BadgerBlitz.com Buy or Sell: Week 7 Storylines vs. Iowa

Madison — Wisconsin will seek revenge for last season's loss to Iowa when the Hawkeyes roll into town Saturday afternoon.

As kickoff draws nearer, BadgerBlitz.com football beat writers Seamus Rohrer and Donnie Slusher will decide if they're "buying" or "selling" on various storylines surrounding the Wisconsin football program.

SEAMUS: Sell

There's a couple of reasons I can't see this happening.

For one, Deacon Hill hasn't shown anything to convince me he can look sharp against Wisconsin's defense, let alone complete 50 percent of his passes. His subpar numbers in his first career start are well documented.

What's more, Iowa's offense is simply not friendly to quarterbacks. They live and die with the ground game. It's essentially their entire identity. If the Badgers' defense can make this game about Hill's arm, they've likely already won. Furthermore, Hill's skillset is somewhat of a mismatch for the offense Iowa runs. He has a cannon of an arm, and Iowa's longest passing play this season went for 36 yards. The Hawkeyes like to meticulously move the ball downfield, and Hill struggles with rhythm and accuracy at times.

The return to his former school is a fun storyline for Hill, but I expect Wisconsin to pester him all afternoon.

DONNIE: Sell

The only way I can envision a good performance from Hill is if his running backs lead the way. There is no world in which he puts the Hawkeyes on his back and leads them to a victory. Not even against a Badgers defense that’s giving up 247.4 passing yards per game, the most in the Big Ten.

Hill simply isn’t experienced or talented enough to overcome an even average Big Ten defense. Since Cade McNamara went down two weeks ago and Hill was thrust into his role on the second drive of the game, he’s completed just 17 of 48 passes for 225 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

He’s in his third year of school and has never had a game that can be categorized as “good”.

Hill isn’t yet capable enough to beat Wisconsin by himself. He may have a great game, but he’ll need the help of his running backs and tight ends.

SEAMUS: Buy

Every single number and analytic in relation to this game tells me otherwise. Still, I'll go with the fun answer here: Rico Hallman picks off yet another pass, which will thrust him into the national lead in interceptions with five.

When you're hot, you're hot. Turnovers come in bunches. Whatever saying you feel is appropriate. But Hallman is on a heater right now as a ballhawk, and who am I to doubt that he'll stop now?

Yes, the Hawkeyes barely throw the ball, and when they do, it's usually not to a player Hallman would be covering. But the corner has shown an innate ability to bait quarterbacks, no example more appropriate than when he baited Rutgers' quarterback Gavin Wimsatt into a 95-yard house call just before halftime. I expect Hallman to patiently wait all game for a play on the ball, and when Hill finally does look his way, he'll do everything in his power to make his receiver look open for the trigger-happy quarterback.

DONNIE: Buy

This is less about Hallman, and more about Hill. Every defensive player I’ve talked to, when asked about Hill, all say that he loves to take shots down the field.

His natural deep-ball tendencies, combined with a potential desire to exact revenge against the school that never gave him any playing time, may result in multiple big-play attempts against a defense that’s caught eight interceptions in its last three games. Leading the way in the recent turnover explosion is Hallman, who’s caught half of Wisconsin’s picks in that span.

Hill’s even on an interception streak of his own, throwing one in each of his two games. Even if it isn’t Hallman, I can’t imagine Hill holds on to the ball all game long.

SEAMUS: Sell

It's a nice thought. Last week, the Badgers knew how Rutgers wanted to play — running the ball down their throat. They stepped up to the challenge, allowing just 64 yards on the ground.

If the Hawkeyes want to stay in this game, they simply need to be able to run the football. Their entire offense hinges on the success of the ground game, and Hill can't be expected to put the team on his back. Even though Wisconsin knows this, I think Iowa will hang around late into the second half with an unrelenting rushing attack.

Iowa boasts two very talented runners in Kaleb Johnson and Leshon Williams. They have the ability to keep each other fresh even if the passing game falls flat once again. Iowa will be able to run the ball, if for no other reason than they have to if they want a chance in this game.

DONNIE: Buy

The Badger defense entered the bye two weeks ago with their sights set on fixing one thing — stopping the run.

The improvement showed against Rutgers, as they held Kyle Monangai to just 16 yards on eight carries. A big part of that was knowing the Scarlet Knights’ identity. They knew Rutgers would come out and run the ball, and defended accordingly.

Iowa isn’t quite as run-centric, but it will try to alleviate some of the pressure off of its shaky passing game, and that will require an attempt to establish the run.

I think last week’s dominant performance from the defense gave them some confidence. Even if Iowa gets some sort of traction on the ground, I can’t envision it ultimately killing the Badgers.

SEAMUS: Buy

Wisconsin played poorly in every offensive facet in last season's iteration of this game. The lack of a rushing attack, however, was especially detrimental, as it put the game on the shoulders of Graham Mertz. Braelon Allen finished with just 45 yards on 2.5 yards-per-carry.

Last year, Iowa knew Wisconsin needed to run the football. Thus, they stacked the box and made it extremely difficult for the Badgers to find any rushing lanes. This time around, the Hawkeyes won't have that luxury.

The Badgers' passing game hasn't been especially high-flying this season, but at least they're still a threat to move the ball throughout the air. Last year, that wasn't the case most of the time. Iowa's defense will have much more to think about, which should allow Allen to string together his third-straight 100-yard game.

DONNIE: Buy

The primary reason Allen performed so poorly against the Hawkeyes last year was that the entire offensive load was on his shoulders. Not only did they expect the run on nearly every play, there was nobody else behind Allen to help carry the weight. The other rushers that day, Mertz and Isaac Guerendo, finished with 13 carries for a measly six yards.

He now has a more competent backup in Jackson Acker, who shined last week with 65 rushing yards on 13 carries.

Oh yeah, and the Badgers can also pass now.

Even if he doesn’t start too hot, I can see him eventually gain some steam while Tanner Mordecai takes the lead, similar to the game against Georgia Southern.

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