2-Minute Drill: Wisconsin Badgers

IOWA RUSH OFFENSE VS. WISCONSIN RUSH DEFENSE

Aside from that thing with Alabama and monster back Derrick Henry (238 rushing yards), the Badgers have been nearly perfect on run defense. Wisconsin has allowed just 93 rushing yards its last three games. The Badgers held Miami (Ohio) to minus-3 rushing yards in week 2, the sixth lowest ever allowed by a UW defense. Henry, by the way, was just the seventh player to rush for more than 100 yards (147) vs. the Badgers in defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's 31 games at Wisconsin.

We don't like to get too far ahead of ourselves in sportswriting (of course, I'm kidding), but could Aranda and head coach Paul Chryst be setting up for a Mark Dantonio-Pat Narduzzi kind of run in the Big Ten West Division? Chryst is all offense and seems more than happy to have Aranda run the defensive show. The numbers are so good, why not? In two-plus seasons, Aranda's UW defenses have allowed just 17.5 points a game (No. 3 among FBS programs in this span), 187.8 passing yards (eighth best) and 110.6 rushing yards (sixth best).

The Badgers play a 3-4 defense with attacking linebackers. Nearly every play, a linebacker is charging up field. Outside linebackers Joe Schobert (6-2, 236) and Vince Biegel (6-4, 246) rush the passer and set decisive edges. The D-line might be considered undersized, but it's athletic and keeps lanes open for inside linebackers T.J. Edwards (6-1, 238) and Chris Orr (6-0, 228), an impressive true freshman whose 14 tackles against Troy are the second-most by a true frosh in FBS this season.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has never said that Iowa has been hung up over running back Jordan Canzeri's size (5-9, 193). There's plenty of supporting evidence that shows Iowa will run a 190-pound back as long as he's healthy. Fred Russell (5-8, 190) averaged nearly 21 carries in 2002-03. Canzeri's first career start was the 2011 Insight Bowl when he weighed in the 170s.

With junior LeShun Daniels slowed by an ankle injury, the running game is Canzeri's right now. Don't look for Iowa to try to mix in sophomores Derrick Mitchell and Akrum Wadley in a Big Ten opener on the road. Who knows how patient Iowa can afford to be with Daniels? Either he has it or he doesn't. This will not be a week to hope for health.

Iowa's inside trio of blockers - guards Jordan Walsh and Sean Welsh and center Austin Blythe - have been terrific in the run game. Iowa will need to account for the backside. Wisconsin's OLBs are very disciplined and rarely run themselves out of position.

Advantage: Push

IOWA PASS OFFENSE VS. WISCONSIN PASS DEFENSE

Wisconsin's secondary has been dinged some this season. The Badgers are 10th in the Big Ten with 43 passes of 10-plus yards allowed. So at this point the question is it personnel or is this more a product of what the Badgers do defensively?

It's not personnel. Corners Darius Hillary and Sojourn Shelton have combined for 59 career starts. Safeties Michael Caputo (6-1, 206) and Tanner McEvoy (6-6, 231) are banner carriers for the program. Caputo is the consummate disrupter, with four pass breakups already this season. McEvoy is a 6-6, 231-pound safety who moves like a point guard.

But let's not get too carried away with the 10-plus number. Quarterbacks are completing just 56.4 percent of their passes against the Badgers and they've allowed just one TD pass all season.

Plus, Wisconsin gets after quarterbacks. Led by Schobert (6.0 sacks) and Biegel (2.0 sacks), Wisconsin is No. 16 in the nation with 12 sacks. Schobert is tied for the national lead with 9.5 tackles for loss and in his last six games (going back to 2014) he has 13.5 tackles for loss. Schobert and Biegel have combined for 15.0 tackles for loss, the most by any linebacker teammate duo in the nation.

Canzeri scored four TDs last week, and Ferentz mentioned how much he loved to see his blitz pickup. This week will be a different deal. Aranda loves to send linebackers, Orr in particular, with a full head of steam into a flat footed running back. It's a physics mismatch.

Iowa has gone through a carwash defense this season. You certainly remember the helmet-to-chin that quarterback C.J. Beathard took against Pitt. You saw more than a half dozen screen passes in that game. That might be a short-term attack vs. UW, but Hawaii tried it and didn't go anywhere.

