Game Notes: Iowa at Wisconsin

1: Iowa’s 2017 opponents have a combined record of 68-40 (.630). TeamRankings.com lists the Hawkeyes at No. 8 in strength of schedule, third among Big Ten teams (No. 1 Penn State, No. 3 Ohio State). The Hawkeyes first nine opponents have a combined record of 51-30. Their final three opponents have a combined record of 17-10.
 
2: Iowa’s three losses have been decided by one possession, and two have come down to the game’s final play. Since 2014, Iowa is 33-12 in the regular season, and 10 of those 12 losses have been decided by one possession. Since 2014, Iowa is 13-10 in games decided by one possession, including 2-3 this year.
 
3: The Hawkeyes are playing to regain possession of the Heartland Trophy. It is their third of four trophy games this season. Iowa has successfully defended two rivalry trophies, winning at Iowa State, 44-41 (OT,) to retain the Cy-Hawk trophy, and topping Minnesota, 17-10, to retain Floyd of Rosedale. Iowa will defend the Heroes Trophy on Nov. 24 at Nebraska.
 
4: Iowa ranks No. 4 in the B1G and 16th nationally in scoring defense (18.1). Iowa has held 8-of-9 opponents below their scoring average (Iowa State lone exception). The Hawkeyes have 13 interceptions, second only to Wisconsin (14) in the Big Ten.
 
5:QB Nate Stanley has 22 touchdown passes, second in the Big Ten and tied for 11th in the nation. Stanley has thrown 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions against this week’s AP top 25 (No. 11 Ohio State, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 16 Penn State, No. 24 Iowa State). He averaged 236.8 passing yards per game against those four opponents.
 
6: LB Josey Jewell leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the nation with 11.3 tackles per game. He has 92 tackles this season, tops in the Big Ten and tied for ninth nationally. Jewell has 393 career tackles, seventh all-time in program history.
 
7:Junior DB Josh Jackson leads the country in passes defended (20) and is tied for second in interceptions (5) and passes broken up (15). He leads the Big Ten in interceptions (5) and passes defended (20). Jackson tied a school record with three interceptions against No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 4. He is a Bednarik Award semifinalist and was named the Big Ten and Walter Camp national defensive Player of the Week after his three interceptions in the win over Ohio State.
 
8: Season-ending injuries to senior tackles Ike Boettger and Boone Myers have cleared the depth chart for redshirt freshman LT Alaric Jackson and freshman RT Tristan Wirfs. Jackson has started every game this season at left tackle. Wirfs has started the last four games at right tackle. He is the first true freshman in Ferentz’s 19 seasons to start at offensive tackle.
 
9: Sophomore DE Anthony Nelson is tied for third in the Big Ten with six sacks (27 yards). Nelson had six sacks as a freshman last season, second best on the team. True freshman A.J. Epenesa is tied for second on the team with 2.5 sacks, and leads the team with seven quarterback hurries.
 
10: Second-year tight ends Noah Fant (So.) and T.J. Hockenson (redshirt freshman) have combined for 42 receptions this season. Among those 42 receptions, all but five have resulted in a touchdown (10) or first down (27). Fant’s seven touchdowns are a single-season school record for a tight end.
  
    JACKSON EARNS NATIONAL AND BIG TEN HONORS
    DB Josh Jackson was named Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week following Iowa’s 55-24 win over No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 4. Jackson was also named the national defensive Player of the Week by College Sports Madness.
    Jackson tied a school record with three pass interceptions (Tyler Sash and Grant Steen), and also added three solo tackles.  His first theft led to a touchdown that gave Iowa a 31-17 halftime advantage.  His second interception led to a field goal, and his third stopped an Ohio State scoring threat in the fourth quarter.  His final interception was also recognized by ESPN as Saturday’s Play of the Day in college football.
 
Jackson and the Hawkeye defense allowed just seven points in the second half while holding Ohio State 200 yards total offense and 22 points below its season averages.  Jackson leads the nation in passes defended (15 PBU, 5 interceptions), and is tied for second nationally with 0.6 interceptions per game. Jackson has five of Iowa’s 13 interceptions on the season.  He is fifth on the team with 36 tackles.
 Jackson is the second Hawkeye to earn the Walter Camp weekly defensive honor this season, as senior linebacker Josey Jewell was recognized following Iowa’s victory over Wyoming in the season opener. 
  
     HAWKEYE HISTORY
     Iowa has played 1,229 games since beginning football in 1889. Iowa’s overall record is 639-551-39 (.535). That includes a 400-218-16 (.643) record in home games, a 239-333-23 (.422) record in games away from Iowa City, a 323-372-25 (.464) mark in Big Ten games and a 284-183-15 (.607) record in Kinnick Stadium.
 
