Spencer Petras in Week 9: Player Performance and Challenges

Week 9 is here in the NCAA football season, and the stakes cannot be any higher. The Big Ten conference gives us one of the biggest games of the week with Iowa at Wisconsin.

A quick look at the college football live odds shows the Iowa Hawkeyes as 3.5-point road underdogs. This Big Ten game has enormous implications for the rest of the season.

Both teams are looking to move up in the conference standings. The University of Iowa’s quarterback Spencer Petras will play a significant role for the Hawkeyes on Saturday. Read on to explore Spencer Petras’ stats and other important information about this pivotal Big Ten matchup.

Iowa Hawkeyes at Wisconsin Badgers Analysis

Before Week 8, the University of Iowa football team was on a roll. They opened the season with six straight wins.

Three of those wins were against Top 25 opponents. But, perhaps the most impressive was a 23-20 victory over Penn State, which was ranked #4 at the time.

However, two weeks ago, the Hawkeyes surprised everyone by losing to unranked Purdue at home. The Hawkeyes lost convincingly to the Boilermakers by a score of 24-7.

This week, the Hawkeyes head north to face off against the 4-3 Wisconsin Badgers. While the Badgers do have three losses, they are a much stronger team than their record indicates.

All three of those losses came against ranked teams: Notre Dame, Penn State, and Michigan. Last week, they dominated Purdue and won on the road 30-13.

The Badgers’ victory over Purdue gives insight into the #9 Hawkeyes as underdogs against the Badgers. The Hawkeyes lost handily to the same opponent that the Badgers just dominated.

Spencer Petras Analysis

To defeat the Badgers, the Hawkeyes need a bounce-back game from Petras. In the loss to Purdue, Petras threw a season-high four interceptions. He was also sacked four times and barely completed 50% of his pass attempts.

Before the Purdue game, Petras only threw two interceptions on the season. He tripled his season total in just one game. Petras now has logged more interceptions in 2021 than he did all of last season.

There is no doubt that Petras is facing adversity as the centerpiece of a #9 ranked team. However, the best chance the Hawkeyes have is by Petras limiting the number of turnovers on offense.

Also, the Hawkeyes need to establish the ground game early. Running back Tyler Goodson, with nearly 600 yards rushing this season, is the focal point on the ground. Getting Goodson rolling will help open up the passing game and create opportunities for the receivers.

Petras Is the Key for the Hawkeyes in Week 9

The Hawkeyes are unlikely to beat a tough Badgers team on the road if Petras struggles again. The good news is that four-interception games are not the norm for Petras. So there is a strong possibility that he bounces back in Week 9.

Do you think that Spencer Petras can bounce back and lead Iowa to victory over a tough Badgers’ defense, or do you think Wisconsin will shut down the running game and create turnovers against the Hawkeyes? Either way, sign up for BetMGM’s Iowa sports betting to place your bets on this game and all the NCAA football action this season.