The Wisconsin Badgers entered their matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes at 5-2 and ranked number 25 in the nation. The Iowa Hawkeyes were also 5-2 but unranked. The two teams were playing for the Heartland Trophy in the “Battle for the Heartland”. You could never guess which team was ranked and which wasn’t if you watched their game with no context.
Iowa opened the scoring with a 24-yard field goal from kicker Caden Buhr. Later in the first quarter, Hank Brown found DJ Vonnahme for a 4-yard touchdown.
In the second quarter, they would add to their lead with a second 4-yard touchdown pass, this time to Tony Diaz. Buhr added his second field goal, this time from 28 yards, as time expired in the first half.
The third-quarter scoring started with a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Vonnahme. It ended with Buhr making a 54-yard field goal to make it 30-0.
That was the final score, as Wisconsin couldn’t get anything going offensively. Iowa outgained them 362 total yards to 235.
For the Hawkeyes, Brown went 20 of 24 for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns. Xavier Williams led the team in rushing with 20 carries for 78 yards. Diaz caught 4 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Vonnahem caught 5 for 51 yards and a touchdown. Reece Vander Zee has 5 receptions for 51 yards.
For the Badgers, quarterback Ryan Hopkins went 8 of 13 for 92 yards and Colton Joseph went 5 of 12 for 90 yards. Abu Sama III carried the ball 6 times for 23 yards, and Darrion Dupree had 22 yards on five carries. Jaylon Domingeaux caught 6 passes for 86 yards, leading the team in receiving.
Wisconsin drops to 5-3 with the loss, and Iowa moves to 6-2. This loss will likely knock Wisconsin out of the top 25, while giving Iowa a good opportunity to take their spot.
Wisconsin next plays Rutgers and then Maryland, both below-average teams that give the Badgers a chance to get things right. Conversely, Iowa’s next opponent is No. 20 Northwestern, which will be a big game, and if they win, they will continue climbing the rankings.