     IN THE RANKINGS / STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
     Iowa’s 2017 opponents have a combined record of 68-40 (.630). TeamRankings.com lists the Hawkeyes at No. 8 in strength of schedule, third among Big Ten teams (No. 1 Penn State, No. 3 Ohio State). The Hawkeyes first nine opponents have a combined record of 51-30. Their final three opponents have a combined record of 17-10.
     The 2017 schedule includes five schools currently ranked in the AP top 25. Iowa defeated then-No. 3 Ohio State, 55-24, on Nov. 4, and travels to Madison this week to play No. 6 Wisconsin. The Hawkeyes lost at home to then-No. 4 Penn State, 21-19, on Sept. 23. The Nittany Lions are now No. 16 in the country. Iowa State (W, 44-41 OT on Sept. 9) and Michigan State (L, 17-10 on Sept. 30) were unranked when they played the Hawkeyes, but both schools are now in the AP top 25. Iowa State is No. 24, and Michigan State is No. 13.
     Iowa’s last road win against an AP top 10 opponent was Sept. 26, 2009 at No. 5 Penn State (W, 21-10). The last time Iowa had more than one victory against a top 10 opponent was 2009 (21-10 at No. 5 Penn State; 24-14 vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech). 
 
     FERENTZ AMONG B1G LEADERS, CLOSING ON FRY
     Kirk Ferentz has 141 overall wins and 85 Big Ten wins as Iowa’s head coach. The 85 conference wins rank sixth among the conference’s all-time winningest coaches in Big Ten games.
     Ferentz’s 141 wins in all games coached as a member of the Big Ten Conference rank sixth in league history and second all-time at Iowa. He is two wins from tying Hayden Fry as the Hawkeyes’ all-time winningest football coach.
     Both Ferentz (141, 85) and Fry (143, 96) rank in the top six in overall wins and Big Ten wins. Only Iowa and Michigan have two coaches ranked in the top 10 of both win categories (Bo Schembechler 194, 143; and Lloyd Carr 122, 81).
 
     FERENTZ TOPS IN LONGEVITY
     Kirk Ferentz is in his 19th season as Iowa’s head football coach. He is the longest tenured active head coach in college football. Ferentz was named Iowa head coach on Dec. 2, 1998. Gary Patterson of TCU is No. 2 in coaching tenure. Patterson’s first year with the Horned Frogs was 2001. Among Big Ten coaches, only Pat Fitzgerald (2006) and Mark Dantonio (2007) have been at their current schools for 10 seasons or more.

     FINISH STRONG
     Iowa has outscored its opponents 93-40 in the fourth quarter. QB Nate Stanley has a 161.51 passing efficiency in the fourth quarter and overtime (145.8 overall). The numbers include 33 completions in 56 attempts for 472 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Iowa scored points in the final two minutes to tie the game or take the lead against Iowa State, Penn State and Northwestern.
    
     STANLEY MAKING AND CHASING HISTORY
     QB Nate Stanley has 22 touchdown passes, second in the Big Ten and tied for 11th in the nation. Stanley has thrown 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions against AP top 25 opponents (Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa State). He averaged 236.8 yards per game against those four opponents.
     He has thrown five touchdown passes in a game twice this season (at Iowa State, vs. Ohio State), becoming the first Hawkeye to have two five-touchdown passing games in the same season. Stanley’s five TD passes against Ohio State tied a Kinnick Stadium record (Chuck Long in 1985, Fred Riddle in 1963).
     In program history, only Stanley and Chuck Long have two career games with five or more touchdowns. Long threw six TDs against Texas in 1984 and six against Northwestern in 1985.
     Stanley is the first Hawkeye to throw 20-plus touchdowns in a season since James Vandenberg threw 25 touchdowns in 2001. Long holds the single season TD record. He threw 27 touchdowns in 1985.
     Stanley threw 12 touchdowns in the first four games of the season, becoming the first quarterback in program history to throw 12 touchdown passes in their first four starts. The four-game stretch was Iowa’s best since Chuck Hartlieb threw 12 touchdowns over a four-game stretch in 1987. Chuck Long threw 14 touchdowns in the first four games in 1985.
     Stanley threw three touchdowns in his first career start Week 1. The last quarterback to do that was Ricky Stanzi (3, vs. Florida Atlantic in 2008). Since, 1999, the only other quarterback to throw three or more touchdowns in his first career start under Ferentz was Jon Beutjer (4, at Indiana in 2000).  
     Stanley threw for five touchdowns and 333 yards against Iowa State in Week 2, becoming the first Iowa quarterback with 300-plus passing yards and five-plus touchdown passes since Chuck Hartlieb vs. Northwestern in 1987.
     After a slow start in the home loss to Penn State, Stanley completed 12 of his final 14 pass attempts, while also leading Iowa on a three-play, 80-yard scoring drive to take a 19-15 advantage in the final two minutes.
  
