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Wisconsin falls to Iowa 24-10 in a mistake-filled loss

Despite a strong defensive effort, the Badgers fall in an ugly performance against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.

Matt Belz

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Looking officially become bowl eligible with a win, the Wisconsin Badgers (5-5 overall, 3-4 B1G) entered Saturday's road tilt against the Iowa Hawkeyes (6-4 overall, 4-3 B1G) as narrow favorites at Kinnick Stadium. 

Playing in cold conditions under the lights, the Hawkeyes would take advantage of several special teams and offensive miscues by the Badgers to secure a double-digit win. 

Here is a breakdown of Wisconsin's 14-point loss on Saturday.

Contents

  1. Game Recap
  2. Players of the game
  3. Photos of the game
  4. Up next

Game Recap

After winning the toss, the Badgers chose to kick the ball to Iowa to begin the game. 

On the first drive of the game, Iowa went nowhere. The Badgers had three straight tackles for loss to quickly get the ball back for the offense. Wisconsin would struggle to generate anything on offense as well, with a pair of Graham Mertz throws intended for Skyler Bell falling incomplete. 

The Hawkeyes would take over deep in their own territory after a 49-yard punt by Andy Vujnovich. Iowa would respond with three-straight first downs, the second coming on a 19-yard run by Gavin Williams and the third on a 15-yard catch and run by Diante Vines. However, Wisconsin outside linebacker Nick Herbig would come up with a strip-sack to give the Badgers the ball near midfield. Fellow linebacker Darryl Peterson was there to quickly jump on the ball. 

Graham Mertz would proceed to hit Chimere Dike on an outside breaking route to pick a 19-yard gain on third and long to help the Badgers move into scoring territory. From there, Wisconsin would pick up another first down on a short-yardage run by Brealon Allen, but the drive would ultimately stall out shortly thereafter. As a result, the Badgers would settle for a 32-yard field goal by Nate Van Zelst to grab an early 3-0 lead with 4:14 remaining in the first quarter. 

Iowa would pick up a quick first down on their next possession, as Spencer Petras found tight end Sam LaPorta for a nice gain. However, Wisconsin defensive end Rodas Johnson would get into the backfield for a big five-yard loss on the next play, and then Nick Herbig would find Spencer Petras for his second sack of the game to end the Iowa drive. 

The Badgers would once again take over with good field position near midfield after an 11-yard punt return by Dean Engram. Wisconsin would fail to move the ball at all though, going three and out to bring the Iowa offense back out early in the second quarter. 

After a first down run by the Hawkeyes, a holding penalty would push the Iowa offense back, and the Badgers would answer with a big third down stop to get the ball back at their own 20-yard line. The Badgers would once again fail to convert a first down, bringing up a Wisconsin punt. The Hawkeyes' special teams would block the punt and give their offense the ball back in the red zone. 

Iowa would only need two plays from there, as Kaleb Johnson rumbled into the end zone to grab a 7-3 lead with 10:24 remaining in the first half. 

The Badgers could not respond, as the offense could not convert a third and long, leading to another Andy Vujnovich punt and giving Iowa the ball back with tremendous field position. 

Wisconsin defensive end Cade McDonald would provide pressure on third down to force an incompletion and bring back out the Iowa punt team. After a touchback, quarterback Graham Mertz would find Chimere Dike for a crucial first down to move the chains for the Badgers. 

A completion to Skyler Bell on third and four would give Wisconsin another first down and move the Badgers into Iowa territory. However, a pair of errant passes by Mertz would give the ball back to the Hawkeyes as the Badgers chose to punt from the 39-yard line. 

Back-to-back sacks by Maema Njongmeta and Nick Herbig would shut down Iowa's next possession, providing the Wisconsin offense with another opportunity with just over two minutes remaining on the clock. Graham Mertz would throw a back-breaking pick-six on a late throw intended for Skyler Bell, as Cooper DeJean easily took it back for a touchdown to give Iowa a 14-3 advantage. 

