MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s bad day against Iowa began before the game officially started.
The Badgers’ opening kickoff was set up in odd fashion, booting the ball from their own 20-yard line as opposed to the typical 35. That was due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called during pregame.
Iowa defensive back Zach Lutmer said he saw what happened. The Hawkeyes have a tradition of swarming on and off the field together. A Badger player tried to disrupt Iowa’s swarm onto the field before the game.
“The guy tried to come in when we were swarming in,” Lutmer said. “Probably wasn’t that smart to do that.”
Lutmer elaborated more on the situation: “He was kind of just standing right in the middle of it. The refs kind of got him out of the way right away and then they threw a flag. That’s about all I saw.”
From the opening kickoff, it was pure dominance from Iowa in Madison. The Hawkeyes rushed for 210 yards and forced three turnovers en route to a 37-0 drubbing of the Badgers.
That pregame disrespect likely did not help Wisconsin’s case. Iowa faced a similar pregame situation against Nebraska last season (though it did not warrant a penalty) and came out victorious then, as well.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Why Wisconsin was flagged for pregame penalty in 37-0 loss to Iowa football
Reporting by Tyler Tachman, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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