By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – One of the most impressive things about Kaleb Johnson’s rise to stardom this season, besides his 16 rushing touchdowns and 1,144 rushing yards, is the respect he has shown for his offensive line.

Johnson has gone out of  his way to praise his offensive line, and deservedly so, because of how well the veteran unit has blocked this season.

Johnson has been spectacular in his own right, but he has also benefitted from some huge holes in which to burst through.

Iowa’s veteran offensive line, which includes four multi-year senior starters, has controlled the line of scrimmage in six of eight games this season, the exceptions being the losses to Ohio State and Michigan State.

Iowa also lost to Iowa State 20-19 in week two, but to no fault of the offensive line, considering Iowa outgained the Cyclones 204 to 89 in rushing yards.

And while multiple factors usually determine the outcome of games, the team that controls the line of scrimmage usually has a pretty good chance of winning.

So, that’s the challenge for the Iowa’s offensive line heading into Saturday’s game against Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium, as well as for the Iowa defensive line.

Control the line of scrimmage, win the turnover battle and protect new starting quarterback Brendan Sullivan and that could be a recipe for success on Saturday.

Sullivan, who transferred from Northwestern in June, will make his first start as a Hawkeye in Saturday’s game for the injured Cade McNamara, who is out with a concussion. Sullivan had been used exclusively in goal-line packages until last Saturday’s game against Northwestern.

Sullivan was inserted for McNamara early in the second quarter against Northwestern, and Sullivan would go on to throw for 79 yards and rush for 41 yards in the 40-14 win.

Sullivan’s mobility is one clear advantage that he has over McNamara, who suffered season-ending knee injuries in each of the past two seasons.

“When you’ve got a guy who can breakaway and run forever it seems like, which is what he did this past Saturday, it definitely opens things up and it’s harder on defenses to have to guard the inside zone and outside zone and then a quarterback who could possibly pull it, and the passing game as well,” Iowa senior center Logan Jones said of the added dimension that Sullivan brings to the offense. “So, we’ve got a lot of opportunities to do some things on Saturday.”

Redshirt freshman Marco Lainez is listed as the backup quarterback, but there is a rumor that he might not be available to play on Saturday due to an injury that occurred this week in practice.

Iowa will release its injury report two hours prior to kickoff on Saturday.

If Lainez can’t play against the Badgers, Colorado State transfer Jackson Stratton would move to the backup spot.

True freshman James Resar came to Iowa as a quarterback, but the Florida native has since switched to wide receiver and is currently injured.

So, part of the challenge on Saturday will be to keep the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Sullivan healthy, but that might not be easy because of his playing style.

Sullivan is an aggressive runner, and he doesn’t hesitate to put his head down to gain the tough yards.

You admire his toughness, but maybe it would be wise for him to tone it down just a little considering the circumstances at quarterback.

“He got his opportunity, a bigger opportunity Saturday, and did a really good job with that,” Kirk Ferentz said of Sullivan. “But every week is an adventure, just like all of our guys, just like all of us. But I’m confident he’ll do a great job.”

Sullivan passed for 1,303 yards and started eight games over two seasons at Northwestern. He completed 74.0 percent of his passes in 2022 and 64.0 percent last season.

Many of his completions as a Wildcat came on shorter underneath routes, and it seems likely that Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester would use Sullivan in the same way on Saturday.

The best thing that could happen to Sullivan would be for the Iowa running game to stay ahead of the chains and control tempo.

The Luke Fickell-coached Badgers will almost certainly load the box and dare Sullivan to throw, as they would have against McNamara.

The big difference is that Sullivan still is a threat to run once the play breaks down, whereas McNamara is not.

“If I get through my first couple reads and I’m feeling like I’m off with timing, or if I feel like something is breaking down in the pocket, then I’ll try to get out of there and look to pass first, and see if there’s guys going down field breaking coverage, and then I’m going to try and use my feet as last resort,” Sullivan said.

Iowa fans have been clamoring for a quarterback, and for a more mobile quarterback to play.

They now get both wises with Brendan Sullivan preparing to make his first start as a Hawkeye.

Prediction: Iowa 23, Wisconsin 20

Wisconsin (5-3, 3-2) vs. Iowa (5-3, 3-2)

When: Saturday, 6:34 p.m.

Where: Kinnick Stadium (69,250)

TV: NBC

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

All-time series: Wisconsin leads, 49-46-2

Last meeting: Iowa won 15-6 on Oct. 10, 2023 in Madison.