It’s been a disappointing start to the Big Ten football season for Wisconsin, but a victory over rival Iowa would certainly go a long way in erasing the memories of two straight losses to open Big Ten play.
The Hawkeyes come calling to Barry Alvarez Field at Camp Randall Stadium Saturday night with Manitowoc Lincoln alum Davis Heinzen possibly making a second straight start at center for the injured Jake Renfro, who’s still dealing with an ankle injury.
His debut came last week in the Badgers’ 24 to 10 loss at Michigan.
Heinzen tells SeehaferNews.com that scoring on their opening drive was huge.
“It felt good, especially playing a position that I’ve hadn’t played a lot,” he said. “You don’t know how a game is going to go until you work up a sweat and really get into it. That first drive we really got things going and scoring a touchdown was huge and meant a lot.”
Heinzen started at left tackle on opening night and has played sparingly since.
He says he likes playing center, especially when it comes to pass-protection.
“Our coaching staff does a really good job implementing a lot of play action into our pass protection schemes,” the former Shipbuilder explained. “It gives us more time to get into our opposition and limit them to what they can do best. It’s a bit easier to pass block at center as compared to playing left tackle.”
An effective running game is the key to success in play action, something the Badgers have yet to do on a consistent basis this season.
Heinzen feels they’re not that far away from breaking a “big one.”
“It’s a little frustrating being so close on some plays of being one block or broken tackle from busting a big on,” he admitted. “We remain confident and continue working hard and making a few adjustments where needed. We truly believe we’re very close to being where we want to be.”
Iowa literally ran through and over Wisconsin last year in Iowa City, handing the Badgers a physical beating that they hadn’t experienced in quite some time, if ever.
Heinzen says, “We owe them one.”
”With Iowa being a rival, it gets everyone going and provides that little extra juice to get after it,” he noted. “It means something more, and it’s personal. It’s the perfect time to play the,m and beating them will give us momentum heading into the second half of the season.”
The Shipbuilders alum talks about the Badgers going from the frying pan into the fire with defending national champion and top-ranked Ohio State coming to Madison next Saturday.
“Winning against a rival with the number one team up next would be huge. That’s personally my number one goal right now,” Heinzen said.
The kickoff is at 6:00 Saturday night.
