Grading Each Phase of Wisconsin's Embarrassing 30-0 Loss to Iowa

There’s not much to say about Wisconsin’s performance in Iowa City yesterday other than it was pitiful. So without dwelling on an embarrassing outing, here’s how I assessed all three phases of the game.

Offense: F

I haven’t gone this far with a grade yet this season, but there’s essentially nothing positive to take from this game. Abu Sama and Darrion Dupree each had a nice carry, and Jaylon Domingeaux was pretty good, but the Badgers mustered no points.

To add insult to injury, Ryan Hopkins, who entered the game at the end of the third quarter, finished with more passing yards than Colton Joseph.

Up front, Wisconsin was manhandled by Iowa’s physicality in the trenches, preventing anything from getting going on the ground. Through the air, there were definitely opportunities for big plays and receivers created some separation, but it didn’t matter because Joseph couldn’t find the mark.

Outside of the last three seasons, the Badgers have been able to compete with, or beat the Hawkeyes with just a few scoring drives. I thought that was going to be the case yesterday, but the offense couldn’t even manage a single score. It did, however, manage to commit a number of penalties.

I doubt that Fickell moves forward with Hopkins at the starter, but that’s the major question after an abysmal offensive outing.

Defense: D+

I’ll start with the lone positive here. Iowa is a team that wants to dominate on the ground and it didn’t do so. It took 42 carries for the Hawkeyes to tally 140 yards on the ground, averaging 3.3 yards-per-carry. Wisconsin has been elite against the run, and it was once again solid from that standpoint.

Unfortunately, the defense couldn’t play a complementary game, as Hank Brown decimated the Badgers through the air, especially in the first half. When facing a team that has experimented with multiple quarterbacks, the Wisconsin defense needed to be good against the pass. It was not.

Sebastian Cheeks pressures Iowa's Hank Brown. — Oct 31, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes quarterback Hank Brown (9) throws a pass while being pressured by Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Sebastian Cheeks (15) and defensive lineman Hammond Russell IV (91) during the second quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brown threw for 222 yards in the game, 190 of which came in the first half as Iowa jumped out to a 20-0 lead. Iowa receivers were finding soft spots in the Badgers’ zone with ease. In a game where you know offense will be hard to come by, you simply can’t come out and get picked apart by a quarterback who has been struggling.

While I acknowledge that it’s harder to play defense when your offense can only stay on the field for a minute of game time, Mike Tressel’s group also struggled mightily in yet another beating at the hands of Iowa.

Special Teams: C

Sean West was the only player on the team who got his money’s worth in Iowa City. Due to the lack of offense, he got off six punts, averaging 46.5 yards-per-kick. His longest kick of the day traveled 55 yards, and he pinned the Hawkeyes inside the 20 once.

Against the Iowa return game, the Badgers didn’t allow any long returns, nor did it have any big plays of its own in the return game.

Overall, essentially just grading on punts, the special teams were fine. They didn’t do anything to create a major advantage in the game, but they didn’t make any catastrophic mistakes.

Overall: F

Wisconsin's Luke Fickell. — Oct 31, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell reacts with a referee during the third quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I’m not being friendly with this grade at all today. The bottom line is, Wisconsin has been smoked by one of its biggest rivals the last two years, and lost the two meetings prior as well. Still, it came out looking rather lifeless as if the previous drubbings meant nothing, getting pounded once again.

In a make-or-break year for Luke Fickell, there’s been some reason to believe the program has turned a corner, but this loss sets it back considerably. It’s unknown whether this staff will get another shot at the Hawkeyes, but until it can prove its ability to adequately prepare for this game, the fan base will continue to question the job security of every member of the staff.

The remainder of the schedule is manageable. Not to look past any of the next three games, but after yesterday’s performance, the matchup with Minnesota may determine the future of this program as it relates to leadership because the inability to be competitive in, or win rivalry games is a major problem.

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