After Iowa (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) won its fourth straight Heartland Trophy game with a dominant 37-0 shutout of Wisconsin (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten), the Hawkeyes made history in multiple facets in the 99th all-time meeting between the two iconic programs.
With the shutout victory, it represents the first time the Hawkeyes have blanked the Badgers in the series since 1996 (31-0 win from Kinnick Stadium). More amazingly, it’s the first Iowa shutout win over Wisconsin from Camp Randall Stadium since 1929 (14-0 Iowa win).
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The victory is also Kirk Ferentz’s 18th shutout win of his Iowa head coaching tenure and serves as win No. 206, which further expands his lead on the all-time Big Ten wins list.
Oct 11, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; The Iowa Hawkeyes celebrate a win with The Heartland Trophy after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.
After Penn State’s shocking dismissal of head coach James Franklin on Sunday, Ferentz’s lead on the all-time Big Ten wins leaderboard has expanded from 104 wins to 107. Illinois’ Bret Bielema is now the next-closest active Big Ten head coach to the Iowa legend.
The Hawkeyes forced three turnovers, as Bryce Hawthorne and Aaron Graves each recorded an interception, and Zach Lutmer recovered a fumble. Karson Sharar led the defense with six tackles, including four solo stops.
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On offense, Iowa’s rushing attack led the way by totaling 209 yards, helping the Hawkeyes outgain the Badgers 319-210 in total yardage behind Kamari Moulton (96 rushing yards and a touchdown), Xavier Williams (two rushing scores), and Gronowski (one rushing score).
“Obviously, really pleased with the effort from our team tonight. Really proud of how the guys played,” said Ferentz. “Looking backwards, I think the guys handled the bye week extremely well, and then when we got back to work getting ready for this ballgame, I thought the week of preparation went really well. Happy about that and most importantly the guys showed up at kickoff.”
The win on Saturday now brings the Hawkeyes one win closer to tying the all-time series against the Badgers, with Wisconsin still holding a lead over Iowa at 49-48-2.
Up next for the Hawkeyes is a prime-time matchup against an injured and tailspinning Penn State (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten) program from Kinnick Stadium this coming Saturday, Oct. 18. That game will begin at 6 p.m. and will stream exclusively on Peacock.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football makes history with shutout win vs. Wisconsin
