Students and supporters of No. 9 Wisconsin have lofty expectations for their football team this season, and the Badgers will get a chance to start living up to those expectations when they begin their Conference slate with a home game at Camp Randall Stadium against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night.The Hawkeyes are coming off of a tough 15-13 loss at rival Iowa State, falling on a last-second field goal. Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen scored the only touchdown of the game on an 11-yard run, and he also went 12-for-23 for 118 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. However, the offense gained only 233 yards as a unit, and their inability to score points should be noted. The defense had a good game in a hostile environment, giving up 300 yards and forcing the game's only turnover on a fumble recovery. After two solid wins over Northern Illinois and Syracuse to start the season, the Hawkeyes should be feeling confident.
The Badgers are a perfect 3-0 after a 45-31 win over The Citadel, in which Heisman hopeful P.J. Hill ran for 168 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries, while also catching a pass for another major. Hill is one of the nation's top running backs, but he does not get as much attention as West Virginia's Steve Slaton, Arkansas' Darren McFadden, or fellow Big Ten back, Michigan's Mike Hart. But Hill is a player who can take over games at will, something that will come in handy as the season wears on. Tyler Donovan was good at keeping the defense honest, going 14-for-20 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. If there is a downside to this victory for the Badgers, it is that they gave up 377 yards of offense to a team that had no business staying with them for three quarters.
The Badgers are 7.5-point favorites at home in this matchup. The Hawkeyes will need to contain Hill as best they can to have a shot at upsetting the Badgers.
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