The Wisconsin defense played its best game of the season and the Badgers clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship game by rolling over the Iowa Hawkeyes 38-14 in front of a crowd of 80,462 on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
The Badgers secured a share of the Big Ten West Division championship for the second straight season and the third time in the last four years. Bucky earned its 5th berth in the Big Ten Championship game in the event’s 7-year history.
UW (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) became the first team in program history to win its first 10 games. It also marked the first time since 2008 that the home team has won in this rivalry.
Iowa (6-4, 3-4) saw its two game win streak come to an end.
Wisconsin’s defense was on top of their game from start to finish, holding the Hawkeyes to 20 yards on 23 plays in the opening half. The Badgers led 17-7 at halftime.
When the Badgers scored for the last time with just over seven minutes to play, the Hawkeyes had just 46 yards on 43 plays. Iowa finished with 66 yards on 50 plays and went 0-for-13 on third downs.
Menomonie’s Nate Stanley entered the game with 22 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He finished 8 of 24 for 41 yards and one pick. [Read more…]