UW defense soars but offense, special teams falter. The result: A crushing loss to rival Iowa.
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IOWA CITY – Wisconsin’s defense performed at a level worthy of a championship team Saturday against Iowa.
The offense and special teams did not.
Those units, to be blunt, didn’t come close to playing well enough for UW to head home with a victory and a share of first place in the Big Ten West Division.
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The result was a crushing 24-10 loss at Kinnick Stadium to an Iowa team that prevailed despite generating just 146 yards of offense on 68 plays.
The Badgers (5-5, 3-4) missed an opportunity to become bowl-eligible with two regular-season games remaining and saw their slim hope of winning the division diminished further.
UW also fell to 3-2 under interim head coach Jim Leonhard.
The Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3) won their third consecutive game this season and defeated UW for just the third time in the last 11 meetings.
How did the Hawkeyes win?
They drove 17 yards for their first touchdown after a blocked punt.
They got a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Cooper DeJean for a 14-3 lead.
They drove 18 yards for a touchdown and a 21-10 lead after DeJean ripped off a 41-yard punt return to the UW 18 early in the fourth quarter.
They drove 27 yards on 11 plays for a field goal after UW turned the ball over on downs at the Hawkeyes’ 47.
The loss was particularly crushing for UW because Purdue helped out the entire division by defeating Illinois, 31-24, in Champaign.
At the end of the day, the Illini (7-3, 4-3), Purdue (6-2, 4-3) and Iowa (6-4, 4-3) were tied for first in the division.
UW could have been in that spot.
The battle between UW’s offense and Iowa’s defense was one-sided save for a few plays.
The Hawkeyes entered the day with impressive national rankings: No. 1 in yards per play (3.85), fifth in scoring defense (14.3 ppg), third in total defense (264.4 ypg), eighth against the run (92.8 ypg), and 10th against the pass (171.7 ypg).
UW, averaging 30.8 points and 386.0 total yards (183.3 rushing, 202.7 passing) couldn’t establish its running game and Mertz threw the critical pick-six in the first half.
Mertz later hit Keontez Lewis for a 51-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half to help UW pull within 14-10 but finished just 16 of 35 for 176 yards. He had two interceptions, one lost fumble and a touchdown pass.
Tailback Braelon Allen rushed 17 times for 40 yards. Isaac Guerendo rushed times seven times for 28 yards.
Iowa generated just 79 yards on 35 plays in the opening half but held a 14-10 lead thanks to DeJean’s 32-yard interception return and the short touchdown drive after the blocked punt.
Quarterback Spencer Petras was sacked six times, including three by Nick Herbig, but made a handful of timely throws and finished 14 of 23 for 94 yards. Perhaps most important, his only turnover was a fumble on a sack by Herbig.
Iowa finished with 52 rushing yards on 45 carries.
The defenses set the tone in the opening quarter.
Iowa lost 5 yards on its first series and punted.
UW gained 2 yards on its first series and punted.
The Hawkeyes drove from their 12 to the UW 40 but on third and 10 Herbig sacked Petras and forced a fumble. Darryl Peterson recovered at the UW 49 with 9:15 left in the quarter.
UW moved the ball to the Iowa 14 and Nate Van Zelst hit a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 4:14 left in the quarter. Mertz kept the drive alive with a 19-yard pass to Chimere Dike to the Iowa 29 on third and 7.
Leonhard talked during the week about the importance of special teams and the Hawkeyes’ punt-return generated the first huge play.
Iowa’s Deontae Craig defeated the block of John Torchio to block Andy Vujnovich’s punt and the Hawkeyes took over at the UW 17 with 10:55 left in the first half.
Iowa needed just two plays to reach the end zone, with Kaleb Johnson scoring on a 4-yard run to help the Hawkeyes take a 7-3 lead with 10:24 left in the half.
The Badgers went three and out again and DeJean returned Vujnovich’s 33-yard punt 11 yards to the UW 44.
UW’s defense forced a three and out, in part because tight end Sam LaPorta dropped a catchable ball near the 10.
The Badgers moved the ball from their 20 to a first down at the Iowa 39 but Allen gained nothing on first down and Mertz threw incompletions on the next two plays.
A touchback by Vujnovich gave Iowa the ball at its 20 with 5:22 left in the half.
UW got the ball back after an Iowa punt but Mertz made a huge mistake by throwing late to the right after looking to the left.
DeJean intercepted the pass intended for Skyler Bell and cruised 32 yards to the end zone to help Iowa build its lead to 14-3 with 1:58 left in the half.
Leonhard put the ball back in Mertz’s hands after the kickoff and the move paid off.
UW moved from its 25 to the Iowa 43 in five plays. Three plays later, however, UW faced third and 18 from its 49 when Keontez Lewis got behind the Iowa defense and Mertz threw a perfect ball for a touchdown.
When Van Zelst added the conversion, UW was within 14-10 with 52 seconds left in the half.
The Badgers got the ball to start the second half but Mertz’s deep throw to Bell was tipped by safety Kaevon Merriweather and intercepted by cornerback Riley Moss at the Iowa 44.
Iowa went three and out, however, and UW took over at its 20 after a 30-yard punt into the wind.
The Badgers went three and out but Vujnovich responded with a 56-yard punt, thanks in part to a roll of about 18 yards.
Iowa started from its 27 with 8:51 left in the quarter and went three and out.
UW’s offense trotted back onto the field after the punt, 62 yards to the end zone with 7:19 left in the quarter.
Could Mertz lead a scoring drive?
No.
UW went three and out and the Hawkeyes started their drive from their 28 with 6:26 left in the quarter.
The Hawkeyes converted a third-and-10 play with an 11-yard pass from Petra to LaPorta for a first down at their 39.
Iowa eventually punted and Tory Taylor’s 58 punt was downed at the UW. Dean Engram wasn’t able to field the ball, which hit near the 16 and rolled to the 1.
That mistake proved costly when DeJean fielded Vujnovich’s punt and gained 41 yards to the UW 18 before being shoved out of bounds.
Petras capped the five-play drive with a 1-yard sneak and UW’s deficit was 21-10 with 13:52 left in the game.
Plenty of time under normal circumstances. But considering how UW struggled to move the ball Saturday, the Badgers were just about out of time.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW defense soars but offense, special teams falter. The result: A crushing loss to rival Iowa.