Wisconsin puts pressure on its corners with the style of defense. Can Iowa wide receivers make one-on-one plays on the outside? It's been an on-and-off proposition this season. WR Tevaun Smith might be injured for this one and maybe another one. Ferentz was asked about Smith's health during his radio show Wednesday and didn't respond directly.

Pitt forced Iowa's offense to play, stealing a Ferentz term, 'left-handed.” The running game chunked out just more than 100 yards. Beathard made things happen with his arm. Iowa didn't have a running game and it wasn't pinned. That's kind of a big difference between this year and last.

Advantage: Wisconsin

WISCONSIN RUSH OFFENSE VS. IOWA RUSH DEFENSE

Wisconsin lost Corey Clement, its top running back. He faces surgery for a sports hernia. So Wisconsin is in huge trouble, right? To Wisconsin, running backs are leaves on a tree. Clement has carried just eight times for 16 yards this season. Last week vs. Hawaii, redshirt freshman Taiwan Deal (6-1, 220) was unveiled. He gained 147 yards on 26 carries on his way to being named Big Ten freshman of the week. Senior Dare Ogunbowale (5-11, 200) offered a nice change of pace, rushing 15 times for 85 yards and a TD.

Deal and Ogunbowale have accounted for 74.3 percent of Wisconsin's rush attempts. Fullbacks Derek Watt (6-2, 236) and Austin Ramesh (6-1, 246) were on the field at the same time in an inverted wishbone for 29 of UW's 54 rushing plays.

Wisconsin's offensive line is a Wisconsin offensive line. The size is there. Left tackle Tyler Marz (6-7, 325) is the leader. Center Dan Voltz (6-3, 301) is the savvy veteran. Size-wise, this is Wisconsin. This OL is light on experience, however. Guards Michael Deiter (6-6, 315) and Micah Kapoi (6-3, 330) are redshirt freshmen. Right tackle Hayden Biegel (6-7, 299) is a sophomore.

On Wisconsin's first drive, the Badgers ran on 13 of 16 plays during a 97-yard TD drive. Chryst smiled widely and slapped Marz's pads. It was all inside power runs. The motions came back to something balanced. It was crisp and it was powerful.

Iowa has been more than solid against the run this season. The Hawkeyes are No. 12 in the nation allowing 84.0 rushing yards a game (the Badgers are 11th with 82.8).

Was last week a read on Iowa's defense? North Texas is a Conference USA team. It's staff knew going into a Big Ten stadium, it couldn't afford to trade punches on the line of scrimmage. So, you saw the Mean Green spread the Iowa defense and run on it. UNT gained 183 yards, often gaining the edge with a 7-on-5 numbers advantage in the box.

Wisconsin can play a spread formation. Does it show some of that, after showing two fullbacks last week, and run right at the heart of Iowa's defense? Beyond starting tackles Jaleel Johnson and Nathan Bazata, juniors Faith Ekakitie and Kyle Terlouw haven't stood out. Will they be able to offer relief against what could be a constant push in the middle?

Also, inside linebackers Josey Jewell and Cole Fisher will be counted on to negotiate a fullback and gain leverage on Deal.

Advantage: Push

WISCONSIN PASS OFFENSE VS. IOWA PASS DEFENSE

QB Joel Stave is putting together quite a career. Last week's victory was his 24th as UW's starter. His .750 career winning percentage is tied for the second-best mark among active quarterbacks. For some perspective, Michigan State QB Connor Cook has 27 career victories.

This season, Stave has thrown seven TD passes. Last season, he didn't hit seven TD passes until the eighth game. Stave's 66.1 completion percentage is third in the Big Ten behind only Rutgers Chris Laviano (72 percent) and Beathard (68.2). Stave also is third in the league with seven TD passes.

Against Hawaii, it looked like wide receiver Alex Erickson (6-0, 197) was paying Stave to throw him the ball. He caught nine passes for 87 yards. He settles in zones and is completely comfortable over the middle. Erickson leads the Badgers with 23 receptions. At 6-3, 202, Robert Wheelright is a TD target. He has three TD receptions this season. Senior tight end Austin Traylor (6-4, 245) blocks with an attitude and is adding receiving skills to the package. He came into the season with three career receptions. Through four games, he has eight for 121 yards and three TDs.

You remember Tanner McEvoy from defense? You probably remember him from offense. He ran a read option for a 45-yard TD at Kinnick Stadium last season. This year, McEvoy has been lined up as a wide receiver (three for 29 yards) and as a wildcat QB (five rushes for 58 yards and a TD). Expect to see him in some way, shape or form.

