Iowa 10, No. 18 Wisconsin 6

MADISON, Wis. — A lot of Iowa things you haven't seen for a while happened in the moments after Saturday afternoon.

The Hawkeyes topped No. 18 Wisconsin for their first win over a ranked opponent on the road since 2010 (at Michigan). After Badgers quarterback Joel Stave threw incomplete to tight end Troy Fumagalli on fourth-and-2 at Iowa's 16-yard line with 36 seconds left, the Hawkeyes went on a search mission for the Heartland Trophy, which they claimed for the first time since 2009.

Really, they couldn't find it for a second.

'Some of us couldn't figure out where it was,' running back Jordan Canzeri said. 'They were wheeling it away from us.'

Iowa (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) snapped a three-game losing streak against the Badgers (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) with a bruising 10-6 victory before 80,933 fans at Camp Randall Stadium. Iowa is now 5-0 for the second time under Kirk Ferentz. With the victory, the Hawkeyes have a great shot at being ranked for the first time since Nov. 21, 2010.

Iowa generated just 221 yards of total offense, but scored all 10 of its points off turnovers. Canzeri finished with 125 yards on a career-high 26 carries. It was just one of those sepia days for Ferentz and the Hawkeyes, one of those days where the defense did the talking the statement and the digging and the punching and the hitting and all of those active verbs.

Since 2013, three teams have held Wisconsin to less than 100 rushing yards — Iowa on Saturday, Alabama in this year's season opener and national champion Ohio State in last year's 59-0 victory in the Big Ten title game. Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard was sacked almost as many times (four) as he completed a pass (9 of 21 for 77 yards and a 1-yard TD pass to tight end George Kittle in the first half).

Iowa missed some key offensive parts against the Badgers. Senior wide receiver Tevaun Smith (knee) and offensive tackle Boone Myers (neck/shoulder) didn't make the trip. Ferentz said Smith will be out until after Iowa's bye week (Maryland at Kinnick on Oct. 31) and Myers is day-to-day. And, so, it makes sense that it was the first time Iowa was held with less than 100 passing yards and won since throwing for 72 in a victory over Purdue in 2008.

Strip away all of the stats and numbers of the Iowa things you haven't seen for a while. Here are the words that tell you what you saw.

'We're sending a message to the Big Ten,' said cornerback Desmond King, who added two more interceptions to raise his season total to five. 'We want to let them know the bullies of the Big Ten are back. That's what Iowa was known for back then. We're just trying to bring that back.'

That's the sound of the mic dropping.

What did he say?

'The bullies of the Big Ten are back,' King said.

Let the sun shine and trumpets ring out over the land of Iowa. You've been waiting for that since . . . way too long. Sure, it's a strong statement, but it's out and there's no walking it back now. Frankly, the Hawkeyes don't have to. Iowa's defense doesn't have to walk anything back after Saturday's performance.

Four turnovers, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and enough disruption thrown toward Badgers quarterback Joel Stave to give him a facial tic that might last into December.

'It wasn't a game of anyone outwitting each other,' Ferentz said. 'It was two teams just really fighting hard.'

Speaking of music breaking out all over the land, Wisconsin people will write musicals in tribute to senior outside linebacker Joe Schobert's performance. He had three sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, five QB hurries and forced two fumbles, the second of which looked as if it would be the one that finally bit the Hawkeyes.

Beathard broke the pocket to the right and had the ball out. Schobert swooped in from the backside and batted the ball out of his hands. He also ended up plucking it out of the pile. It gave Wisconsin first down at Iowa's 27 with 11:02 left in the fourth quarter.

After a pass interference on King, Wisconsin had first down at Iowa's 4. Running back Taiwan Deal ran to the middle of the line of scrimmage and a scrum formed. Deal never went down, but he also didn't cross the goal line. So, survive and move on to second down at the 1.

'Everything is on the line there, literally on the line,' linebacker Josey Jewell said. 'If they score there, that changes the whole game.'

It's easy to say 'bullies of the Big Ten are back,' but it's another to show it. Second down was showing it.

On goal line defense, Iowa moves defensive end Nate Meier inside to noseguard. He's 6-1ish and 245 or thereabouts, and, no, it shouldn't work. Only it did in the biggest way imaginable.

Meier blasted guard Micah Kapoi (he's 6-3, 330) back onto Stave's feet. Stave stumbled and fumbled the handoff to running back Dare Ogunbowale. Defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie recovered.

Meier was installed on goal line around two years ago. He was even more undersized then. It didn't make sense then. Now, you kind of see the wisdom.

'It was a big move because I'd never played inside,' Meier said. 'I wasn't comfortable being so tight in there. I was coached up on it and it came out OK.'

Those two plays showed that, yeah, maybe the bullies are back.

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