Wisconsin 67-0 over the past two seasons, and four key takeaways stand out from a BTA performance like that.
Iowa's offense showed that it can be more well-balanced
Iowa's offense was anything but good last weekend, tallying 288 total yards and four turnovers. Neither Hank Brown nor Jeremy Hecklinski did much in the loss, and the play-calling left a lot to be desired. The unit completely flipped the script in week nine, effectively running and passing the ball. The offense finished with 362 total yards, putting up 222 through the air and 140 on the ground. Brown was much better this week, and the offensive line finally got a good push up front.
One of our keys to the game was Iowa winning the rushing battle, and they did it. The offense outrushed Wisconsin 140 to 52, and while the average per rush was lower than you'd like (3.3 yards per carry), they effectively used it to move the ball. Although yards per carry were low overall, Tim Lester did an excellent job mixing in end-arounds and tight end runs to open up the field, with DJ Vonnahme and Tony Diaz benefiting.
The passing game was also very effective, with credit going to Lester and Brown for taking advantage of Wisconsin stacking the box. The Badgers and Hawkeyes know each other well, and the defense loaded the box to take away the run. Brown made throws he didn't against Minnesota and was extremely efficient. The offense was humming, and it must keep doing what it did against Wisconsin to be successful.
Tony Diaz is STILL that dude
Much has been made about Tony Diaz's lack of involvement in the offense since the non-conference schedule. It was a combination of teams focusing on him and the offense's inconsistency, but Lester and the offense made it a point to get him the ball early and often against Wisconsin. Diaz finished with four catches for 75 yards and his first receiving touchdown since week one, and he made his presence felt in the passing and running game.
He caught passes at all three levels and had a nifty 20-yard run on an end around, proving he can do a little bit of everything for the offense. Getting Diaz heavily involved is a recipe for success, and as long as Brown has the time, he's looked for him. With Wisconsin loading the box to stop the run, Diaz had all kinds of space on the outside, and although he had four catches, he could have easily had more. Brown missed him a few times, including on a touchdown drive when he got a little greedy and tried to find tight end Addison Ostrenga in the end zone. Ostrenga was triple-covered, and Diaz was wide open after a slant, but you can't fault Brown's aggressiveness.
Diaz must continue being heavily featured in the offense, giving the Hawkeyes another dimension to their traditionally one-dimensional attack.
Hank Brown looked much more confident and poised this week
The quarterback carousel keeps turning, but for one week, it has slowed down. Brown entered the game against Minnesota in the second quarter in the week-eight loss and never subbed out. After much uncertainty, Kirk Ferentz named Brown the starter early in the week during his weekly press conference, earning his sixth start of the season. He missed the Washington game with a shoulder injury and was benched for Jeremy Hecklinski against Minnesota in week eight, but was back under center in week nine.
Lester made a conscious effort to get Brown some quick, easy throws early, and it paid off. Brown looked more confident in the short-to-intermediate passing game, and hit a couple of big downfield throws. He still has a bad tendency to rely on his arm strength, prompting him to throw flat-footed or off his back foot, but he didn't force too many bad throws. He made all the big throws, and there's little to complain about with his performance.
Brown finished with 222 passing yards and two passing touchdowns, completing 83 percent of his passes. It was a much better performance this week, and if Brown can replicate that next week against Northwestern, Iowa is in great shape.
Jayden Montgomery reminded everyone that he is a good LB too
Middle linebacker Cam Buffington has gotten most of the headlines this season and for good reason, but Jayden Montgomery is quietly having a solid season for Phil Parker's defense. Montgomery has been waiting his turn for five years and is showing what he can do. He is making the most of his opportunity, and he had a solid game against the Badgers. Montgomery did a little bit of everything, racking up eight total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and a crucial fumble recovery.
Montgomery seemed to be in on every play and harassed Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph all night. After another solid game, Montgomery has 40 total tackles and 2 sacks in eight games, both good for third overall on the team. Beyond the box score, Montgomery has become a leader in the middle of the Iowa defense, and his words carry weight. After the loss to Ohio State, Montgomery was adamant that one performance won't define them, and they've proven that.
The Iowa defense has played its best stretch of games this season, posting solid performances against Washington, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and we can stop worrying about the unit this season.
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