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Iowa football 2024 early opponent preview: Wisconsin
Ex-Miami (Fla.) QB Tyler Van Dyke among Luke Fickell’s transfer additions ahead of 2024 season
Editor’s note: Ninth in a 12-part series previewing each of Iowa’s 2024 regular-season opponents.
IOWA CITY — When Luke Fickell was at Cincinnati, there was a night-and-day difference between his first season and second season roaming the sidelines of Nippert Stadium.
In 2017 — Fickell’s first season — the Bearcats went 4-8 (with one of those wins coming against FCS-level Austin Peay). Seven of the eight losses were by more than one possession.
Year No. 2 of the Fickell era brought much more fortune. Cincinnati went 11-2 and punctuated its season with a bowl win over Virginia Tech. It was the Bearcats’ best win-loss record since 2009 and their first bowl win since 2012.
Now, Fickell will look to execute a somewhat similar turnaround at Wisconsin — the Hawkeyes’ ninth opponent of the 2024 slate and one of three annually-protected rivals.
The Badgers’ 7-6 record in 2023, while respectable for many other programs, did not match what fans in Madison have grown accustomed to in the last 15 years.
With the exception of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Wisconsin won at least eight games each season from 2009 through 2021. That stretch included wins in prestigious bowls such as the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl while occasionally frequenting Pasadena for the Rose Bowl as well.
Wisconsin’s attempted resurgence will be with a new face at quarterback. Tyler Van Dyke transferred to the Badgers after three seasons with Miami (Fla.) and brought with him an impressive resume.
Van Dyke has started 28 games over the last three seasons and recorded 54 touchdowns versus 23 interceptions. His completion percentage has improved each season, topping at 65.8 percent in 2023.
The Badgers will be without star running back Braelon Allen, who was a fourth-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, but Chez Mellusi will be back for his sixth season of college football.
Defensively, safety Hunter Wohler and cornerback Ricardo Hallman highlight the list of players returning to Mike Tressel’s unit, which ranked 24th in the country last year with 5.12 yards allowed per play. Key transfers include former USC linebacker Tackett Curtis, former Syracuse linebacker Leon Lowery and former FCS All-American linebacker John Pius.
Iowa vs. Wisconsin: 3 things to watch
- Tyler Van Dyke vs. Iowa’s secondary. Van Dyke will likely be one of the better quarterbacks Iowa will see this season. When he did not throw any interceptions, Miami went 4-1 last season. When he had at least one pick, the Hurricanes’ record dropped to 2-4.
- Which team better establishes the run? Yes, the Hawkeyes now have a Packers-esque West Coast offense. Yes, Wisconsin has its Air Raid offense. But this still is Iowa vs. Wisconsin. Leshon Williams’ 174 rushing yards played a key part in the Hawkeyes’ win at Camp Randall last year.
- How healthy is Wisconsin at this point in the season? The Badgers will be coming off a five-week stretch that includes three road games and a home game against a well-rested (and likely Big Ten title-contending) Penn State team.
2024 prognosis
Iowa’s wins over Wisconsin in 2022 and 2023 were their first back-to-back wins in the Heartland Trophy series since the 2000s. Making that three in a row is certainly feasible, but not an easy task.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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