For the third straight contest, the Wisconsin Badgers were unable to muster anything offensively and eventually left the defense out to dry, losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes 28-7.
Yes, the team was without Jalen Berger at running back and Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis at wide receiver, but even with the personnel they had yesterday and have had since the Northwestern game, the team has put out offensive showings in the last three contests that make it really tough to win football games.
Related: Studs and duds from the Badgers’ 28-7 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa, on the other hand, picked up their fifth straight victory after starting the season 0-2. After losing those first two games by a combined 5 points, the Hawkeyes now find themselves in a position to pick up a win during Big Ten Champions Week and reach a New Year’s Six Bowl.
Entering yesterday’s contest Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz had a lot of good to say about the Wisconsin Badger program and its history.
“Probably if you go back to the early ’90s, almost the same script each and every year,” Ferentz said. “Some faces have changed, but they just play good football. They make you earn anything you’re going to get. That’s the case this year again.”
Related: Five takeaways from Wisconsin’s 28-7 loss to Iowa
After the game during his postgame press conference, Ferentz carried a similar tone.
“Going into the game we knew it was going to be a tough defensive battle. I think everybody understood that. You get in games like this, everything that you do is contested, every yard is a fight. That certainly was the case today.
Also in games like this it’s all about trying to capitalize if opportunities appear. Wisconsin did a good job of that, at least on one of them. We were able to do the same thing today. Just really happy about that.”
He continued to note that 28-7 does not tell the story of the game, as it was actually a close game until Iowa pulled away coming down the stretch.
“The score is so misleading,” Ferentz said. “When you play Wisconsin, you have to earn it, you have to win it.”
Related: Twitter reaction: Wisconsin football’s WR class of 2021 is ready to right the ship
Finally, Ferentz pulled out an NFL reference when talking about the battle each team enters the contest with and what is necessary to come away with a victory.
“Momentum is a really important thing in sports, certainly in football. But nobody’s going to hand it to you, especially a team like Wisconsin. Somehow, some way you have to get it going.
Again, credit goes to our players. They didn’t get deterred. They didn’t duck their heads. They kept playing. You keep chipping away, hopefully something good happens. Our defense really played that way the entire game.
I’m not saying this is Pittsburgh-Baltimore in the NFL, but is that kind of game. Nobody is dodging, right? Two teams going at it. Hopefully at some point you get a little something to get you going. We were able to do that today.”
The now-2-3 Wisconsin Badgers will play again next Sunday in Big Ten’s Champions Week, though their opponent is not yet known.