During his radio show Wednesday, Ferentz didn't provide updates on the health of cornerback Greg Mabin and safety Miles Taylor. Mabin sat out the second half last week and Taylor sat for all but two plays with what were called 'soft tissue” injuries. Junior Maurice Fleming, who's seen a lot of time in nickel situations, replaced Mabin. Junior Anthony Gair replaced Taylor. He left the game with cramps in the second half, but is OK.

It's probably 50/50 on Mabin and Taylor. DE Drew Ott, Iowa's top pass-rushing threat (3.0 sacks), likely will play, but his effectiveness is up in the air three weeks removed from a dislocated elbow.

Iowa has some depth in the secondary. DE Nate Meier is Iowa's sack leader with 5.0. The Hawkeyes have shown they can manufacture pressure on the quarterback.

Advantage: Iowa

SPECIAL TEAMS

Wisconsin and Iowa have stepped up their special teams games.

The Badgers are allowing just 16.0 yards a kick return (No. 6 nationally; No. 2 in B1G). Wisconsin has shaved nearly 5 yards off punt return coverage from last year to this, dropping from 8.1 to 3.38 (No. 2 in the B1G). Opponents starting field position after a kickoff from the Badgers is the 20.5 yard-line, the best mark in FBS.

Punt returner Jazz Peavy had a 49-yarder called back last week because of a holding penalty. Erickson is eighth in the conference with 9.65 yards a punt return. Natrell Jamerson is seventh in kick returns with 22.13 yards per.

Iowa cornerback Desmond King might be No. 2 or 3 in the race for Iowa's non-conference MVP (Beathard and Canzeri also have strong cases). King's cover skills have been on display this season (three interceptions), but his punt and kick returns have been a revelation and a huge shot in Iowa's special teams arm.

With 180 return yards against North Texas last week, King became the fourth Big Ten player in the last 20 seasons with 100-plus kickoff return yards and 70-plus punt return yards in a single game.

Advantage: Iowa

INTANGIBLES

1. There's the physical aspect

- Against Hawaii, Wisconsin clearly wanted to show the Big Ten that, yes, it still is the beast that it's always been. It physically overran the Rainbow Warriors. Hawaii's defense wanted nothing to do with taking on blocks in the fourth quarter of that game. And so, message sent.

'My message to the guys before the game was this was a statement game for us going into Big Ten play,” Voltz told the Wisconsin State Journal. 'We've got Iowa next week and then Nebraska, two physical games, and we've got to come out tonight and prove to everybody that we're going to put up a fight like that and we did it. I think that gives us a lot of confidence going into next week.”

2. And there's the magic

- One 'too close to it and missed it stat” comes from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Beathard rushed for six first downs in Iowa's win over Pitt, including four third-down conversions. Iowa has converted 26 off 50 third downs this season. That's 52 percent and it leads the Big Ten and is eighth in the nation. This is uncharted territory for Ferentz teams. Iowa's best third-down conversion percentage in the Ferentz era is 48.7 percent in 2001.

3. So much streaking

- The air about Wisconsin this week is that it expects to win this game. Here's why: It's won three straight over Iowa. The Badgers have won nine straight trophy games dating back to 2009. Between Iowa, Minnesota and, now, Nebraska, the Badgers haven't lost a trophy since Iowa knocked them off 20-10 at Camp Randall in 2009. Wisconsin has a 10-game winning streak at Camp Randall. Wisconsin is 71-7 at home since 2004.

Wisconsin expects to win this game because, well, it's won almost all of these games in the last 10 or so years.

IOWA WILL WIN IF

... Beathard will have to make the magic happen. Beyond Beathard, what on Iowa's offense has been go-to in every game this season? The running game disappeared against Pitt and Daniels has been slowed with an ankle injury and left tackle Boone Myers left last week's game with a neck stinger. Defensively, if the Hawkeyes can keep Wisconsin at or under 4.0 yards per carry, that would be a winning number.

WISCONSIN WILL WIN IF

... Stave clicks. Wisconsin doesn't have a super back like it did last season with Melvin Gordon. The Badgers have rushed for 200-plus yards vs. Iowa in the last two meetings, both UW victories. Also, if Wisconsin's defense piles on the disruption numbers, it could land a knockout.

PREDICTION

: Wisconsin 31, Iowa 24

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com