CFB: No. 11 Iowa stays perfect, beats Wisconsin 20-10
CHRIS JENKINS
AP Sports Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — No. 11 Iowa needed a second-half road rally to keep its perfect season alive, coming back to beat Wisconsin 20-10 today.
Trailing by a touchdown at halftime, the Hawkeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) began the third quarter by turning an interception into a tying touchdown pass from quarterback Ricky Stanzi to tight end Tony Moeaki.
Iowa took the lead on a 10-yard touchdown run by Adam Robinson early in the fourth quarter, and the Hawkeyes' defense kept the Badgers scoreless in the second half.
After appearing vulnerable to the run early on, Iowa's defense clamped down on Wisconsin (5-2, 2-2) and running back John Clay, who might have been slowed by a second-quarter leg injury after a big first quarter. Clay finished the game with 75 yards rushing and Scott Tolzien threw three interceptions.
Stanzi was 17 of 23 for 218 yards and a touchdown. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos caught 8 passes for 113 yards.
Iowa cornerback Amari Spievey had two interceptions, the first of which fueled the Hawkeyes' comeback.
Down 10-3 at the half, Spievey picked off a pass from Tolzien near midfield. Iowa drove to the Wisconsin 24, where Stanzi faced a third-and-7 conversion. Under heavy pressure, Stanzi rolled out and heaved deep to Moeaki, who made a tough catch in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
The Badgers had held Moeaki, who caught a pair of long touchdowns in Iowa's win over Michigan last week, without a catch in the first half.
Stanzi then was sacked and fumbled deep in his own territory on the Hawkeyes' next possession, but the game remained tied when the Badgers' offense stalled and Wisconsin kicker Philip Welch continued his shaky season by missing a 38-yard field goal attempt.
Moeaki made another big play midway through the fourth quarter, a tough catch in traffic to convert a third-and-13 play despite being interfered with on the play. The drive ended with a career-long 48-yard field goal by Daniel Murray, giving Iowa a 20-10 lead.
With Wisconsin near midfield and trailing by 10, Hawkeyes linebacker A.J. Edds intercepted a pass by Tolzien — and Spievey picked off another one with time running out to seal the win.
Wisconsin's offense was effective early on, using misdirection to open big holes for Clay, who had 10 carries for 58 yards in the first quarter alone.
Several big runs by Clay put the Badgers in position to score early in the second quarter, but Iowa defensive tackle Karl Klug batted down a pass on third-and-6 at the Hawkeyes 18-yard line and forced Wisconsin to settle for a 34-yard field goal by Welch and an early 3-0 lead.
Wisconsin drove deep again on its next possession, getting a 10-yard touchdown run by backup running back Montee Ball after a leg injury to Clay, who was able to return later in the quarter but wasn't as effective the remainder of the game.
Iowa answered with a 34-yard pass from Stanzi to Johnson-Koulianos, setting up a field goal to cut the Badgers' lead to 10-3.
With the win, Iowa kept the Heartland Trophy — a bronze bull statue weighing approximately 100 pounds — and breaks a 41-41-2 deadlock in the series between the two conference rivals.