     TACKLE BY JOSEY JEWELL
     LB Josey Jewell leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth in the nation with 11.3 tackles per game. Jewell missed the Northwestern game due to injury. The DNP snapped a streak of 37 consecutive starts. He has 92 tackles this season, tops in the Big Ten and tied for ninth nationally. He is a semifinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bednarik Award, and Butkus Award.
     His 9.5 tackles-for-loss (39 yards) ranks eighth in the Big Ten. He matched his career high with 16 tackles vs. Penn State and at Michigan State.
     Jewell has led the team in tackles in each of the last two seasons (126 in 2015, 124 in 2016). His 2017 totals include 2.5 sacks (24 yards), 9.5 tackles for loss (career high), five pass break-ups, and one interception.
     Jewell has 393 career tackles, seventh all-time in program history. He needs seven stops to reach 400 and tie James Morris for sixth all-time. He has 19 career games with double digit tackles.
     Jewell was named Walter Camp, Lott IMPACT, and Bednarik Award national and Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week following Iowa’s 24-3 win over Wyoming on Sept. 2. Jewell led Iowa with 14 tackles, including seven solo stops.
     Jewell was named Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Week, Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week, Bednarik Award, and College Sports Madness Defensive Player of the Week following his performance vs. No. 4 Penn State.  He matched his career best with 16 tackles, including 11 solo stops.  He added three tackles for loss, two pass break-ups, and a recovered fumble.  His fifth career interception and 33-yard return in the second quarter led to Iowa’s first touchdown of the game.
     Jewell was named midseason first team All-American by five media outlets, including Associated Press, ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, Sporting News, and The All-American. He is a semifinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Bednarik Award, and Butkus Award.
 
                TROPHY GAMES
                The Hawkeyes are playing to regain possession of the Heartland Trophy. It is their third of four trophy games this season. Iowa has successfully defended two rivalry trophies, winning at Iowa State, 44-41 (OT), to retain the Cy-Hawk trophy, and topping Minnesota, 17-10, to retain Floyd of Rosedale. Iowa will defend the Heroes Trophy on Nov. 24 at Nebraska.
 
THE SERIES
Saturday will be the 91st meeting between Iowa and Wisconsin. The visiting team has won the last six meetings.  The teams had met 16 consecutive years from 1995-2010 before the series was disrupted by conference realignment in 2011. Through 90 games, Wisconsin leads 45-43-2.  Iowa is 19-26-1 all-time in games played in Madison. The Hawkeyes won the last meeting at Wisconsin, 10-6, in 2015.
 
     POCKET PRESSURE
     Sophomore DE Anthony Nelson is tied for third in the Big Ten with six sacks (27 yards). Nelson had six sacks as a freshman last season, second best on the team. True freshman A.J. Epenesa is tied for second on the team with 2.5 sacks, and leads the team with seven quarterback hurries.
     In the 55-24 win over Ohio State, four Hawkeye defensive linemen had a pass break-up, including Brady Reiff, Matt Nelson, Garret Jansen and A.J. Epenesa.
 
     WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED
     Junior DB Josh Jackson leads the country in passes defended (20) and is tied for second in interceptions (5) and passes broken up (15). He leads the Big Ten in interceptions (5) and passes defended (20). Jackson tied a school record with three interceptions against No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 4. He is a Bednarik Award semifinalist and was named the Walter Camp national defensive Player of the Week for his play against the Buckeyes.
     Jackson has started all nine games this season after entering the year with one career start at defensive back. He was a wide receiver in Iowa’s 2015 spring camp.
     Sophomore FS Amani Hooker Hooker returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game against No. 3 Ohio State. It was Hooker’s second career interception and first touchdown. He made his first career start Week 4 against No. 4 Penn State and recorded a career-high 13 tackles. Hooker has started the last three games at strong safety. He has 44 tackles this season, fourth on the team.
     Jackson and Hooker have stepped up to lead a secondary that lost two members to the NFL (Desmond King, Chargers; Greg Mabin, Bills/49ers).
 
