For the third week in a row, the Wisconsin Badgers (4-3 Big Ten, 7-4 overall) go up against a ranked opponent as No. 17 Iowa (4-3, 8-3) comes to Madison. The Badgers' fortunes have been mixed against top 25 competition this season, with wins over Michigan State and Ohio State and losses (both on last-second field goals) to Purdue and Minnesota.
Saturday's matchup could have serious bowl implications for both teams as the two share identical conference records and figure to be in the running for many of the same bowl games. A win Saturday could mean the difference between a trip to Michigan, Texas or Florida.
Wisconsin bounced back from a three-game losing streak last week with an impressive win over Michigan State. Nineteen Big Ten records were broken as senior wide-out Lee Evans ran all over the Spartans' secondary. It was also the second straight 300-yard passing game for senior quarterback Jim Sorgi. Not surprisingly, the gaudy stats of the past two weeks can be attributed to fewer turnovers. By not turning the ball over, the offense has put the team in position to win games, something they could not seem to do in losses to Purdue and Northwestern. If Wisconsin wants to be successful Saturday against a strong Iowa defense, they will again need to limit their mistakes.
\Iowa's defense is pretty good, especially to hold a Minnesota offense to 21 or 22 points and to force five turnovers,"" Sorgi said. ""But I think we can be pretty successful if we keep doing what we haven't been doing which is turning the ball over. If we don't turn the ball over and give ourselves opportunities to score every time we touch the ball I think we'll be pretty successful against the Iowa defense.""
In addition to the big passing numbers, Wisconsin has also fared well on the ground. Junior running back Dwayne Smith rushed for a career-high 207 yards against Michigan State but he can be sure the yards will be much tougher to come by against the Hawkeyes. Iowa's defense boasts the Big Ten's two leading tacklers, sophomore linebackers Abdul Hodge and Chad Greenway, who will make it very difficult for the UW running game to get going. Patience will be key for the Badgers as they look to crack this tough defense. The Badgers will probably not get as many big play opportunities, but must take advantage of any that do arise.
With his 207 yards against MSU, Smith's total for the season is now 737. This gives Wisconsin a shot, albeit a small one, to continue its 10-year streak of having a 1,000-yard rusher. And Head Coach Barry Alvarez will not be adjusting the game plan to give Smith a better shot at the 1,000-yard mark.
""That won't play into this game. When we're splitting up all three rushers that pretty much goes out the window. You have to have someone healthy to get that. That's one of the amazing things about that record is that for all those years we were able to keep a back healthy throughout the season to get 1,000 yards. That hasn't even come up in conversation, we won't worry about that,"" Alvarez said.
Injuries have been the reason star senior tailback Anthony Davis has been unable to play much this season. The senior, who has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, has missed five games and only played sparingly in three others. Alvarez has established that it is up to Davis to decide whether he can play. Even though Smith has been impressive in relief, Davis is a special talent and possesses the ability to turn a close game in one play. If Davis is healthy, do not be surprised to see him on the field, even if it costs UW the chance at a 1,000-yard rusher.
""It's all up to Anthony. He didn't practice last week so there wasn't any hope. I'm not going to push him. He knows when his ankle is going to be fine. If he's out at practice and practices well, he'll play. I'm not going to ask him everyday how he's doing,"" Alvarez said.
