Stat Pak: Beautiful ugly

5 BULLET POINTS

1. The little things

— The play before the play was just as big as the play. You know what I'm talking about.

OK, maybe not. But you know 'the play' was defensive end Nate Meier's cameo at noseguard and his push into pulling guard Micah Kapoi that knocked Kapoi off path and onto QB Joel Stave's foot. Stave tried to complete a handoff to RB Taiwan Deal (bad idea). The ball came out and Iowa DT Faith Ekakitie eventually recovered.

The play before that Deal took a handoff and looked up and saw a nice path starting to form for what looked like it might be a 4-yard TD run. UW fullback Austin Ramesh ran lead and Iowa middle linebacker Josey Jewell met him head on. They stalemated, but Jewell kept his feet moving and kept his outside shoulder and arm alive. He was the first to meet Deal and standup him up.

And then defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson, who was lined up on the outside, arrived. And then LB Cole Fisher and even CB Desmond King. Iowa had that hats and the play stalemated at Iowa's 1.

Second-and-goal from Iowa's 1. A little more than eight minutes left. Iowa leads 10-6. And then the play.

IOWA vs. WIS - IOWA fumble recovery - ESPN Video

This drive started at Iowa's 27 after Joe Schobert came from the backside and slapped the ball out of QB C.J. Beathard's right hand. Then, there was a shovel pass from Stave to RB Dare Ogunbowale that Meier nearly blew up. Then, there was a pass interference on King that was 50/50. Then, Jewell fights off a lead fullback and stalemates Deal three feet from a TD, with a lot of help from his friends.

I'm only making a big deal about this one because it was three feet from changing the complexion of those last eight minutes. This game was full of margins that would only show up under a microscope.

2. Iowa's best punch on offense right now is . . . Center Austin Blythe is the answer to the question. We're going to get to the stuff that needs a coat of paint, but Iowa rushed for 144 yards (including 125 on 26 carries from senior RB Jordan Canzeri) against a defense that was allowing just 82.8 yards a game. The Hawkeyes did nearly all of their damage on the rush inside zone running plays (I counted approximately 27). Iowa tried less than five and maybe only three outside zones. Wisconsin was just beating it to the point of attack.

That left Blythe and guards Jordan Walsh and Sean Welsh (and, later, James Daniels) to provide push and pick up some aggressive run blitzes.

Blythe was masterful. Walsh has set a pace for himself this season that is all-conference caliber. Fullback Macon Plewa took on everything that crossed his face and was in his range, including one on a defensive end during an inside zone that broke for 19 yards on the game's only TD drive (which was set up by King's first interception).

Iowa had zero passing game against UW. You heard Brock Huard mention time and time again during the broadcast that Iowa's receivers weren't getting any separation (they really weren't). Iowa's only go-to against the Badgers was the inside zone, between the tackles, with Blythe, Walsh, Welsh/Daniels and Plewa doing work.

3. 'Arrogance in pass protection'

— This was something Huard said during the telecast that I thought was interesting. You know coaches and staff from both sides meet with the TV crew, including the announcers, and they talk about their teams and what they see. Huard brought up 'arrogance in protection' as a term they heard in their meetings.

I don't think it's a stretch, but I'm going to go with the Wisconsin coaches saying that about the Iowa pass pro schemes during their meeting with ESPN producers, Huard and play-by-play Steve Levy.

It's an interesting notion. You saw UW outside linebacker Joe Schobert have an all-timer against the Hawkeyes. Here are the numbers: eight tackles, three sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and five QB hurries.

Here's the hit parade (Schobert was mostly unblocked, for whatever reason):

— Iowa's first play, Schobert lined up off the line of scrimmage, blitzed and rocked Canzeri untouched for a 2-yard loss.

— Schobert came from the edge untouched and forced Beathard to throw away a pass on a second-and-8 from UW's 40. Left tackle Cole Croston blocked down. Whatever was supposed to happen or whatever was supposed to influence Schobert didn't work.

