Pre-Snap Read: Wisconsin looking to continue perfect start against Iowa
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MADISON, Wis. - The No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) will look to become the first UW team to go 10-0 on Saturday when they take on the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST, and the game is scheduled to air on ABC. Make sure you're up to speed on what you need to know about the game with our Pre-Snap Read below.
FIRST READ: WHAT DOES WISCONSIN'S OFFENSE LOOK LIKE WITHOUT QUINTEZ CEPHUS?
The Badgers knew that sophomore wide receiver Quintez Cephus would miss this week's game against Iowa on Monday, but after a mid-week visit with a doctor the team has ruled Cephus out for the rest of the season with the leg injury he suffered against Indiana last week. This week's game will give us our first real look at what Wisconsin's passing offense looks like without Cephus, who became a trusted weapon for Alex Hornibrook on third downs and in the red zone this season. Look for one of Danny Davis, A.J. Taylor or Kendric Pryor to step up and take on a larger target share this week. There's a lot of young talent in Wisconsin's wide receiver room this year, and now we'll get to see just how ready to contribute they are.
SECOND READ: CAN THE BADGERS KEEP A LID ON IOWA QUARTERBACK NATHAN STANLEY?
Wisconsin's old coaching staff took a pass on recruiting in-state product Nathan Stanley, who ended up committing to Iowa about a month before Paul Chryst replaced the departed Gary Andersen in the winter of 2014. Since arriving at Iowa Stanley has grabbed a hold of the starting job under center, and he's had a strong sophomore season with a 22-to-4 touchdown to interception ratio so far this year. He's got a strong arm, but the Badgers will be looking to make him make a few more mistakes than he did last week when he threw five touchdown passes against Ohio State. But if Iowa ends up giving the Badgers a scare, it'll likely be because Stanley performed well in a stadium that could have been his collegiate home had a different coaching staff been running the show in Madison during his recruitment.
THIRD READ: WHO WINS THE BATTLE IN THE TRENCHES?
The Wisconsin-Iowa series is littered with close, one-score games that left the winner beat up and hurting. Don't expect this game to go any differently. The team that wins the war in the trenches on both offense and defense is going to put themselves in a great position to win the game as a whole, so on each play try and watch the line of scrimmage at least for a bit instead of where the ball is going to see which team is getting their way.
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BADGERBLITZ.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS
JOHN VELDHUIS: WISCONSIN 28 IOWA 17
(9-0 THIS SEASON)
The Hawkeyes had a great game last week against Ohio State, but I think they revert back to what we'd seen from them on offense for most of the season against Wisconsin's defense. If the Badgers can find a way to move the ball through the air without Cephus, I think they'll emerge from the game 10-0.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.