College Football

Leshon Williams' 82-yard touchdown run leads Iowa to 15-6 win over Wisconsin

Published Oct. 14, 2023 8:51 p.m. ET

Leshon Williams scored the game’s lone touchdown on an 82-yard breakaway and finished with 174 yards rushing Saturday to lead Iowa to a 15-6 victory over Wisconsin, which lost quarterback Tanner Mordecai to a hand injury.

Iowa (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) has beaten Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1) in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008-09 and gets to maintain possession of the Heartland Trophy, the 72-pound brass bull that goes to the winner of this annual matchup.

A game in which points already figured to be at a premium turned into even more of a defensive struggle after each team lost a top offensive player to a first-half injury.

Iowa tight end Erick All was carted into the locker room after getting injured while making a 5-yard catch on the Hawkeyes’ second series. Wisconsin lost Mordecai late in the second quarter when he was following through on a pass and his throwing hand hit the helmet of Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins.

TV cameras showed Mordecai mouthing, "I can’t throw," shortly after the play before he headed into the locker room. That forced Wisconsin to turn to Braedyn Locke, a Mississippi State transfer who had thrown just one career pass before Saturday.

All’s injury was a huge setback for an Iowa offense that already lost starting quarterback Cade McNamara to a season-ending knee injury and tight end Luke Lachey to a likely season-ending ankle injury.

Those injuries forced both teams to look elsewhere for playmakers. Williams responded with Iowa’s longest run from scrimmage since Tavian Banks also had an 82-yarder in a 63-20 blowout of Iowa State in 1997.

With Iowa facing third-and-2 early in the second quarter, Williams made a stutter step in the backfield, burst through a big hole inside, broke free from safety Austin Brown’s arm tackle attempt about a dozen yards downfield and raced down the right sideline.

After that touchdown, Iowa gained 3 net yards over its next six series, all three-and-outs. Yet the Hawkeyes never trailed thanks to their defense.

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Wisconsin Badgers Highlights

Wisconsin cut the margin to 7-6 when it drove 60 yards on each of its first two second-half series and capped both with Nathanial Vakos field goals, one from 36 yards out and the other from 52.

But Iowa controlled the fourth quarter.

Iowa extended its lead to 10-6 on Drew Stevens’ 48-yard field goal with 13:08 left. Yahya Black sacked Locke and forced a fumble that Wisconsin tackle Riley Mahlman recovered in the end zone for a safety with 12:15 remaining.

Wisconsin’s last hope vanished when Aaron Graves forced a Locke fumble that Higgins recovered at the Badgers’ 39, setting up Stevens' 40-yard field goal with 1:55 left.

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