IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke was complimenting his team two weeks ago.
The sophomore in effect said the Badgers had proven in a three-game win streak that they could win games in a variety of ways -- methodically, explosively, otherwise. But consecutive losses, including Saturday's 42-10 drubbing against Iowa, have proven false Locke's belief.
Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) has one pathway to winning and that's with its running game leading the way, the passing attack working off it with play-action passes and run-pass options, and the defense getting some cushion. Just one of those elements missing can result in an ugly win like at Northwestern, but Iowa (6-3, 4-2) wiped away all three en route to its most lopsided win in this series since 1968 and first 40-point performance against Wisconsin since 1975.
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"Doesn't go much further than looking in the mirror right there and figuring ways that we gotta do a hell of a lot better job," Badgers coach Luke Fickell said. "I don't think there's a whole lot of positives we can point at from tonight."
Wisconsin has had two of its worst three rushing performances the past two weeks as it gained 124 yards on the ground against Iowa (third worst) and 81 (worst) in a 28-13 loss to Penn State a week earlier. The inability to run the ball -- albeit against two of the toughest defensive fronts on Wisconsin's schedule -- serves as both a reminder that the slide the offensive line has experienced in recent seasons hasn't fully reversed this year and a sign that Wisconsin's version of the Air Raid offense can't survive on passing alone.
"We're going to take that on the chin as an offensive line," center Jake Renfro said. "We didn't go out there and execute as we needed to. I thought we had a good week of preparation, not a great week of preparation. It started with us up front; we were leaving one guy here or one guy there, and that's unacceptable for us up front."
The Badgers went 2 of 11 (18.2%) on third down against Iowa with an average distance to gain of 8.8 yards after going 7 of 18 (38.9%) against Penn State with an average distance to gain of 8.1. Those situations create straight drop-back plays in which Locke is at his greatest deficit as a quarterback standing about 6-foot and with issues navigating pressure in the pocket.
"That's not our game," Fickell said about going with straight drop backs. "In the first half, we made a few plays, but we couldn't continue to capitalize on them, couldn't put strings together."
Added Renfro: "When we're not able to run the ball, it hurts everything."
Locke has eight interceptions in his six starts, including two against the Hawkeyes. The first of which Saturday came after Iowa missed a long field goal to allow Wisconsin to retain a 3-0 lead. Locke threw late, he said, to Quincy Burroughs on a deep crossing route, and his tardiness allowed Iowa cornerback Deshaun Lee to come off Vinny Anthony and snag the pass. This throw came off a play-action pass that featured two fakes, one of an off-tackle run to the left and the other a reverse to Will Pauling. But Iowa's secondary had no reason to react to the deception because the front was handling the run without assistance, and Lee had eyes on Locke with the ball throughout the play.
Locke's second pick was like his backbreaking interception a week ago, throwing the ball right at linebacker Nick Jackson, who required assists with a bounce off his foot and a defensive lineman before securing the interception and returning it.
"I know personally I've got to be better," Locke said. "You have to find a way to go back to work."
Wisconsin's run game lacking pop starts with the offensive line failing to move bodies off the line consistently enough, but the blockers have to make up for a passing game that hasn't proven it can be effective against good competition, which means loaded boxes.
It's a cyclical issue between the two halves of the offense, one that receiver CJ Williams (two catches, 32 yards, TD) said his position group has a vital role in breaking.
"When teams load the box like they do today, we need to have the ability to trust some of the guys we have on the outside and win our routes," Williams said. "That's what it is: win the routes and catch the ball.
"This is something we have to develop. It's not something we can expect to just come out here and do on a Saturday. It's something that we have to practice day in and day out and go in there with a game plan when teams do that, which is most likely what a lot of teams are going to do from now on after the last couple games."
Getting a rushing attack going after next week's bye will be no small feat. Oregon is the worst rushing defense (121.4 yards allowed per game) Wisconsin faces down the stretch, followed by Nebraska (102.6) and Minnesota (121). Those defenses will be even stingier knowing how crippled the Badgers offense looks without a productive running threat.
Compounding matters for Wisconsin is its inability to threaten the edge of the defense. Lead running back Tawee Walker (16 carries, 52 yards at Iowa) is best between the tackles but can do some damage around the edge. However he and his blockers have struggled the past two weeks to clean out a corner for him to turn, which allows a loaded box of defenders to narrow their fields of focus. Speedier running backs like Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli might help that pursuit of the edge, but Dupree didn't find success against Iowa -- 30 of his 52 yards came on the last drive when Iowa's effort was questionable -- and Yacamelli only has been used for one play (a touchdown run) the past two weeks.
"We've got to be able to loosen some people up," Fickell said. "We've got to be able to get the ball on the edge a little bit more, but we couldn't do it tonight. We've got to block on the perimeter a little bit better so when we do get the ball to the edge, it's not a 1-yard gain or 2-yard gain. This is where Iowa is really good. They do a great job at creating and setting edges and make you work for everything, and obviously we didn't work hard enough to get it done tonight."
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