Nov 13 min read

Heartland Rivals Iowa, Wisconsin Meet for 98th Time

Iowa | Alex Eichmann — © Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten Conference) renew college football acquaintances with a familiar foe, the Wisconsin Badgers (5-3, 3-2 B1G), in their 98th meeting at 7:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 2 at Hawkeye Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa enters this game, though, forced to make a change at quarterback. Brendan Sullivan will lead the Hawkeyes' offense as starter Cade McNamara is out with concussion symptoms.

Now, it just so happens that Iowa and Wisconsin share a lot in common. For starters, the schools are in largely agrarian states in the Upper Midwest. Additionally, they're both in the Central time zone and share a football rivalry with Minnesota. And, they have equal records this season.

Only one of those things changes this weekend as the Big Ten rivals clash in Iowa City, Iowa. Either Iowa or Wisconsin moves into at least third place on Nov. 2 while the loser drops back to the pack.

Iowa, Wisconsin Are Rivals

Despite competing on the gridiron since 1984, the Heartland Trophy has only been given to the winner since 2004. The keepsake is a brass bull, symbolizing the states' proficiency in producing dairy and beef. Not coincidentally, both programs have reached consistency in being stout on the lines of scrimmage.

"It’s always a tough contest," said longtime Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. "It's typically going to be a physical contest, good defenses, and, hopefully, both teams are trying to run the ball a little bit and that type of thing."

Despite a large sample size of games in three centuries, the rivalry is quite even with the Badgers clinging to a 49-46-2 lead. It wasn't always competitive, however, as Wisconsin dominated the early days by winning the first six games and controlled the series through the 1970s. However, Iowa evened the score by going 19-0-1 from 1977 to 1996. Recently, however, the Badgers have reasserted their dominance by winning 10 of 14 between 2006 and 2021.

Ferentz Nation

Iowa's game plan won't be much of a secret for anyone to figure out. As they've done since Ferentz took over in 1999, the Hawkeyes will play tough, physical defense. The Hawkeyes run a conservative offense based largely on the ground game and will look for big plays in special teams. That's going to be especially true with Sullivan calling the plays in the Iowa huddle.

While bringing consistent success and stability to the program, the low-scoring and offensively-challenged Hawkeyes have frustrated their die-hard fanbase with championships coming at a slightly slower rate than points. The Hawkeyes' offense will be led by Sullivan on Nov. 2. McNamara, the former Michigan quarterback, has thrown for 1,017 yards, 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions this season. In Iowa's last game, McNamara was a modest 7-of-13 passing for 73 yards.

Junior running back Kaleb Johnson has been a bulwark for the Hawkeyes this year, rushing for 1,144 yards and 16 touchdowns. His rushing yards are second nationally to Ashton Jeanty of Boise State.

The Hawkeye defense allows 316 yards per game, including just 104 on the ground. Iowa allows 19 points per game on average, good for 25th in the nation. The rushing defense is 17th best in America.

Rebuilding Wisconsin

In head coach Luke Fickell's second year, the Badgers enter this rivalry game 13-9 under the former Ohio State player's leadership. After dominating Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern in succession, Wisconsin fell 28-13 last week to No. 3 Penn State.

The Badgers have had bad luck with injuries this year, with starting QB Tyler Van Dyke being injured early in the Alabama game and starting RB Chase Mellusi stepping away from the sport in September due to consistent injury issues.

In their stead, Braedyn Locke has stepped up at quarterback and Tawee Walker at running back. Locke has thrown for 1,281 yards and 7 TDs while Walker has carried the ball for 624 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Remarkably similar to Iowa, the Badgers give up an average of just 18.9 points per game. Their passing defense is especially stout in allowing only 167 yards through the air, good enough for 14th in the nation.