Wisconsin Badgers post-spring review: A look at Iowa

As players, coaches, fans and, yes, even the media await the start of fall camp to arrive for the Wisconsin Badgers in less than two months, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at UW's 2019 opponents.

After a second bye week allows the Badgers to rest the weekend of Nov. 2, Wisconsin welcomes Big Ten West foe Iowa to Camp Randall for what could be a critical divisional test.

We caught up with Tom Kakert of HawkeyeReport.com to answer some questions we had about Iowa before it heads into fall camp.

Iowa finished 2018 with a 9-4 record, 5-4 in the Big Ten. After the Hawkeyes' spring practices, what should the expectations be for Kirk Ferentz and his program for 2019?

Tom Kakert: I think the expectations are relatively high for the Hawkeyes heading into the 2019 season. That’s based on returning Wisconsin native Nate Stanley for his third year as the starting quarterback. Stanley has thrown for 26 touchdowns in each season as a starter and continues to improve. Iowa also returns the bulk of its starting offensive line, including All-Big Ten level tackles in Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson. The big question will be replacing tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant, who were both first round NFL Draft picks this year.

On defense, the secondary should be pretty strong and the defensive line will be led by potential All-American A.J. Epenesa and rising star Chauncey Golston. The faces might change a bit on defense, but defensive coordinator Phil Parker always seems to put together a strong unit.

Noah Fant and T.J. Hockensen made an impact against Wisconsin in last year's contest in Iowa City. Now they head to the NFL as first round draft picks. Who will replace their production for the offense, and which other positions will be worth watching heading into fall camp?

Tom Kakert: Replacing Fant and Hockenson … along with wide receiver and Outback Bowl MVP Nick Easley will be critical for the Iowa offense. They accounted for 140 receptions, 1,773 yards receiving, and 18 of Iowa’s touchdown receptions. They were obviously the three leading receivers and their most productive players in the passing game. Iowa will need a few new faces to step up and fill the void at tight end. Leading that charge will be Shaun Beyer, a fourth-year junior who missed the second half of the 2018 season due to a knee injury. Nate Wieting will also be counted on at tight end. He’s a steady player and their best blocker among the tight end group. The wide receivers, led by Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, will have to step up into larger roles in the passing game.

Who are one to two key playmakers returning for the Hawkeyes, and how will they likely make their respective presences felt this upcoming season?

Tom Kakert: I’ll pick two players on each side of the ball. First, on defense you have to start with A.J. Epenensa. He still hasn’t started a game as a Hawkeye, but last year he had 10.5 sacks, eight quarterback hurries, and forced four fumbles. He was first team All-Big Ten last year, and now he’s going to get a full workload this fall. He’s going to get plenty of attention off the edge from opposing teams, so I am interested to see how he performs.

On offense, the most dynamic playmaker is Ihnir Smith-Marsette. He’s a terrific kick returner, averaging nearly 30 yards per return, and I suspect he takes over the punt return duties as well. He’s also a pretty good pass receiver with 23 receptions for 361 yards. I would expect that he doubles his reception total this season.

Were there any spring standouts, that may or may not have been surprises, that put themselves in position for fall camp reps and a potential role on this team?

Tom Kakert: There are a few names to watch that emerged this spring. Iowa was searching for a slot receiver to take over the role that Nick Easley had last year and they may have found him in Nico Ragaini. He has decent size and surprising quickness and right now he’s Iowa’s third receiver occupying the slot position. On defense the player to become aware of might be cornerback D.J. Johnson. Right after the Wisconsin game last year, Iowa changed to what was essentially a 4-2-5 defense. You can credit the Badgers for basically forcing that change thanks to the late touchdown pass. Amani Hooker moved from safety to the “Cash” position. He played it so well that he left early for the NFL. Johnson looks like he will be the guy to take over those duties. The question is will he be able to handle it?

I feel like the Big Ten West will have several contenders this season. What is your way-too-early record prediction for Iowa this season, and what's the biggest question the Hawkeyes need to answer for them to get back to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship game?

Tom Kakert: You could make a pretty good case for six of the seven teams in the Big Ten West as a potential favorite heading into this season. That’s my way of saying that I expect a wide race this fall in the west.I think Iowa will be in the thick of the race. Having a senior quarterback and a pretty seasoned offensive line really helps quite a bit. I think for Iowa to get to Indy they have to do a much better job of establishing their run game. Last year they averaged four yards per carry, which isn’t bad, but it was really inconsistent. Ideally, they want that number to get up around 4.5 yards per carry. The Hawkeyes are thinner on the defensive line this year, so I suspect they want to control the clock with the ground game as much as possible.

On the defensive side of the ball, they have talent, but they need to develop some depth, especially up front. No one beyond the starting four on the defensive line has played a meaningful snap if they can get to a six or seven man rotation, then they have a chance to be pretty good up front. As far as a prediction, 8-4 is always safe with a Kirk Ferentz team. One thing to look at this year, Iowa has five really challenging road games. They go to Iowa State (which will be a dog fight), and in conference play they travel to Michigan, Wisconsin, Northwestern, and wrap up at Nebraska. They have to get one of those five games to get to 8-4, so it won’t be easy.