Wisconsin crumbled in the second half against Penn State, dropping to 5-3 with a massive game in Iowa City on tap next.

As the Badgers look to reach bowl eligibility, what questions surround the program?

Iowa's top running back Kaleb Johnson would likely lead the nation in rushing yards if it wasn't for the indescribable phenom Ashton Jeanty of Boise State. Johnson has 1,144 yards and 16 touchdowns through eight games. He's scored a touchdown in every game this season, and has multiple scores in six of his eight games. He's also topped 100 yards in six of eight games, with gaudy totals such as 206, 187, 173 and 166 yards to his name. Only Ohio State managed to remotely slow him down, and he still rumbled for 86 yards and a score in Columbus.

Head coach Luke Fickell clearly has a lot of respect for Iowa's insistence on running the ball, which allows a talented back like Johnson to flourish.

“It's not something that you see every single week. I think that's where they have become more unique. People would say they haven't changed a lot. Well, they haven't. But, a lot of the game around them has," he said. "They're the ones that have kind of stuck to their guns and continue to thrive in doing what they believe is best.”

Last season, Wisconsin had little trouble limiting Johnson. He ran for just 35 yards on 17 carries. It was Leshon Williams' 82-yard scamper that was the difference. With Williams in the transfer portal and Johnson the featured superstar, however, a lot has changed in a year.

Wisconsin run defense, which had been strong during the Badgers' resurgent three-game winning streak, took a dip in the national rankings after allowing Penn State to pile on 173 yards on 4.9 yards-per-carry. Notably, star tailback Kaytron Allen had his way with the Badgers, amassing 86 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

Unsurprisingly, Iowa's rushing attack is ranked within the top-20 nationally. The Hawkeyes average about 209 rushing yards each week, 143 of which come from Johnson. With Iowa in the midst of a quarterback change, rolling with Brendan Sullivan over Cade McNamara (who's out for undisclosed reasons), limiting Johnson and putting the game in the hands of a new starting gunslinger becomes all the more important.

"Locketober" officially crashed and burned against Penn State. After three straight games of multiple touchdowns and improved efficiency, quarterback Braedyn Locke failed to score against the Nittany Lions and completed just 52.4 percent of his passes.

More troubling, however, was his pick-six. It was a telegraphed throw on which he inexplicably didn't see safety Jaylen Reed lurking underneath the crossing route. He's now thrown an interception in five straight games, and his TD/INT ratio for the season sits at 7/6.

Against Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern, Locke threw early interceptions but bounced back, playing more inspired ball than before his turnovers. Against Penn State, the pick-six sunk the Badgers hopes, and Locke's play along with it.

"Obviously, you wanna eliminate the turnover. Pretty big swing there. Obviously, I take full responsibility," a dejected Locke said Saturday night. "I know I've gotta do some things better."

"At that point in the game, we're playing well, the defense is shutting them down," he continued. "It gave them life. Can't have it."

The quarterback was obviously hurting over his back-breaking mistake, but the bottom line is he needs to cut the turnovers out of his game. Curiously, Locke only threw one interception last season, and none in any of the three games he started. In 2024, the only opposing team he hasn't throw the ball to is Alabama.

From a big-picture perspective, this final third of the season will be a critical stretch for Locke. Tyler Van Dyke's injury essentially opened the door for him to not only lead the Badgers' offense in 2024, but audition for the same role next fall. At this point, he's shown modest improvement but has struggled against better foes (Alabama, Penn State). If Locke can't cut down on the turnovers (and likely even if he does), Wisconsin figures to look elsewhere for a starting quarterback.

During the Badgers' three-game winning streak they rode into Saturday night against Penn State, the offensive line was the driving force behind Wisconsin's offensive resurgence. Pop on the tape from Purdue, Rutgers or Northwestern, and you'll see defensive front sevens gashed repeatedly with swaths of running room available for newfound lead tailback Tawee Walker.

The Badgers didn't allow a sack against the Nittany Lions, but they struggled mightily to get any push up front. Wisconsin mustered just 81 rushing yards on a dismal three yards-per-carry. It's longest carry from a running back was a 12-yard run from Walker.

Pro Football Focus grades can and should be taken with a grain of salt, but it's no accident that Joe Brunner, Jack Nelson and Joe Huber all received their worst grades of the season. This line struggled against a talented Penn State front, and it only gets slightly easier against Iowa.

The Hawkeyes boast the 17th-ranked rushing defense in the nation, allowing just 104.1 yards-per-game on the ground. They've got a tough defensive front as per usual. But while they're coming off a dominant performance, suffocating Northwestern's backfield to the tune of 43 yards, they haven't been flawless.

Ohio State piled up 203 yards on the ground against Iowa. Michigan State racked up 212, and the Spartans' tailbacks aren't nearly on the same level as Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson of the Buckeyes.

Setting the tone in the trenches, against a rival in a hostile environment, will be paramount come Saturday night. Can AJ Blazek's unit bounce back?

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @seamus_rohrer, @DonnieSlusher_

*Like us on Facebook