— On a fourth-and-2 from the Badgers' 8, Schobert looped inside, Blythe saw him and had to let 53 loose and so 53 and Schobert gave Beathard no time. He had to throw the ball before TE Henry Krieger Coble made any sort of break.

— Before halftime, Schobert beat RT Ike Boettger's outside shoulder, got him to cross his feet and deposited him on the turf before diving at CJB's ankles and collecting a sack.

— Schobert looped on a third-and-5 from Iowa's 44 and delivered a shoulder to CJB's gut as he threw a pass that was a duck and picked off by safety Michael Caputo. C. Beathard pass intercepted,M. Caputo return for 4 yds - ESPN Video

— Canzeri had a turn trying to block him. Schobert ran through the block and caught CJB from the backside and slapped the ball out of his hands. He also jumped in the pile and plucked out the ball before the pile really got nutty. (This wasn't on Canzeri as much as it was on CJB. He started to look to extend the play. In this game, he needed to tuck the ball and go. It's something he did well and then didn't do well against the Badgers.) C. Beathard sacked by J. Schobert for -6 yds,C. Beathard fumbled, forced by J. Schobert, recovered by Wisc J. Schobert - ESPN Video

— Third-and-2 at Iowa's 13, tight end Jake Duzey blocked down and Schobert shot upfield untouched while CJB was in a rollout. CJB did well to avoid the sack that would've made it fourth down at Iowa's 5.

— On Iowa's last real play from scrimmage, Schobert just beat Croston with speed and power.

So, if the 'arrogance in protection' was in reference to Iowa leaving its OTs on an island, that didn't happen as much as Iowa simply didn't adjust to Schobert. It really kind of needed to.

4. Raider specifics

— I know I kind of covered this yesterday, but I really watched the game and here are some obs:

— I had Iowa running it 11 times.

— Mostly the three defensive ends in the package (Meier, Drew Ott and Parker Hesse) rushed. Sometimes, it was just the three of them.

— Linebackers Jewell and Ben Niemann kind of hung back. It looked like Jewell was assigned to the running back, covering if he came out of the backfield, and Niemann spied the QB.

— Niemann blitzed after he determined the QB was in throw mode. Jewell blitzed if the RB was in pass pro.

— Fisher blitzed a few times. He and Niemann shared a sack on third-and-13 from Iowa's 37. Could Rafael Gaglianone have made 54-yard field goal? That sack made it a 57-yarder (wind to the back, too). In other words, the sack took the field goal out of play. This was the Badgers' penultimate drive. No points made the final drive all-or-nothing TD drive.

— The Raider allows DC Phil Parker to play zone or man in the secondary. It also is conscious of the run and just creates chaos as far as protections. You always see centers pointing out the middle linebacker just to set the math for the play. The OL can't really do that.

The Raider isn't unbeatable, but it did work against Stave and the Badgers.

5. Injury report

— Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said WR Tevaun Smith is out with a knee injury (likely a sprain) until after Iowa's bye week. So, you won't see the senior until Maryland on Oct. 31, at the earliest.

His replacement, true freshman Jerminic Smith, was targeted four times Saturday and didn't catch any. (There was one ball in the end zone that was too flat and didn't give him a chance to get up and make a play. He also had two 20-plus yard targets.)

OT Boone Myers is out with a neck/shoulder stinger. Ferentz said week-to-week with him, so he'll have a chance this week. I might be reading too much into it, but it sure sounded as if Ferentz liked Cole Croston's performance on Saturday, and, really, everything he's done this season.

Ott is fine. Maybe hampered, but he was more tornadic Saturday. Ferentz did say RB LeShun Daniels was still feeling the ankle injury he suffered week 2 against Iowa State. He was used in short-yardage situations, even with the remnants of the ankle thing. Since rushing 26 times for 123 yards in the opener, Daniels has rushed 26 times for 103 yards (3.96 a carry).

Oh yeah, sophomore RB Derrick Mitchell didn't travel to Madison. Ferentz said he has some sort of injury.

