Wisconsin Football: Things We Learned Saturday at Iowa

What Did We Learn About the Badgers on Saturday?

Wisconsin Football came away with the Heartland trophy on Saturday with a big victory against the Iowa Hawkeyes. It was a traditional Iowa-Wisconsin slugfest, as the two battled it out through the running game and tough defense throughout. At the end, the Badgers came out on top and got back to winning ways after two difficult losses. With a big road win now securely under their belt once again, what did we learn about the Badgers from Saturday’s victory?

We Learned Jack Cichy is The Best in the Big Ten

While much the talk about defensive players in the Big Ten goes to Jabril Peppers, Jack Cichy has quietly proven to be the best pure linebackers in the Big Ten. In each of the last three games Cichy has recorded 10 or more tackles, racking up ten against the Iowa Hawkeyes. While TJ Watt is the Badgers best pure pass rusher, Cichy has become the pure run stopper for Wisconsin. Pure athletism has been Cichy’s biggest weapon, as he is able to make plays in the backfield, but also in the flats when coming out after receivers. With Cichy now coming on even further, the Badgers continue to prove they have the best linebacking core in College Football.

We Learned A Two Quarterback System Might Just Work

When you think of a two quarterback system, many get a headache just considering the idea. It never seems to work, and always seems to backfire for Head Coaches. But for Wisconsin Football, the two quarterback system seemed to excel on Saturday. While Hornibrook still clearly looks like the starter for this team, Bart Houston has proven himself as a viable option in certain situations. Houston has shown tremendous leadership, and brings that to the Wisconsin offense. The two quarterback system may not be a permanent thing, but its a nice weapon to have to force teams to prepare for another wrinkle in an already complex Paul Chryst offense.

We Learned How Much We Miss Rafael Gagliagone

A big struggle for Wisconsin Football on Saturday was special teams, as kicker Andrew Endicott struggled to put the ball through the uprights. Endicott was 1/3, and the one make was as close as you can get to missing. With red zone offense being an issue for the Badgers, kicker Rafael Gagliagone was always a security blanket as he was as sure fire as you could get in a kicker. Without Gagliagone, the uneasiness of a guaranteed three points has gone by the way side. Endicott has kicked alright stepping into the role, but the void loss of Gagliagone is clearly there. The way to fix this issue is by converting for touchdowns, which is something Paul Chryst will have to correct if they want to play in big games in the post season.

We Learned The Big Ten West Comes Down To October 29th

Iowa-Wisconsin was the first battle of contenders for the Big Ten West, and the second will be October 29th against Nebraska. The winner of the contest is likely the representative in the Big Ten Championship, as the head to head result will go a long way in deciding the result down the road. While after Nebraska, Wisconsin’s record gets heads and tails easier after the gauntlet they’ve ran so far this season, it gets difficult for Nebraska as they still have to travel to Ohio State and Iowa. With that situation, the Big Ten West will likely be decided next week in Camp Randall. WIth a win, Wisconsin still sits behind, but Nebraska traveling to Ohio State gives them a legitimate shot at winning the West. With a loss, it puts Wisconsin three games behind Nebraska and likely out of the title shot. Wisconsin has dominated Nebraska at Camp Randall every time they have traveled there, so you have to like the Badgers chances come October 29th.