MADISON, Wisc. -- Leave it to Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz to sum up tonight's road loss to the Badgers. Said Ferentz, "We're not an offensive juggernaut. When we get field position, we need to get points." Such was the problem for Ferentz's Hawkeyes all evening, as they let opportunities slip through their fingers. When the fourth quarter arrived, and with their defense exhausted from the long night's work, the opportunities had dried up. Wisconsin took the Big Ten opener for both teams, 17-13.

Continue reading "In another close one, Badgers win fourth" »

Posted by Mike Beacom at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

MADISON, Wisc. -- Putting his teammates on his back for a long drive, running back P.J. Hill piled into the end zone from two yards out to give Wisconsin a 14-10 lead. Hill carried 10 times for 43 yards on Wisconsin's 11-play, 68-yard drive.

Hill is approaching 100 yards against a stout Iowa run defense.

Posted by Mike Beacom at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- Do either of these teams want this game? The Badgers and Hawkeyes are both blowing chances to put the other away. Case in point: backed up at its one-yard line, Iowa mounted a long drive, then crumbled inside of Badger territory. The Badgers have done nothing since scoring a touchdown late in the second quarter.

Not much new to report .. stay tuned.

Posted by Mike Beacom at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- After a Ken DeBauche punt pinned the Hakeyes on their one-yard line, QB Jake Christensen scrambled for 17 yards on the first play, then completed a pss on the next for 11 more yards. A Damian Sims 22-yard run on the third play of the drive put the Hawkeyes into Badger territory.

Posted by Mike Beacom at 10:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- Iowa DB Jayme Murphy popped the opening kick out of David Gilreath's hands. The Hawkeyes took control, but after three plays were forced to kick the field goal. The Badgers' Nick Hayden blocked the kick, however, and the Hawkeyes were left with nothing to show for the fumble.

Posted by Mike Beacom at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- The scoring came all at once -- minutes before the half wrapped --but the fireworks were enough to satisfy a packed house (82,630) at Camp Randall. Now the red-wearing Badger fans hope their team can re-claim the lead.

Continue reading "First Half Recap: Badgers & Hawkeyes" »

Posted by Mike Beacom at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- Just after giving back the lead to Wisconsin the Iowa offense stormed back. Quarterback Jake Christensen worked his magic, guiding the Hawkeyes on a five-play, 62-yard drive that lasted just :32. Yeah, that's right, 32 SECONDS. Where was this offense earlier in the half (or the team's first three games, for that matter)? With four ticks left in the half, Christensen hit Derrell Johnson-Koulianos for a strike. Heading into the locker room Iowa has a 10-7 advantage, and the momentum.

Posted by Mike Beacom at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- An error on the part of Tyler Donovan helped Iowa earn the game's first points. Looking for Luke Swan, Donovan was intercepted late in the half, giving Iowa excellent field position. From there, the Hawkeyes worked a seven-play, 22-yard drive before settling for a 41-yard Daniel Murray field goal to make the score 3-0.

But with less than two minutes to go in the half, the Badgers mounted their own drive. P.J. Hill had a pretty run to the goal line. Before he reached it, he coughed up the ball. Center Marcus Coleman landed on it for a Badger touchdown with :55 remaining. But instant replay took away the score due to an early whistle. No biggie, Donovan found Travis Beckum two plays later for a touchdown. Score: 7-3 Wisconsin.

The play was the first touchdown Iowa has allowed all season ... a seven-play, 72-yards drive in 1:39.
Amazing --after absolutely no offense, whatsoever, now it's become a scoring spree.

Posted by Mike Beacom at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- Here are the numbers for the first quarter: Iowa, 17 plays, 10 yards. Wisconsin 16 plays, 33 yards. Ugh. Here are a few notes from the first quarter ..

Continue reading "First Qtr Recap: Badgers & Hawkeyes" »

Posted by Mike Beacom at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- So far, the game between the Badgers and Hawkeyes has been a defensive stalemate. Both offenses have had an opportunity to cap a scoring drive, but mental errors and misfires have prevented any scoring thus far. Still, this might be the most exciting 0-0 game in the country.

Posted by Mike Beacom at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- With the Badgers charging, and in scoring range, the Hawkeye defense swarmed Badger quarterback Tyler Donovan, then Mike Klinkenborg forced a fumble to reverse the momentum the Badgers had built.

To start, the Hawkeye offense was held to a three-and-out on their first series after an incompletion, failed run and a QB sack. The Badger defense came out of the tunnel on fire, and their quick work gave the offense great field position to work with. From there, Badger quarterback completed his first two passes -- one to freshman Kyle Jefferson, the other to Luke Swan. But the Donovan turnover has put the Hawkeyes in position to score the game's first points.

Posted by Mike Beacom at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MADISON, Wisc. -- A primetime game -- and pivotal Big Ten matchup at that -- is more than enough to set State Street in Mad-Town on fire. Brats, burgers and plenty of Wisconsin's finest beer are scenting the scene for tonight's Badger-Hawkeye game, the first-ever evening meeting in the history of this series.

This game will be won in the trenches, where the Badgers own arguably the best offensive line in the conference. That unit must contain an Iowa front four that has lived in its opponents' backfield in the first three weeks of the season.

The winner of this one will march on to compete in a Big Ten race that becomes more focused with each passing week.

Continue reading "Hawkeyes and Badgers ready for battle" »

Posted by Mike Beacom at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)