THREE STARS

1. CB Desmond King — King leads the Big Ten with five interceptions. That's already the most for an Iowa player since Brett Greenwood had five in 2010. Have you noticed the physical game the Iowa secondary is playing right now? King spun UW receiver Alex Erickson into a body slam on early in the third quarter. It ended up looking like a suplex or something wrestling. Erickson left the game with some sort of upper body injury (his head, shoulder and neck seemed to hit the turf at the same time). Erickson was UW's leading receiver going into the Iowa game. Late in the game, Stave probably could've used his main target. Wisconsin wide receiver Alex Erickson injury - ESPN Video

That was just one hit. Free safety Jordan Lomax put a hit on TE Troy Fumagalli (he already was in the process of dropping the pass). Fumagalli motioned to his head to try to coax a helmet-to-helmet. It didn't look like it, and, as I discussed with the Beathard hit vs. Pitt, what is defenseless? This would've given UW a first down inside Iowa's 10, by the way.

You also saw strong safety Miles Taylor much more active around the line of scrimmage. This group is leaving a mark.

2. DEs Nate Meier/Drew Ott — Another relentless Saturday for two escapees from the set of 'Road House.' The numbers seem squished. Meier was awarded a half tackle for loss and a fumble recovery (on Ott's strip/sack, the ball was just laying there for like two seconds). Is there a stat for knocking the 330-pound guard onto the QB's foot and causing a fumble that saved Iowa's day? No, but we all saw it and that'll have to do. Ott had the strip/sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He also pumped the Hawkeyes with tons of energy and emotion. Maybe part of it was the frustration with the dislocated elbow and finally kind of coming out of that. Or maybe it was because it just felt good. J. Stave sacked by D. Ott for -10 yds,J. Stave fumbled, forced by D. Ott, recovered by Iowa N. Meier - ESPN Video

3. RB Jordan Canzeri

— I was the guy who asked Ferentz last week if Iowa staff was over the notion that Canzeri wasn't the 20-carry guy. He, in so many words, said, whoa, whoa, whoa, I never said that, don't put words in my mouth. My point with that question was, because of how things have gone with Daniels, Canzeri has graduated from space player/screen guy to Iowa's top running back and, so, give him the ball 20 times. He's 190 pounds. He has an injury history. Doesn't matter. Play your best players and use them to their utmost utility. Right now, that makes Canzeri the 20-carry back.

With 125 yards vs. UW, Canzeri now has 441 yards on 89 carries this year. OK, that best player thing stands, but here are his totals for a season the last two years: 494 yards on 102 carries in 2014 and 481 on 74 in 2013.

Canzeri is the guy and until Daniels is Daniels again, that's that. But . . . you saw Jerminic Smith in for Tevaun Smith. J Smith's reps went from ceremonial to crucial with one twist of a knee. Can Iowa survive that at running back?

FILM ROOM

Beathard is doing so much for this football team right now. He's making so many correct decisions. He's doing graduate-level work week in and week out.

It doesn't seem as if CJB needs much 'detailing' to his play. You saw the Wisconsin game. Time and time again, Huard and the production mentioned the lack of separation from pass catchers. WR Matt VandeBerg caught six passes for 61 yards. I'm not sure he was open on any of those. Beathard kind of 'threw' him open.

It's a fine line and I'm sure a philosophy has been attached, but when does Beathard tuck and run and how long does he try to wait for someone to break open downfield?

You see Beathard keeping more play-action bootlegs. When Iowa drove to set up the failed 27-yard field goal, there was one play-action roll in which TE George Kittle got on a motorcycle and blocked a hard-charging OLB and Beathard made a decisive tuck and run for 16 yards.

Then on first-and-10 from Iowa's 27, Schobert caught Beathard from the backside and slapped the ball out of his hands. It was a pass play and the pocket was distorted almost immediately. CJB drifted right and had his eyes downfield with the ball in one hand and down at his waist.

