Wisconsin and Iowa meet with bowl eligibility on the line; Hawkeyes to start Brendan Sullivan at QB

Oct 31, 2024, 02:26 pm

Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) at Iowa (5-3, 3-2), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

College Football Odds: Iowa by 3 1/2.

Series record: Wisconsin leads 49-46-2.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Both teams enter November looking to enhance their bowl positions. The winner is bowl eligible, and the loser has three more chances to get a sixth win. The Badgers had their three-game win streak end with their home loss to Penn State. Iowa is coming off a home win over Northwestern but is yet to win consecutive Big Ten games.

KEY MATCHUP

Wisconsin run defense vs. Iowa run game. The Badgers have been uncharacteristically soft against the run, allowing 144 yards per game to rank 14th in the Big Ten and 4.45 yards per carry to rank 15th. Iowa's Kaleb Johnson is running for 143 yards per game to lead the conference and 7.84 yards per carry. The Badgers like their chances if Iowa has to lean on its dismal passing game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wisconsin: The Badgers would like to get RB Tawee Walker going again. He amassed 418 yards in three straight wins (Purdue, Rutgers, Northwestern) before Penn State limited him to 59 yards on 22 carries.

Iowa: QB Brendan Sullivan. Cade McNamara has started every game, but he got pulled against Northwestern in the second quarter because of a concussion. This will be Sullivan's first start since he transferred from Northwestern. He gave the Hawkeyes a spark last week, completing 9 of 14 passes for 79 yards and running eight times for 41 yards and a TD against his old team.

FACTS & FIGURES

This is the third straight year neither team is ranked when they play. That's the longest stretch since three meetings between 1992-96. ... Iowa's Johnson has scored at least one touchdown in eight straight games for the longest streak by a player in the Kirk Ferentz's 26 seasons. ... Wisconsin PK haniel Vakos kicked a 50-yard field goal against Penn State, making him the first in program history to have four 50-plus-yard makes in a career. ... Iowa has scored 40 points against two Big Ten opponents for the first time since 2020. The Hawkeyes' three 40-point games are their most since 2017. ... The teams have played for the Heartland Trophy since 2004.

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