Wisconsin Got My Attention Against USC - Now Go Prove It at Iowa

I'll admit it, Wisconsin got my attention Saturday night.

I wasn't expecting the Badgers to hold No. 16 USC to seven points, and I definitely wasn't expecting the Trojans to finish with minus-17 rushing yards. Wisconsin wasn't great offensively either, finishing with only 200 total yards, but it didn't really matter. The Badgers took care of the football, played really good defense and did enough offensively to come away with a 24-7 win.

Now I'm curious to see what they do against Iowa.

Wisconsin heads to Kinnick Stadium at 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten, while No. 15 Iowa is coming off a 13-10 loss to Minnesota. I know it's easy to look at what happened Saturday and feel pretty good about Wisconsin's chances, but this is going to be a much different game.

I still think the Badgers can win it.

Colton Joseph is probably going to have to do a little more

I liked Wisconsin's approach against USC. The Badgers ran it 43 times for 142 yards and didn't get away from it just because they weren't breaking off huge runs. Abu Sama III finished with 71 yards, and Wisconsin was able to keep USC from ever really taking control of the game.

Colton Joseph didn't have to do much through the air. He completed 12 of 14 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown, and most importantly, he didn't turn the football over. With the way Wisconsin's defense was playing, there wasn't much reason to ask him to do anything else.

I don't think it will be quite that simple against Iowa.

The Hawkeyes just held Minnesota to 209 total yards and 72 on the ground. Minnesota converted only two of 15 third downs and still won because Iowa turned it over four times and had a punt blocked.

I'm not saying Wisconsin needs to go into Kinnick and start throwing it all over the field. I'd keep feeding Sama and make Iowa stop the run. But there are going to be third downs where Joseph has to make a throw, and I think Wisconsin is probably going to need a few more plays out of the passing game than it did against USC.

That's probably what I'm most interested in seeing from the offense.

I'd make Iowa prove it can throw the ball

This is the part of the matchup I like for Wisconsin.

Iowa had all kinds of problems offensively against Minnesota. Jeremy Hecklinski started at quarterback before Hank Brown came in, and between the two of them, the Hawkeyes threw three interceptions. Brown did eventually lead a 98-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, but Iowa spent most of the afternoon struggling to get much going.

Now they get a Wisconsin defense that just made USC look pretty ordinary.

The Badgers held the Trojans to 241 total yards, picked off Jayden Maiava twice and finished with five sacks. USC did throw for 258 yards, but when you finish a game with minus-17 rushing yards, you're probably not going to have a very good night.

If I'm Wisconsin, I start there again. Don't let Iowa settle in and run the football. Put the game on whichever quarterback the Hawkeyes decide to use and make him beat you.

That doesn't mean I'm expecting Wisconsin to hold another team to negative rushing yards. But if the Badgers can make Iowa one-dimensional, I like their chances.

Wisconsin can't give Iowa any help

This is probably what worries me the most about the game.

Iowa doesn't need to score 35 points to beat you. We just watched the Hawkeyes hold Minnesota to 209 yards and two third-down conversions and still lose. Turnovers and a blocked punt were a huge part of that.

Wisconsin can't return the favor.

That's why Joseph's game against USC was better than 58 passing yards might make it look. He didn't force anything, Wisconsin didn't turn it over and the Badgers let their defense do most of the work.

I'd like to see a little more from him this week, but not at the expense of that.

I like Wisconsin's chances at Kinnick

Iowa has won four straight in this series, and the last two have been especially rough for Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes won 42-10 in Iowa City in 2024 and then shut the Badgers out 37-0 at Camp Randall last season.

So I'm not ready to look at one win over USC and say Wisconsin has everything figured out. The Badgers were coming off a 17-7 loss to UCLA before Saturday night, and we've seen two pretty different versions of this team over the last two weeks.

That's part of what makes this game so interesting to me.

If Wisconsin goes into Kinnick, takes care of the football and plays defense anywhere close to the way it did against USC, I think the Badgers have a real chance. Joseph probably needs to give them a little more through the air, but I don't think he needs to go out and win the game by himself.

Keep Iowa from controlling the game on the ground, don't give the Hawkeyes anything cheap and make their quarterbacks beat you.

Do that, and I like Wisconsin's chances of leaving Iowa City with a win.

I'm not expecting it to be pretty. Against Iowa, it usually isn't.

Today's best reads

• Grading Each Phase of Wisconsin's Resounding 24-7 Win Over No. 16 USC
• Staff Predictions: Can Wisconsin Ride Home Crowd to Win vs. No. 16 USC?
• Path to an Upset: How Wisconsin can Knock off No. 16 USC
• 3 Burning Questions as Wisconsin Looks for Huge Upset Over No. 16 USC
• Instant Takeaways from Wisconsin's 24-7 Win vs. No. 16 USC

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as Wisconsin Got My Attention Against USC - Now Go Prove It at Iowa.