When to cut and run? What's the internal clock say (there also were two delay of game penalties)? Those are probably getting a look this week.

TWO PLAYS

1. The Canzeri fumble

— From where the press box is and where that play happened, I had no idea how lucky Iowa really got on that play. Schobert got a hand in and just knocked the ball out of Canzeri's hands. If the Badgers recover, it's first down at around Iowa's 20 with more than three minutes to play. If the Badgers recover, it's likely fatal for Iowa.

The lucky part came when the ball rolled through a pile of players and right in front of Croston, who was one of the lead blockers on the play. He was even in half crouch position. It was an easy pounce. And, man, it was simply luck. No other way to go with that.

2. The CJB pick that wasn't a pick

— No. 53 read and made a beautiful interception on a Beathard pass intended for Canzeri. It was a pressure valve, with Canzeri running out of the backfield and into the where the linebackers . . . well, where CJB didn't think they might've been. He floated a ball to Canzeri and T.J. Edwards just leaped into the air and like a cat chasing one of those reflections on the wall plucked it.

No, wait. Jesse Hayes was hit with a personal foul (a hands to the face). It was oh, so close. Hayes grabbed the front of Croston's jersey, at the collar, and his hand got up under the facemask and then Hayes extended the arm. That's probably what got the call.

This gave Iowa's drive new life that it couldn't quite take advantage of. Kicker Marshall Koehn's 27-yard field goal nearly went horizontal.

UP NEXT — ILLINOIS (4-1, 1-0)

— I think Nebraska freaked out over this more than Illinois celebrated. That's probably not a good thing, either way.

— Ke'Shawn Vaughn might be Illinois' top back against the No. 23 Hawkeyes (5-0, 1-0) this week. RB Josh Ferguson suffered a shoulder injury early in the Illini's 14-13 win over Nebraska last week and is questionable for the game.

— They're calling for a . . . hiring in Illinois. The Champaign News-Gazette's Bob Asmussen believes the school should hire interim coach Bill Cubit, who took over for Tim Beckman, who was fired one week before the season opener after an investigation into player mistreatment.

Cubit led Western Michigan to a victory over the Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium in 2007.

THE NUMBERS GAME

Touchdowns in the red zone

Iowa

— 1 of 4

Wisconsin

— 0 of 2

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. ISU — 4 of 5 (off), 1 of 1 (def); Week 2 Iowa State — 2 of 3 (off), 1 of 2 (def); Week 3 vs. Pitt — 3 of 3 (off), 2 of 3 (def); Week 4 North Texas — 5 of 5 (off), 1 of 3 (def); Week 5 Wisconsin — 1 of 4 (off), 0 of 2 (def)

The takeaway

: So much for leading the nation, or being in the top three, in this category. You knew, though, it wasn't going to be easy. Wisconsin has one of the best red-zone defenses in the nation. Something had to give. Iowa still won. Somehow. On the other hand, this number on the defensive side was the game-winner for the Hawkeyes.

3 and outs (forced by defense)

Iowa

— 4

Wisconsin

— 3

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. ISU — 3 (def), 2 (off); Week 2 vs. Iowa State — 4 (def), 4 (off); Week 3 vs. Pitt — 3 (def), 2 (off); Week 4 vs. North Texas — 6 (def), 3 (off); Week 5 vs. Wisconsin — 4 (def), 3 (off)

The takeaway

: All three of Iowa's three-and-outs on offense came in the second half, including two in the fourth quarter when it would've been good for Iowa to run some four-minute offense. Now, does Iowa have a four-minute offense? Is it capable of taking the air out of a game when the defense so desperately wants the ball? Then again, this was just as much the Wisconsin defense as it was Iowa's offense. Iowa does, however, face some decent defenses in its next seven games (Illinois is No. 21 in the nation in total defense). Also, Iowa's defense notched all of its three-and-outs in the first half. Iowa has UW on the fence in the octagon and let it off in the first half.

