Iowa has set the bar high this season
Goal is to knock UW from top of the division
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Kirk Ferentz’s players have had their fill of seeing Wisconsin sitting atop of the Big Ten West Division standings.
2014: UW won the West title under Gary Andersen with a 7-1 mark. Iowa finished three games back at 4-4, with one of the losses a 26-24 decision against UW in Iowa City.
2016: UW won the West title under Paul Chryst with a 7-2 record. Iowa finished a game back at 6-3 along with Nebraska. UW defeated Nebraska in Madison and Iowa in Iowa City.
2017: UW won the West title with a 9-0 mark. Iowa, which suffered a 3814 loss to UW in Madison, finished five games back at 4-5.
The outlier since the league split into West and East divisions in 2014 came in ’15. Iowa opened league play with a 10-6 victory over UW in Madison and finished 8-0, two games ahead of UW and Northwestern.
“They elevated the standard in the Big Ten West," Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley, a graduate of Menomonie High School, said after the Hawkeyes' 38-14 win over Northern Iowa last week. “You have to beat them.
“They set the standard high and we’re doing everything we can to match that.”
Fair to say that Iowa (3-0) will be ready when it meets No. 16 UW (2-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Kinnick Stadium.
“I know how it is,” Chryst said on his weekly radio show. “Last year they weren’t real effective and you’re going to spend all your time in the off-season preparing.
“We’re going to get their best shot and we’ve got to certainly give them our best shot.”
UW redshirt sophomore center Tyler Biadasz faced the Hawkeyes for the first time last season. He played well before suffering a knee injury and prepared for the game by getting
a scouting report from the veterans in the locker room.
Biadasz shared the message he received:
“It’s going to be a dogfight. Every play is going to be physical. It’s not going to be that you keep pounding and pounding and they’re going to give up. They’re going to fight to the end. They did.”
Iowa appears to be playing better overall than UW, which suffered a stinging 24-21 loss to unranked BYU last week.
“There are no givens in college football,” Ferentz said. “You have to show up and play every week. I think our guys have done that three straight weeks now.”
Led by a deep, experienced defensive line, Iowa has allowed three touchdowns and one field goal in three games. Two of the touchdowns were by Northern Iowa in the final quarter last week. The scores came after Iowa built its lead to 38-0.
Northern Illinois, Iowa State and Northern Iowa combined for 126 rushing yards on 82 carries against the Hawkeyes.
Iowa’s offense sputtered in the first two games, but last week Stanley completed 23 of 28 passes for 309 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. He finally resembled the quarterback who passed for 2,437 yards, with 26 touchdowns and six interceptions, last season.
UW failed to make critical plays in all three phases in its loss to BYU.
The offense generated three scoring drives on 10 possessions, the defense gave up too many big plays to a team that lacks explosive playmakers and the return units lost the battle for field position.
“This team has a chance to define itself and make a statement about who they are,” said Joe Rudolph, UW’s offensive coordinator/line coach. “I’m excited for that.”
Chryst said Thursday morning after practice and again Thursday night during his weekly radio show he liked the attitude and preparation of his players in the wake of the loss.
“They’re always a heck of a game, a heck of a test,” Chryst said of facing the rival Hawkeyes. “What is fun about playing Iowa, and really what is neat about the game of football, is you earn everything you get.
“Nothing will be given to you. That is a pretty neat way to play this game.
“It is going to take everyone. It is going to take all units.
“When you play a good team it’s never easy. You’ve got to be ready for them.”