Wisconsin rallies late, turns back upset bid
MADISON, Wis. -- No. 9 Wisconsin needed a fourth-quarter rally to avoid an upset bid by Iowa, turning to P.J. Hill for the go-ahead score in a 17-13 victory Saturday night.
Nothing came easy for the Badgers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), who gradually overcame a stingy Hawkeyes defense to extend their winning streak to 13 games -- the longest active streak in major college football.
The Badgers barely moved the ball in the first half, nearly fumbled away their first chance at a touchdown and went into the fourth quarter trailing 10-7.
After getting 50 yards on his first 12 carries, Hill played a central role on the go-ahead drive that began just before the end of the third quarter.
Hill carried 10 times for 43 yards and scored on third-and-goal from the 2, putting Wisconsin ahead 14-10. Hill finished with 113 yards on 29 carries.
The Hawkeyes (2-2, 0-1) answered with a 44-yard kickoff return from Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who earlier caught a touchdown pass on a one-handed grab in the second quarter.
After Iowa's offense stalled in Wisconsin territory, Daniel Murray hit a 37-yard field goal to cut the Badgers' lead to 1 with 6:29 remaining.
Badgers backup running back Lance Smith broke away for a 30-yard gain on Wisconsin's next possession, setting up a 40-yard field goal by Taylor Mehlhaff to put Wisconsin ahead 17-13 with 2:02 remaining in the game.
Iowa had one last chance on its final possession when wide receiver Paul Chaney got behind the defense on fourth-and-8, but the deep ball from quarterback Jake Christensen sailed just past his outstretched arms.
It was a rough end to a stormy week for the Hawkeyes, who lost a clunker to rival Iowa State on Sept. 15 and had to deal with yet another player arrest only hours afterward. Iowa had dealt Wisconsin its only two home losses in its past 22 games at Camp Randall Stadium, winning on November 22, 2003, and Nov. 12, 2005.
And they nearly did it again.
Iowa's defense baffled the Badgers and quarterback Tyler Donovan for three quarters, rushing two and three linemen and dropping the rest of their defenders into coverage. By the end of the third quarter, Wisconsin had only 10 first downs and 203 yards.
But the Hawkeyes' offense was just as sluggish and couldn't make the Badgers pay.
After Murray booted a 41-yard field goal to give Iowa a 3-0 lead with 2:28 remaining before halftime, Donovan marched the Badgers into Hawkeyes territory in the two-minute drill.
Hill charged up the middle toward the goal line, but Edds poked the ball out of Hill's hands just shy of the goal line, leading to a scrum in the end zone. Iowa linebacker Mike Humpal nearly recovered the ball before it squirted toward the back of the end zone, where Badgers center Marcus Coleman pounced on it.
A booth review determined that there was an inadvertent whistle on the play, so the ball was given back to the Badgers at the Iowa 3. Donovan then threw a touchdown pass to Travis Beckum on second-and-goal, and the Badgers took a 7-3 lead with 43 seconds remaining.
Donovan was 12-for-23 for 138 yards.
It was a particularly painful way for the Hawkeyes' defense to give up its first touchdown of the season. Iowa had been the only team in major college football that hadn't yet given up a touchdown.
The Hawkeyes answered in the final minute of the half, as Christensen threw a 21-yard TD pass to Johnson-Koulianos.
Christensen was 17 of 37 for 169 yards, despite playing without most of his top receivers. Iowa already was without suspended receiver Dominique Douglas, and lost tight end Tony Moeaki and wide receiver Andy Brodell to injuries in the first quarter.