No. 10 Wisconsin 31, No. 13 Iowa 30, Final: Timeout Mis-Management Squanders Iowa’s Last Chance

Wisconsin managed to hang on for the win on Saturday, 31-30, to deliver a particularly heartbreaking loss for Iowa faithful. In the final minutes, the Badgers mounted a memorable drive that was highlighted by a successful fake punt and Montee Ball steamrolling eight yards into the end zone.

The final seconds, though, may be more memorable, and for the wrong reasons. Iowa took over with just over a minute left, and all three timeouts remaining. Head coach Kirk Ferentz used two of them en route to the Wisconsin side of the field.

A fast-paced second half is culminating into a dramatic finish in Kinnick Stadium. Down 30-24 with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Wisconsin pulled a fake punt on Iowa. Needing only four yards, punter Brad Nortman scrambled 17 yards to bring the Badgers near midfield.

Wisconsin continued to charge until they found themselves at Iowa’s 8-yard line, when Montee Ball -- on only his second carry of the game -- bowled through Iowa’s defense for the touchdown. Ball managed to pull half the Iowa defense with him through most of the eight yards, and lunged the ball into the end zone. After reviewing the play, the referees ruled it a touchdown.

Each time Wisconsin has struck in the second half, Iowa has struck back. On the heels of Wisconsin’s touchdown near the end of the third quarter, Iowa drove 80 yards down the field with a mix of runs and medium-range passes, and quarterback Ricky Stanzi ended the drive with a connection to wide receiver Marvin McNutt.

Running back Adam Robinson, who contributed a few good-sized runs to the drive, now has 111 yards in 21 attempts.

For two and a half quarters, both No. 10 Wisconsin and No. 13 Iowa had trouble punching the ball into the end zone, but both teams seem to have figured it out in a hurry. After Iowa’s touchdown, the Badgers’ David Gilreath returned the ensuing kickoff to Wisconsin’s 49. He had a chance to run it all the way back, but appeared to have been tripped up just before midfield.

From there, quarterback Scott Tolzien and running back John Clay took over. Tolzien’s 30-yard throw and Clay’s 17-yard run highlighted a drive that took Wisconsin into the end zone. Clay poked in for a two-yard score, which made for his second of the day. He now has 72 yards on the ground.

After a three-and-out on their first possession of the half, Iowa scored a touchdown on their second, and in spectacular fashion. Receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos managed to elude Wisconsin’s secondary, and quarterback Ricky Stanzi found him for a 45-yard touchdown strike.

This is Stanzi’s second touchdown of the day, and his fourth pass to Johnson-Koulianos, who has a chance to lead Iowa in receiving yards for a record fourth consecutive year.

It took over six minutes, but Wisconsin’s third-quarter drive finally resulted in a touchdown. After an Iowa punt stuck the Badgers at their own 20, quarterback Scott Tolzien completed a string of six consecutive passes before handing the rock to running back John Clay.

Clay pounded the ball the rest of the way through the end zone, as Wisconsin elected to go for it on a fourth-and-1 situation.

Iowa’s Ricky Stanzi connected on a short pass to Allen Reisner for a touchdown, completing a drive that was especially short thanks to a costly Wisconsin penalty.

The No. 10 Badgers were forced to punt, and thanks to a 15-yard face mask penalty, the No. 13 Hawkeyes took over at Wisconsin’s 35. They now lead at the half, 13-10.

Through a quarter and change, Scott Tolzien is looking perfect. The Wisconsin quarterback is now 8-for-8 against Iowa’s defense, and his most recent pass was good for a 7-yard touchdown throw.

Tolzien has done a great job of spreading the ball around, as seven different Badgers already have a reception in the box score. No. 10 Wisconsin now leads No. 13 Iowa early in the second quarter, 10-6. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for further updates.

In Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Iowa managed to mount a first-quarter touchdown drive powered by running back Adam Robinson. Robinson was resposible for 43 of the drive’s 78 yards, including a 30-yard gallup and a touchdown.

Unfortunately for the No. 13 Hawkeyes, though, No. 10 Wisconsin managed to block the extra point. Iowa leads early, 6-3. Stay tuned to this StoryStream for further updates.

SB Nation’s Black Heart Gold Pants reviews the first half of the 2010 season for quarterback/philosopher-king Ricky Stanzi:

SB Nation’s Bucky’s 5th Quarter discusses the need for mental preparation on the part of the Badgers following Wisconsin’s upset of Ohio State:

We all know about the letdown game. South Carolina certainly exemplified this on Saturday when they went to Kentucky and lost, only one week after taking down Alabama, the number one team in the country at the time. Now that Wisconsin has done the same, can they avoid a similar fate in Iowa City on Saturday? Furthermore, is it a letdown for Bret Bielema’s Wisconsin team to lose to 15th-ranked Iowa at Kinnick Stadium when Bielema has never won a road game against a ranked Big Ten opponent? To be fair, Bielema is 2-2 in his career against the Hawkeyes, and did win at Kinnick in 2006.

Bielema’s main concern isn’t that the Badgers will have an over-inflated self-worth as a result of Saturday’s victory. He’s more focused on making sure that they don’t get themselves wrapped up in the pressure of having to avoid the letdown game.

The game between these two long-time rivals is played for the Heartland Trophy, which was established in 2004. Iowa, which clings to a narrow 42-41-2 lead in the all-time series, has won four of the six previous trophy games. The Hawkeyes topped the Badgers in Madison last season, 20-10.

Wisconsin disposed of Ohio State last week in Madison, 31-18, notching its first win over the No. 1 team in the country since beating top-ranked Michigan back in 1981. As a result, the Badgers won for the second consecutive week and for the sixth time in seven games this season.