Wisconsin Football: Key matchups to watch vs. Iowa

Olive Sagapolu vs. Iowa’s Interior OL

The defensive line was controlled at times against BYU, allowing the Cougars’ linemen to get to the second level and block Wisconsin linebackers.  The one bright spot on the defensive line from Saturday was nose tackle Olive Sagapolu.  Despite taking on multiple blockers each play, Sagapolu was able to register a sack and four tackles against BYU.  Sagapolu’s playmaking ability on the defensive line shows how special and important of a player he is.

Even though he can be lost in the muddled trenches, I believe Sagapolu has been having a great year so far.  He has consistently been in on stopping the run and has shown the ability to not only pressure the quarterback but sack them as well.

Many of the runs that Wisconsin struggled with last week were either jet sweeps or runs to the outside.  When BYU ran straight up the middle, more times than not Sagapolu was ready to disrupt the play.  He always seems to be in the right position and doing the dirty work that many others are not willing to do themselves.

Iowa has not proven to be a dominant running team, but they have exceeded the expectations given to them before the season.  They lost a couple of starters along the offensive line as well as running back Akrum Wadley to the draft.  Iowa has a reputation of producing quality offensive linemen for as long as Kirk Ferentz has been the head coach.  It seems likely that they will have replaced their starters with players who can impact.  So far this season they have enjoyed a decent amount of success running the ball and protecting Nate Stanley, albeit against lesser competition.

I am certain that Iowa’s interior offensive line has not seen a player this year who possess Sagapolu’s size and ability.  Sagapolu is an absolute load to move and his quickness is an underrated aspect of his game.  Given how Iowa likes to establish the run before passing the ball, this matchup is critical to both sides.  Iowa will look to pound the ball inside early in order to open up more of their playbook.

If Sagapolu can set the tone early by clogging up the middle and getting into the backfield, he could force Iowa to have to throw in the beginning of the game.  Nate Stanley is talented but has shown the tendency to be careless with the football.  Sagapolu has to have a strong performance against Iowa’s interior offensive line if Wisconsin’s defense wants to see any success.