A 13-yard run by Isaac Guerendo would help the Badgers move past midfield with just over a minute remaining in the first half. Then Graham Mertz delivered a 51-yard touchdown strike to a wide-open Keontez Lewis to give the Badgers some momentum heading into halftime and cut into the deficit. The Iowa safety did not get wide enough in coverage, allowing the Badges to find the end zone and trail only 14-10 at halftime.

Starting the second half with the ball, the Wisconsin offense would once again turn the ball over. A Mertz deep ball was tipped in the Iowa secondary, and cornerback Riley Moss came up with a pretty diving catch to create the takeaway. The Hawkeyes couldn't take advantage of the turnover, as the Wisconsin defense came away with a big stop moments later to give the ball back to the Badgers at the 20-yard line.

On the opening play of the drive, Graham Mertz would lose handle of the snap, pushing Wisconsin back 15-yards on the fumble and eventually bringing up another punt for the Badgers after two short gains. Punter Andy Vujnovich would flip the field with a huge 56-yard punt. 

Consecutive nice plays by Maema Njongmet and Kamo'i Latu on Wisconsin's defense would give the ball back to the offense, but Mertz's struggles continued as he could not complete a pair of throws to move the chains. 

A Jordan Turner sack on third and one would once again halt another Iowa drive, but a poor decision by Dean Engram would allow the Hawkeyes to down a punt at the one-yard line. From there, the Badgers would get one first down to move out of the shadow of their own end zone and later punt it back to Iowa once again. 

Following a big 41-yard return by Cooper DeJean, the Hawkeyes would find the end zone on a Spencer Petras quarterback sneak to take a 21-10 lead with just over 13 minutes left in the game. 

The Hawkeyes would come up with a defensive stop on the next offensive series for the Badgers, with Wisconsin unable to convert on a fourth and seven from near midfield. Iowa would respond by milking the clock on the ground and tacking on a late field goal to pull away with a 24-10 win as Wisconsin's offense and special teams crumbled in Iowa City. 

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Players of the game

  • Nick Herbig (Wisconsin)

The most dominant player of the game from start to finish was Wisconsin outside linebacker Nick Herbig. The junior edge rusher was consistently in the backfield for the Badgers and he made several huge plays to help UW get off the field. Overall, Herbig had eight tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, a crucial forced fumble, and nearly came away with an interception in the second quarter as well. He was all over the field and made his presence known throughout the game. 

  • Jordan Turner (Wisconsin)

Inside linebacker Jordan Turner had a great game for the Badgers. The Wisconsin defense played well in general, but Turner led the way with nine tackles. He also added a sack and came up with multiple big stops on defense. With Iowa only recording 146 yards of total offense it is hard to blame the defense for the loss, Turner included. 

  • Cooper DeJean (Iowa)

Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean made a huge interception in the latter stages of the second quarter that he took back for a defensive touchdown. DeJean also had a 41-yard punt return that set up a fourth-quarter touchdown for the Hawkeyes, making a pair of huge plays that completely swung the game in favor of Iowa. He finished the game with 10 tackles as well, but his defensive score and significant punt return turned out to be two of the biggest plays of the game. 

Photos of the game

Darryl Peterson :: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wisconsin outside linebacker Darryl Peterson celebrates a fumble recovery in the first quarter against Iowa. 

Nick Herbig / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin outside linebacker Nick Herbig sacking Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras. 

Nate Van Zelst :: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wisconsin field goal kicker Nate Van Zelst making a 32-yard attempt against Iowa. 

Kaden Johnson & Darryl Peterson :: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wisconsin outside linebackers Kaden Johnson and Darry Peterson celebrate a big play against Iowa. 

Graham Mertz :: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz receiving a snap from the shotgun against Iowa. 

Keontez Lewis / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin wide receiver Keontez Lewis running into the end zone on a 51-yard touchdown reception in the first half against Iowa. 

Skyler Bell :: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Wisconsin wide receiver Skyler Bell warming up against Iowa

Up next

The Badgers will be back in action next Saturday. Wisconsin will head to Nebraska for a battle over the Freedom Trophy. The game time and television information is not yet released given flex scheduling at the end of the year. Expect an announcement in the coming days. 

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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