     TIGHT ENDS MOVE THE CHAINS
     Second-year tight ends Noah Fans (So.) and T.J. Hockenson (redshirt freshman) have combined for 42 receptions this season. Among those 42 receptions, all but five have resulted in a touchdown (10) or first down (27).
     Fant has 23 receptions, including a team-high seven touchdowns. The seven touchdowns are a single-season record for an Iowa tight end. He has 13 more catches that resulted in a first down. Fant’s seven touchdowns are the most by a Hawkeye since Marvin McNutt caught 12 touchdown passes in 2012.
     Hockenson has 19 receptions, including three touchdowns and 14 catches that resulted in a first down.
 
     WADLEY PURSUES RARE FEAT
     Senior RB Akrum Wadley has 761 yards rushing in 2017. He rushed for 1,081 yards in 2016, and with another 1,000-yard campaign he could become the fourth Hawkeye in program history to produce back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and the first since Fred Russell went back-to-back in 2002 (1,355) and 2003 (1,264). The other Hawkeyes with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons include Sedrick Shaw (1,002 in 1994, 1,477 in 1995, 1,116 in 1996) and Ladell Betts (1,090 in 2000 and 1,060 in 2001). 
 
     WADLEY MOVING UP THE CHARTS
     RB Akrum Wadley is one of 15 players in program history to rush for 2,000 career yards. He has 465 career carries for 2,524 rushing yards, ninth all-time. He needs 32 yards to tie Owen Gill for eighth all-time.
     Wadley has 23 career rushing touchdowns, tying for sixth all-time, 30 career touchdowns, sixth all-time, and 180 career points, 12th all-time.
     Wadley has 3,340 career all-purpose yards, 11th most in program history (2,524 rush, 716 receiving, 100 KO returns). He is averaging 129.9 all-purpose yards per game, fourth best in the Big Ten.
 
     RUSH THE BUCKEYES
     RB Akrum Wadley and RB James Butler combined for 192 rushing yards on 30 attempts in Iowa’s 55-24 win against No. 3 Ohio State. The duo averaged 6.4 yard per attempt. RB Toren Young added 47 yards rushing on five attempts, including a six-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter.
     Wadley added 40 yards on three receptions to total 158 all-purpose yards on the day.
 
     VANDEBERG STREAKING UP THE RANKINGS
     Senior WR Matt VandeBerg has a reception in 28 consecutive games played. He has 127 career receptions, 10th most in program history. He has 1,614 career receiving yards, 17th in program history. He is 28 yards from passing Al Bream in career receiving yards, and eight receptions from tying Ed Hinkel in receptions.  
     VandeBerg missed Iowa’s final nine games of 2016 due to a foot injury sustained in practice on Sept. 26. He played in the first four games of the season, leading the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns (19-284-3 TDs) before the injury. On Dec. 21, 2016, the Big Ten Conference granted the University of Iowa’s medical hardship waiver request on behalf of VandeBerg and granted the wide receiver a fifth year of eligibility.
 
     A NEW LOOK TO NATION’S TOP OFFENSIVE LINE UNIT
     The Hawkeyes entered the season with seven players returning on what was the top offensive line in the country in 2016, but season-ending injuries to senior tackles Ike Boettger and Boone Myers have cleared the depth chart for redshirt freshman Alaric Jackson and true freshman Tristan Wirfs.
     Jackson has started every game this season at left tackle, a position Myers has occupied 17 times, including the last five games of 2016.
     Wirfs has started the last four games at right tackle. He is the first true freshman in Ferentz’s 19 seasons to start at offensive tackle, and only the fourth true freshman under Ferentz to ever start on the offensive line. Center James Daniels, a junior in 2017, made two starts at left guard in 2015. The other two true freshman include Byran Bulaga in 2007 (5 games at LG) and Mike Jones in 2003 (seven games at left guard).
      Boettger  (LT, LG, RT), Myers (LT, LG), and Sean Welsh (RG, RT); Daniels (C), Lucas LeGrand (C), and Keegan Render (LG, RG); and Levi Paulsen (RG) all started at least one game for an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award in 2016.
     The Joe Moore Award honors offensive line units that display a high level of toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique, and “finishing”.  It is the only major college football award to honor a unit.
     The Hawkeyes were selected over national runner-up Alabama and third-ranked Ohio State. Iowa was selected by a voting committee comprised solely of people who played or coached the offensive line position, including all of the current offensive line coaches at the Division I/FBS level as well as former players, coaches and colleagues of Coach Moore, and select media. Iowa’s offense averaged 171.8 rushing yards per game — averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and more than two yards before contact — and 325 yards total offense per game.

     KIRK FERENTZ RADIO SHOW
     Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz is featured on “Hawk Talk with Kirk Ferentz” each week during the regular season. The radio call-in show is hosted by Gary Dolphin, the play-by-play voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes.  The show airs live each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. from Carlos O’Kelly’s in Iowa City.