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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Wisconsin visits Iowa to play for the Heartland Trophy at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday.

Both teams enter November looking to improve their cup positions. The winner qualifies for the cup, while the loser has three more chances for a sixth win. The Badgers’ three-game winning streak ended with a home loss to Penn State. Iowa is coming off a home win over Northwestern but has yet to win back-to-back Big Ten games.

GAME INFORMATION

• WHERE: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa.
• WHEN: 18:30, Saturday, November 2.
• LOOK: NBC-WOWT
• LISTEN: Hawkeye Radio Network
• VEGAS BETTINGS: Wisconsin +2.5, O/U 41.5

KEY MATCHUP

Wisconsin defense vs. Iowa game. The Badgers were 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 Caleb Johnson rushes for a conference-leading 143 yards per game with 7.84 yards per carry. The Badgers like their chances if Iowa has to rely on its dismal passing game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wisconsin: The Badgers would like to bring back RB Tavi Walker. He gained 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 started every game, but he left the game against Northwestern in the second quarter with a concussion. This will be Sullivan’s first start since transferring from Northwestern. He gave the Hawkeyes a spark last week, completing 9 of 14 passes for 79 yards and rushing eight times for 41 yards and a touchdown against his old team.

FACTS AND FIGURES

This is the third year in a row that no team has been ranked. This is the longest period since three meetings between 1992 and 1996. Iowa’s Johnson has scored at least one touchdown in eight straight games, marking the longest streak by a Kirk Ferentz player in 26 seasons. Wisconsin PC Nathaniel Vakos kicked a 50-yard field goal against Penn State, making him the first in program history to make four career 50-plus-yard field goals. Iowa scored 40 points against two Big Ten opponents for the first time since 2020. The Hawkeyes’ three 40-point games are their best since 2017. Teams have been playing for the Heartland Trophy since 2004.

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