UW also caught Iowa completely off-guard on Mertz's touchdown pass to Ferguson, throwing on 3rd and 1 from the 4-yard line. Mertz was 5-of-5 for 52 yards and a touchdown, completing five passes to five different players. Mertz engineered a beautifully executed 8-play, 65-yard drive in 3:59. By their second offensive series of the game, the Badgers matched that total.Īt one point in the first quarter, UW threw the ball on five consecutive plays, forcing numerous fans in attendance and watching at home to pinch themselves. In last Saturday's 30-13 win over Purdue, Wisconsin threw the ball just eight times. The Badgers took a different approach to move the football on Saturday. After sophomore quarterback Graham Mertz plunged in from 1-yard out in the fourth quarter to give Wisconsin a 27-7 lead, that streak was snapped. The Hawkeyes entered Saturday riding a 29-game streak of holding opponents to 25 points or less, the longest in power-five. That was the last time Iowa's defense surrendered more than 25 points.