Second half adjustments

Iowa

— 69 yards, 2.55 yards per play (27 plays)

Wisconsin

— 177 yards, 4.21 yards per play (42 plays)

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. ISU — 163 yards, 5.25 yards per play (31 offensive plays), 195 yards, 6.5 yards per play (30 plays on defense); Week 2 vs. Iowa State — 232 yards, 6.62 yards per play (35 offensive plays), 66 yards, 2.12 yards per play (31 defensive plays); Week 3 vs. Pitt — 165 yards, 5.5 yards per play (30 off plays), 124 yards, 5.1 yards per play (31 def plays); Week 4 vs. North Texas — 148 yards, 4.9 yards per play (30 offensive plays), 207 yards, 4.3 yards per play (48 defensive plays); Week 5 vs. Wisconsin — 69 yards, 2.55 yards per play (27 offensive plays), 177 yards, 4.21 yards per play (42 defensive plays)

The takeaway:

How did Iowa win this games? I mean, seriously? No money plays in the second half. Maybe CJB was frustrated, it's hard to read things on TV. In talking to him afterward, he was good. He always seems good. If I were QB, I might've gotten a little . . . I don't know . . . miffed. Let's use that word. This is either the first bona fide 'Old Kirk' stat of the year or Joe Schobert's domination of the second half. Probably a bit of both.

20-plus plays

Iowa

— 2

Wisconsin

— 3

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. ISU — 4 (off), 3 (allowed); Week 2 vs. Iowa State — 6 (off), 3 (allowed); Week 3 vs. Pitt — 4 (off), 3 (def); Week 4 vs. North Texas — 4 (off), 4 (def); Week 5 vs. Wisconsin — 2 (off), 3 (def)

The takeaway:

Both of Iowa's were pass plays to WR Matt VandeBerg. How much of this was WR Tevaun Smith's absence? Probably some. Iowa did, however, try to go to Jerminic Smith on long plays (two 20-plus targets). Again, you have to ask if this was Iowa or Wisconsin? I think Wisconsin, but the question about the passing game without Tevaun Smith is legit. Another way to look at it is Iowa came up with four turnovers, which pretty much are reverse 20-plus plays.

The Iowa/Greg Davis definition of explosive (it's 12-plus runs and 16-plus passes)

: 5 (Illinois State 9, Iowa State 12, Pitt 6, North Texas 10; Wisconsin 5)

Magic points (scores inside of two minutes)

Iowa

— 3

Wisconsin

— 0

Tracking the Hawkeyes

: Week 1 vs. ISU — 3 (off), 7 (allowed); Week 2 vs. Iowa State — 7 (off), 0 (def); Week 3 vs. Pitt — 10 (off), 7 (def); week 4 vs. North Texas — 7 (off), 0 (def); Week 5 vs. Wisconsin — 3 (off), 0 (def)

The takeaway

: After Ott sacked and stripped the ball from UW QB Joel Stave, the Hawkeyes drove four plays for 1 yard and came away with Koehn's 33-yard field goal with 1:03 left before halftime and a 10-3 lead. The draw coughed on a delay-of-game penalty that changed a third-and-4 from UW's 9 into a third-and-9 from UW's 14. On that play, CJB was forced to throw the ball away, and he smartly did so. Every point counted and Koehn had already missed a 27-yarder going into the same end zone.

Here's your nutty numbers: Iowa's scoring drives were 5 plays and 31 yards for a TD and four plays and 1 yard for a FG. The Badgers' scoring drives were 12 plays, 56 yards for a field goal and 10 plays, 27 yards for another field goal.

During the ESPN telecast, Levy and Huard kind of almost apologized for the style of football. They knew going in it was going to be rock, paper, scissors with clubs, rocks and bricks. It was. The ESPN sideline reporter said it was 'ugly but you won' to Ferentz after the game. He called it beautiful.

Defensive football is beautiful. Yards aren't cheap and points are gold doubloons. I don't see anything wrong with that. Plus, games with cheap yards and a million points take eight hours.

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