A Wisconsin-week update on Iowa and Brian Ferentz’s ‘Drive to 325’ points

A Wisconsin-week update on Iowa and Brian Ferentz’s ‘Drive to 325’ points:

The 4-1 Wisconsin Badgers and 5-1 Iowa Hawkeyes will take the field at 3 p.m. central Saturday with the Big Ten West in the balance.

Wisconsin went through a program facelift this offseason, with Luke Fickell and Phil Longo’s new systems looking far different from those of the previous regime. But Iowa is still Iowa. The Hawkeyes’ offense is terrible, the defense is phenomenal and special teams always tend to make game-changing plays.

All of us diehard Big Ten West fans out there are in for a treat as the division will take a massive shift toward the winner of Saturday’s game.

One big storyline entering the 2023 season was Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz needing to average 25 points per game to keep his title. It seemed like an attainable goal, with transfer quarterback Cade McNamara under center, better offensive weapons than last season and the inevitable help from the defense and special teams.

But things have taken an unfortunate turn, with McNamara set to miss the remainder of the season and Iowa only having completed 20 total passes to its wide receivers. Now through six weeks of the season, the 325 total points needed look to be completely out of reach.

Iowa’s offense needs to kick into another gear to reach the 25 points-per-game mark. But it will have to do so with backup QB Deacon Hill under center and several tough defenses remaining on the schedule.

Iowa may still win on Saturday and win the Big Ten West. But an offensive revolution at the school may have been wishful thinking entering the season.