| Category | Iowa O: Stat | Iowa O: Rank | Wisconsin D: Stat | Wisconsin D: Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Yards | 166.00 | 46 | 114.86 | 26 |  |
| Passing Yards | 253.17 | 30 | 193.86 | 38 | - |
| Passing Efficiency | 177.76 | 3 | 128.40 | 70 |  + |
| Sacks | 1.83 | 56 | 2.14 | 55 | - |
| Total Yards | 419.17 | 39 | 308.71 | 23 | - |
| Scoring | 34.33 | 26 | 18.86 | 27 | - |
| Turnovers | 5 | 2 | 7 | 101 | ++ |
| 3rd Down Conversion | 47.95 | 23 | 33.68 | 25 | - |
| Red Zone % | 88.46 | 27 | 88.89 | 100 | + |
Wisconsin has a pretty decent defense all the way around. The one real standout is J.J. Watt who absolutely terrorized Ohio State last week. He leads a solid defensive line that will make it difficult but not impossible for Iowa to run the ball. J.J. Watt is probably a bigger threat though as a pass rusher. Iowa may need to roll Stanzi out away from Watt or keep in extra blocker to avoid sacks. If the offensive line does give Stanzi time, he should be able to find some openings in Wisconsin's secondary.
Wisconsin has been okay defending the pass. Michigan State's Kirk Cousins had a lot of success finding open receivers a couple of weeks ago, but last week Terrelle Pryor looked completely lost. Iowa's best bet will be off of play action. Safety Jay Valai likes to play close to the line of scrimmage and is better in run support.
Overall Advantage: Very slim advantage to Iowa.
Iowa Defense vs. Wisconsin Offense
| Category | Iowa D: Stat | Iowa D: Rank | Wisconsin O: Stat | Wisconsin O: Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Yards | 83.83 | 7 | 232.71 | 12 | - |
| Passing Yards | 205.00 | 52 | 201.14 | 75 | |
| Passing Efficiency | 108.74 | 19 | 158.94 | 16 | - |
| Sacks | 1.83 | 66 | 0.71 | 11 | + |
| Total Yards | 288.57 | 13 | 433.86 | 28 | - |
| Scoring | 13.17 | 6 | 36.29 | 16 | - |
| Turnovers | 13 | 31 | 5 | 2 | |
| 3rd Down Conversion | 30.59 | 12 | 52.00 | 9 | - |
| Red Zone % | 52.94 | 1 | 88.89 | 18 | - |
Wisconsin has two very capable running backs in John Clay and James White. The tandem provides the Badgers some versatility running the ball as Clay is more of a straight ahead bruiser and White is speedier. The rushing game for Wisconsin really comes from its outstanding offensive line. They are big, they are strong, and they are going to be a very tough challenge for Iowa's defensive line. Ohio State, thought to have a pretty good defensive line itself, got manhandled by Wisconsin up front. Iowa is going to have to commit guys to stopping the run and force Tolzien to throw.
Wisconsin has been okay passing the ball this year. Tolzien is not going to light anybody up, but he's good at what he does. He's throws a lot of short passes to his talented wide receivers (which includes Nick Toon whose name makes me laugh every time I hear it). If Iowa can force Tolzien into third-and-longs, then that'll be a big advantage for the Hawkeyes.
Overall Advantage: Slight advantage to Wisconsin.
Iowa Special Teams vs. Wisconsin Special Teams
| Category | Iowa ST: Stat | Iowa ST: Rank | Wisconsin ST: Stat | Wisconsin ST: Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick Returns | 25.09 | 22 | 21.52 | 66 | |
| Punt Returns | 12.90 | 19 | 9.93 | 40 | |
| Net Punting | 36.59 | 59 | 36.52 | 61 | - |
| Field Goals | 3/4 | - | 8/10 | - | |
Wisconsin has had its share of special team woes as well. Michigan State returned a punt for a TD and Arizona State had two 95+ yard kickoff returns. They did have their own kickoff return for a TD to open the game last week against Ohio State, but haven't done much else with their return game. Iowa should probably own the advantage here with field position.
Kicker Philip Welch has been solid for the Badgers. He's missed a couple of long field goals, but has also made two from 49 yards and has been perfect inside of 40 yards.
Overall Advantage: Tough call...Iowa for punter, but Wisconsin at kicker.