The Iowa Hawkeyes are in the race for the national championship and they will stay there if they keep winning. The Hawks are sixth in the first bowl Championship Series standings after moving to 7-0 with a 20-10 victory at Wisconsin. Once again, Iowa overcame a slow start that saw the Badgers jump out to a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Wideout Derrell Johnson-Koulianos says they have been a second-half team all year long and says that was emphasized at half time. Johnson-Koulianos finished with eight receptions for 113 yards. The Hawkeyes score 20 unanswered points to beat Wisconsin for the second straight year.
Coach Kirk Ferentz says they didn’t play well in the first half, but made some adjustments at halftime and came out and made some big plays. Iowa’s win coupled with Ohio State’s upset loss to Purdue leaves the Hawks as the only remaining unbeaten in the Big Ten. Ferentz says there are still five games to go, so it’s too early to be scoreboard watching.
Ferentz says so far the team is playing hard and they believe in each other. The Hawkeyes face another tough road test at Michigan State next week. A victory would give them an 8-0 start for the first time in the program’s history.