IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hank Brown threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, and Iowa’s defense shut out No. 25 Wisconsin for the second consecutive year in a 30-0 win Saturday.
It was the 100th meeting between the two rivals, who compete for the Heartland Trophy. Iowa has won five consecutive games in the series, with the Hawkeyes outscoring the Badgers 148-26 in that stretch.
“It’s very, very disappointing,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “I’m not sitting here saying I’ve got any answers for you. I’m not pointing fingers at anybody or anything because in all three phases of the game, we were completely manhandled for 60 minutes.”
The Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten), eighth in the nation in scoring defense, posted their third shutout of the season. They held the Badgers (5-3, 3-2) to 235 yards, including 52 rushing yards, in a game reminiscent of last season’s 37-0 victory.
“First of all, you’ve got to win the line of scrimmage, and I know that we can honestly say in the last couple of years we have not done that,” Fickell said.
Brown completed 20 of 24 passes, throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end DJ Vonnahme in the first quarter and a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tony Diaz late in the first half to cap a 98-yard drive.
“I thought he played a really good game,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “You have to have control out there, and it’s a hard position. He clearly was in control today.”
Vonnahme also had a 2-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Caden Buhr had three field goals, including a career-long 54-yarder in the third quarter.
Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph was just 5 of 14 passing for 90 yards before being replaced in the second half by freshman Ryan Hopkins. Joseph was sacked once and lost a fumble that led to Buhr’s 28-yard field goal to end the first half that gave Iowa a 20-0 lead.
“I just thought it was an opportunity,” Fickell said of making the quarterback change. “It was just a time we needed to try to find a way, to have a little bit of a spark.”
All tied up
Iowa’s win evened the rivalry at 49-49-2.
“I go back to when I got here,” said Ferentz, who became Iowa’s head coach in 1999. “We were looking up at everybody, and Wisconsin was at the top of the heap. It took us four years to have a win at them. But none of them have come easy in that time.”
The Takeaway
Wisconsin: The Badgers have had no answers for the Hawkeyes’ defense the last two seasons. Their best opportunity to score in this game came when they got to the Iowa 1-yard line in the second quarter, but running back Abu Sama was stopped for a 1-yard loss on fourth down, and Wisconsin never recovered.
“It doesn’t feel good,” Fickell said. “It doesn’t feel good at all.”
Iowa: The Hawkeyes were coming off their worst offensive performance of the season in last week’s 13-10 loss at Minnesota, but scored on their first drive of this game and six of their first seven possessions. Iowa had nearly an 11-minute advantage in time of possession.
Brown seems firmly entrenched in the quarterback spot after coming off the bench last week, completing passes to seven different receivers.
“We’re later in the season, and our offense is growing,” Brown said. “I think this offense has shown we’re very resilient.”
Up next
Wisconsin: Hosts Rutgers next Saturday.
Iowa: At Northwestern next Saturday.
