Wisconsin football: Three questions for Week 11 at Iowa

The Wisconsin Badgers (5-4 overall, 3-3 B1G) are entering the final stretch of the 2022 season. With three pivotal trophy games remaining, the Badgers are hoping to finish strong to ensure that Jim Leonhard earns the head coaching job on a permanent basis.

With a tough road game upcoming against Iowa, Wisconsin will need to play well to come away with a win at Kinnick Stadium.

With that in mind, here is a look at three key questions for the Badgers, heading into Saturday's contest.

Can Wisconsin keep the momentum going?

After a slow start to the season, the Badgers have found some success recently under the direction of interim head coach Jim Leonhard. Wisconsin is 3-1 since the firing of Paul Chryst, and their bowl chances have dramatically improved despite a 2-3 start to begin the year.

With only three games remaining, the Badgers are hoping to keep the improved play going against a trio of Big Ten West foes. This week, Wisconsin will have a tough test at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.

The Badgers have found success in the month of November recently with a 39-8 record since 2010, fourth best in the entire country during that time. Additionally, Wisconsin has won five of its last six games at Kinnick Stadium.

So that begs the question. Can the Badgers maintain all that positive momentum?

Iowa's defense is the strength of the team, and Kinnick is a difficult place to play. Wisconsin will need to play well on Saturday if they want to escape Iowa City with a win to secure bowl eligibility.

Can the Badgers win the turnover battle?

The Wisconsin Badgers have been a drastically different team in their five wins this season than in their four losses. One area that illustrates this the most is turnovers.

In the team's five wins this year, the Badgers have a combined two turnovers, averaging .4 per game.

In the four losses, Wisconsin has turned the ball over nine times, for an average of 2.25 per game.

With a positive turnover margin of .67, which ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 26 nationally, it will be incredibly important for the Badgers to play a clean game on Saturday. In a game where points could be at a premium, and both offenses will need to be opportunistic to get into scoring position, taking care of the football will be vital.

Wisconsin's defense has done a tremendous job of generating turnovers this season, with at least one takeaway in eight of the team's nine games and multiple forced turnovers in six contests. However, this weekend will likely be all about field position and the offense avoiding mistakes. Iowa's defense is one of the top units in the entire country, but their offense has not been great at sustaining long drives. If Wisconsin wants to win, the offense will need to hold onto the football and do their part to help the Badgers win the turnover battle. On defense, Jim Leonhard's defensive unit could really swing the game in Wisconsin's favor with another multi-turnover performance.

Will Wisconsin's offensive line play well for a second-consecutive week?

Coming out of the bye week finally healthy, the Wisconsin Badgers went with their latest lineup along the offensive line last Saturday. With all five players having at least one year of eligibility remaining after this season, the young group put together one of the best performances of the season against Maryland.

With a much more difficult test upcoming against Iowa and their start linebackers, it will be fascinating to see if the latest iteration of Wisconsin's offensive line can get it done against the Hawkeyes.

Maryland ranked inside the top 20 of the FBS in stopping the run, and Wisconsin ran for a season-high 278 yards and nearly 300 yards if you take away three sacks.

With Iowa standing as the No. 8 defense against the run, the Badgers will likely have a tougher time running the ball on Saturday. But a crisp game up front by the Wisconsin offensive line in pass pro and opening-up lanes for Braelon Allen would go a long way in helping UW secure a victory this weekend. With four of the five starters heralded recruits out of high school, the talent is there. This is the game where fans will truly see if the offensive line has turned a corner after some inconsistent play throughout the year under Bob Bostad.

"At this point in the season, we don't control our destiny other than winning."

Full presser: https://t.co/sKmCEw2t2P pic.twitter.com/BJtfy4mKAs
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 7, 2022

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