Wisconsin vs Iowa NCAA Football Handicapping
The 24th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers have won twice and gone through their bye week, but they’re surely still stewing over a stretch in which they lost two close games in three weeks, and they’ll look to take their frustrations out on the Iowa Hawkeyes in this Big Ten clash.
24 Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) at Iowa Hawkeyes (5-3)
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2013
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Venue: Kinnick Stadium
City: Iowa City, Iowa
O/U Odds: 48.5
Spread: Wisconsin -9.5
Money Line: Wisconsin -360, Iowa +300
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Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen says he believes that the team’s bye week will afford some of his players the time to rest up, but they looked perfectly fine the last time they took the field against Illinois.
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Prior to their bye week, Wisconsin and Illinois lit up the scoreboard in a 56-32 win. Wisconsin’s rushing attack led the way, churning out 289 yards against the Fighting Illini. Melvin Gordon led the way, turning 17 carries into 142 yards and three touchdowns. James White had a solid outing as well rushing 20 times for 98 yards and a pair of scores. Quarterback Joel Stave had a good game in his own right. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 189 yards and two scores. His favorite target in the game was Jared Abbrederis, who brought in eight balls for 106 yards just a week after getting knocked out of the team’s game against Northwestern with a nasty injury. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Badger defense played better than the score indicates, as they allowed 15 points in garbage time. They were able to keep Illinois from doing much on the ground, limiting them to just 72 rushing yards. They did have some trouble with the pass down the stretch, as Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase completed 20 of 27 passes for 249 yards. The win did come at a cost though, as the team’s top defensive player, linebacker Chris Borland, went down with an injury, and his status for this game remains up in the air as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury.
Iowa is coming off a big, and some would say shocking win over Northwestern. The big play of the game came in overtime, when quarterback Jake Rudock hit C.J. Fiedorowicz in the endzone from eight yards out to put the Hawkeyes ahead for good.
The Hawkeye defense bent but didn’t break, limiting Northwestern to just 10 points on 329 yards, including a key fourth quarter drive in which they held the Wildcats to a short, game-tying field goal.
Iowa has a lot to be proud of after a strong start to their year, but they simply don’t have the horses to keep up with the top teams in the Big Ten, like Wisconsin. The Badgers need to continue to mow down opponents to get back in the good books with voters, and the Hawkeyes are in their crosshairs right now. Expect them to build up a comfortable margin, then run the ball to help kill the clock and get out of town.
Wisconsin ranks eighth in the FBS in rushing, and sixth in scoring defense.
The play: Wisconsin -9.5
