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5 Wisconsin players to watch against Iowa football in 2023
Tanner Mordecai, Braelon Allen among players to watch
IOWA CITY — The Luke Fickell era of Wisconsin football has been off to a good start so far, at least by Big Ten West standards.
Wisconsin is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play, with the one loss coming on the road to a Washington State team that has since entered the Associated Press Top 25.
The Badgers — under the tutelage of Fickell, the coach who took Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff — lead the Big Ten West in points scored per game, completion percentage, yards per game and third-down efficiency on offense and defense. They are second in points allowed per game behind the Hawkeyes.
Here are five Wisconsin players to watch as Iowa chases its first win in Madison since 2015:
QB Tanner Mordecai
The transfer portal coincidentally created a quasi-three-way quarterback trade between Iowa, Wisconsin and SMU.
Deacon Hill transferred from Wisconsin to Iowa, Alex Padilla transferred from Iowa to SMU and Tanner Mordecai transferred from SMU to Wisconsin.
Mordecai has been the most productive out of those three so far in 2023.
Mordecai has completed 64.2 percent of his passes, which is tied for the best in the Big Ten West with Illinois’ Luke Altmyer, while throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Waco, Texas, native also has the ability to make plays with his feet, gaining at least 30 rushing yards in the Badgers’ last three games. He has four rushing touchdowns in Wisconsin’s last three games, which included a 14-yard TD carry against Purdue and an 18-yard TD carry against Rutgers.
RB Braelon Allen
Another year of Wisconsin football has brought another year of elite rushing by Braelon Allen.
Now a junior, Allen has rushed for 100-plus yards in three of Wisconsin’s five games while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. His seven rushing touchdowns rank second in the Big Ten behind Michigan’s Blake Corum.
The Fond Du Lac, Wis., native has been a menace for opposing defenses since he arrived in Madison in 2021. The last time the Hawkeyes were at Camp Randall, Allen racked up 104 yards on 20 carries.
Wisconsin’s coaching staff has tried to give Allen more opportunities as a receiver this year after he had 21 receptions in his first two seasons. He already has 18 receptions through the Badgers’ first five games on 19 targets, per Pro Football Focus.
CB Ricardo Hallman
Ricardo Hallman has made quite the impact in his second year as a starter in Wisconsin’s secondary.
Hallman has a Big Ten-best four interceptions despite Wisconsin's early bye week this year.
The Miami native had an especially impressive performance last weekend against Rutgers, which included a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown. Fickell said the pick-six was “as big a play we’ve had all year.”
Opposing quarterbacks in Wisconsin’s last two games have completed 36.4 percent of passes intended for receivers Hallman was covering, per PFF.
S Hunter Wohler
Hunter Wohler has been stuffing the stat sheet in his first full season as a starter.
Wohler leads Wisconsin with 50 total tackles through five games, with no other Badger having more than 25 tackles. He is tied for third on the team with three tackles for loss.
PFF marked 19 of Wohler’s tackles as defensive stops — “tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense.”
He also has two interceptions, three pass breakups and two quarterback hurries.
Wohler, a native of Muskego, Wis., had a season-high six tackles last year against Iowa.
WR Will Pauling
Will Pauling went with Fickell from Cincinnati to Wisconsin and has been an immediate contributor in Madison.
The 5-foot-10 wide receiver leads the Badgers with 22 receptions for 243 yards. No other wide receiver has more than 14 receptions although Allen, the running back, is not far behind Pauling with 18 catches.
Pauling, who lines up almost exclusively in the slot, has caught at least five passes in three of Wisconsin’s five games.
Other wide receivers to watch include Skyler Bell and Chimere Dike. Bell went to the same high school as Iowa wide receiver Diante Vines. Dike can be a factor on special teams as the Badgers’ punt and kick returner.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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