What's the opposite of a barn burner in football? Wisconsin vs. Iowa might show us exactly what that looks like. It is setting up to be a day full of punts, not points, and it might be really boring football. This isn't to say a defensive battle is boring football; in fact, the average Wisconsin or Iowa fan would argue that it's great football.
This game won't display great defenses; it was instead a showcase of bad offenses. Whatever punt contest this turns into won't be because the defenses are amazing; it will simply be because the offenses can't get anything going, especially if both teams feature the backup quarterback.
Wisconsin vs. Iowa may feature third-string quarterbacks for both teams
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That's the real question going into this game: Will it be a game where Billy Edwards Jr. gets to take on Mark Gronowski, or will it be QB2 vs. QB2? Actually, to make matters worse for points being scored, there's a strong possibility the game could feature third-string quarterbacks on both sides.
Wisconsin's head coach, Luke Fickell, has already turned to Hunter Simmons, who started the year as the third-string quarterback for the Badgers, over Danny O'Neil, who was the original backup. If Edwards can't go, it will be Simmons. The same could be true for Iowa, which released its depth chart today, and it has Gronowski at the top, but then the next two quarterbacks have an OR next to their name.
The performance by backup quarterback Hank Brown wasn't fantastic last week, featuring a 5-13 48-yard, one-interception showing. If Gronowski can't go, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz may turn to Jeremy Hecklinski.
In a game that already features two underperforming offenses, it could be much worse with third-string quarterbacks calling all the shots.
Vegas seems to think it's gonna be a punt-fest too, with the over/under sitting at 37.5 points. That's the lowest over/under on FanDuel's betting page for Saturday for any matchup. This game is gonna be something, something dull.