The Badgers will look to reclaim the Heartland Trophy from Iowa under the primetime lights in Iowa City.

Below are three keys to the game, as well as BadgerBlitz.com staff predictions.

When: Saturday, Nov. 2 (6:30 P.M. CT)

Where: Kinnick Stadium (capacity 69,250)

All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads, 49-46-2 (Iowa leads 26-20-1 in Iowa City)

TV: NBC (Noah Eagle on play-by-play, Todd Blackledge as the analyst and Kathryn Tappen as the sideline reporter)

Local Radio: Badger Sports Network (Matt Lepay on play-by-play, Mark Tauscher as the analyst, Patrick Herb as the sideline reporter)

Betting line: Iowa -2.5

Projected game-time weather: ~ 54 degrees and cloudy with a chance of rain

It's Wisconsin versus Iowa in Kinnick on Saturday night, but it might as well be the Badgers' defense versus tailback Kaleb Johnson. That matchup will decide the game; if Wisconsin can even remotely slow him down, it'll have an excellent chance to steal a win in Iowa City against an offense that, besides Johnson, is relatively devoid of playmakers.

With that being said, the game needs to be taken out of Johnson's hands. The Badgers, therefore, must force offensive coordinator Tim Lester's unit into obvious passing downs and third-and-longs.

Iowa converts 44 percent of its third down tries, a solid clip good for 35th nationally. A big reason why? The early-down dominance of Johnson and the running game. If Wisconsin's defense can dial in and play its best ball on first and second down, the Badgers should have some manageable third downs on defense, where they can take advantage of Iowa's lack of receiving threats.

Getting the Hawkeyes to obvious passing downs is only part of the battle, however, especially with Brendan Sullivan set to take over for Cade McNamara at quarterback. Sullivan's legs are a new toy for Lester to play with, and could present problems if he escapes the pocket on third-and-longs.

It's only been one season since Cooper DeJean roamed the defensive backfield for the Hawkeyes, but it must feel like ages ago in Iowa City. Jermari Harris has been excellent in coverage, but the rest of Iowa's cornerback rotation has been extremely suspect. The starter opposite Harris, Deshaun Lee, has been a liability in coverage. He's allowed 17 receptions of 23 targets, per Pro Football Focus.

The Hawkeyes' third corner, TJ Hall, has perhaps been slightly better in coverage but has still given up 240 yards receiving and three scores. Iowa's secondary as a whole has also had its rough moments. It gave up 256 yards passing against Michigan State while allowing Spartans' quarterback Aidan Chiles to complete 73 percent of his passes. It surrendered four passing touchdowns against Ohio State quarterback Will Howard while the gunslinger completed 84 percent of his throws.

It's not necessarily a glaring weakness, but it's not often that defensive coordinator Phil Parker's unit has a soft spot so easily recognizable. Wisconsin must put its wideouts in position to beat Iowa's defensive backs in one-on-one situations. If the Badgers can spread the Hawkeyes' defense out and pick and choose their matchups in the passing game, they could very feasibly pick on Hall and Lee all night if play-caller Phil Longo can scheme up some ways to stress these corners.

Despite throwing a crushing pick-six and dropping a whopping five passes, Wisconsin managed to keep it close against Penn State last week until the fourth quarter rolled around. That, however, was in the friendly confines of Camp Randall Stadium. Kinnick Stadium will be much less hospitable.

On the road in a tough environment, and playing a rival in a game where possessions figure to be at a premium, Wisconsin must limit the mistakes, especially on offense. This would be a great week for Braedyn Locke to break his interception streak. It would also be a great week for the Badgers' wideouts to clutch the football.

Against a talented Hawkeye defense, there's little room for error. Longo's unit has yet to rise to the occasion in a big game during the coordinator's tenure. And if Wisconsin comes out flat on offense, repeating mistakes that plagued it a week ago, it'll be another inditement on the much-maligned play-caller.

Just like against Rutgers three weeks ago, this game will come down to if Wisconsin can stop an opposing team's superstar halfback. At this point in the season, I have no reason to believe that will be the case. Against an Iowa team that's stout in the trenches on both sides of the ball, the Badgers play the Hawkeyes neck-and-neck but are ultimately worn down by Johnson, while the offense makes one too many mistakes and remains a liability against any defense worth its salt.

Iowa 19, Wisconsin 17

I expect a similar game to last year’s. The Badgers will likely come out strong and keep it competitive for a few quarters. But, eventually, Johnson will rip off a few big runs that will decide the game.

Iowa 21, Wisconsin 12

Not sure Wisconsin will be able to bottle Johnson up for four quarters. I think Iowa pulls away in the fourth quarter as the Badgers' offense continues to sputter.

Iowa 24, Wisconsin 14

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