Iowa
Iowa exploits flaws on both sides of the ball, leaves Wisconsin football coach Luke Fickell ‘dumbfounded’ by loss
MADISON – Luke Fickell stood in front of the media after a loss at Alabama a few weeks ago and talked about the need for him to stay positive with his young team.
And while there is a need for that from the coach more than ever, the reality is that these are dark days for the Wisconsin Badgers football program.
Its 37-0 loss to Iowa on Saturday Oct. 11 at Camp Randall Stadium was the Badgers’ fourth straight loss this season and eighth straight Big Ten defeat dating to last year.
The outcome was stunning because UW had this game circled on the schedule. The team was humbled in a 42-10 loss in Iowa City last year. The Hawkeyes’ visit to Camp Randall was supposed to be a day of atonement. Instead, the Badgers lost by an even larger margin while suffering their first shutout at the hands of the Hawkeyes since 1996.
Overall the game marked the first time Wisconsin was shut out since a 59-0 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game in 2014.
The loss left Fickell in search of answers.
“I apologized to our guys to not have them ready, to not have them ready,” he said. “I’m dumbfounded in a lot of ways.”
Badgers offense equals season-low 209 total yards
The team’s struggles on offense once again made the game difficult for the rest of the team.
The Badgers faced the 113th-ranked offense in the nation and made the game easy for it with three turnvers during the first 16 minutes. As a result, Iowa needed to gain only 46 yards to score 17 of its first 20 points.
The UW defense, which allowed 329 rushing yards to the Hawkeyes last season, allowed just 210 this time. That total, however, is deceiving. Iowa’s 5.8 yards per carry compared to the 6.1 yards it averaged against the Badgers last season shows a performance very comparable to a year ago.
That said, the UW’s three early turnovers didn’t give the team a chance.
Anyone who has watched the Badgers this season knew that a deficit of that magnitude would be very difficult to overcome. The Badgers haven’t scored more than twice in three previous games. And in each of those contests that second score came late in the fourth quarter, long after the game was decided and the opponent began pulling key players.
“Not that you can go back and change it, but I hope and believe that had that not started the way it did (with) the turnovers, at least it would have been a hell of a lot different game,” Fickell said. “I’m not saying they’re not a better team than we are. I just think that it’s not fair that we were not able to put ourselves in a position where we could make it a damn football game.”
QB Hunter Simmons’ turnovers were debilitating
Southern Illinois transfer Hunter Simmons finished the night with 82 yards on 8-for-21 passing and the dubious distinction of having two passes picked off by defensive linemen.
The first came off a pass deflected by defensive end Brian Allen and caught with a diving effort by Bryce Hawthrone at the UW 24 with 3 minutes 52 seconds to go in the first quarter. Defensive tackle Aaron Graves got the second interception when he dropped into coverage and right into the path of Simmons’ throw to Vinny Anthony. Graves returned the pick 35 yards to the Badgers 1 at the 1:45 mark of the first quarter.
Simmons’ third turnover, a lateral he threw with the defense bearing down on him, gave Iowa a first down at the Badgers’ 28 50 seconds into the second quarter.
Turnovers at the QB position by Danny O’Neil and now Simmons have put the Badgers in tough spots this season.
One of the beauties of first-year offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes’ offense is its ability to be productive without high-level quarterback play. That hasn’t come to fruition yet at Wisconsin, which has been hit with the injury of Billy Edwards (sprained knee) at the position and erratic play of backups O’Neil and Simmons. The Badgers’ 209 total yards Saturday equaled a season low and marked their fourth straight game with fewer than 300.
“This is not going to be an easy fix,” Fickell said. “Pound the rock is the idea. Something has to break at some point and time. I’m not going to say tonight was an opportunity for that, but every night, every Saturday is an opportunity for that and it did not happen tonight.”
UW’s woes come as once-struggling Big Ten programs thrive
As far as bad losses go, add this to a list that in the Fickell era that includes the 20-14 loss at Indiana in 2023, setbacks in 2024 to Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota and losses to Alabama, Maryland and Iowa this year.
Wisconsin’s poor performances are coming at a time when once-struggling programs such as Indiana and Illinois are thriving. UCLA has wins over Penn State and at Michigan State since firing DeShaun Foster. Northwestern upset Penn State on the road Saturday.
While the Badgers made improvements to elements of their roster, the results show that they have not outpaced what other teams are doing.
The situation leaves Fickell with a 15-17 record at Wisconsin facing the biggest challenge of his career and little reason to believe change is around the corner. Opportunity, however, knocks the next two weeks when UW hosts No. 1 Ohio State on Oct. 18 and travels to No. 2 Oregon on Oct. 25.
Saturday night the coach was asked if he believed he can turn around the program.
“There is nothing I can say out here publically that is any different. What matters is what is said in that (locker) room,” Fickell said. “I don’t fault you for asking. I don’t think people should think anything different, but the truth of the mattter is this is not an easy fix and we’ve got a hell of a long way to go.”
Iowa
Tamin Lipsey injury update, the latest on Iowa State basketball guard
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger updates on Tamin Lipsey’s health
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger updates on Tamin Lipsey’s health
LAS VEGAS — After getting time to further evaluate Tamin Lipsey’s status, Iowa State basketball ruled out the senior standout before the Cyclones’ 78-60 win over Creighton on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Beyond that, though, his status remains unclear. Following Tuesday’s win over the Bluejays, head coach T.J. Otzelberger said that Lipsey remains day-to-day with a groin injury.
“The decision was made this morning,” Otzelberger said. “Wanted to give it as much time as we could to see and Tamin certainly knows his body better, so we’ll just continue to evaluate it. It’ll stay as day-to-day, work with him and our training staff.”
It is not the same groin injury that Lipsey sustained towards the end of last season.
Lipsey’s latest injury occurred in the Cyclones’ 83-82 win over St. John’s. With 2:09 left in the game, Lipsey was hobbling while scrambling over to contest a shot. He went down to the side and did not return to the game.
Through five games this season, Lipsey is averaging 18.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game, while shooting 50.7% overall.
The Ames native was off to an impressive start this year and appeared to be the healthiest he had been in his career after playing through the 2024-25 season while dealing with various injuries. He suffered an MCL injury that required him to miss six weeks of the preseason, but there didn’t seem to be any lingering effects once he returned for the regular-season opener.
Although an exact timetable for a return is uncertain, Otzelberger said the emphasis is on Lipsey’s health.
Iowa State improved to 6-0 overall and awaits its opponent for the third game of the Players Era Festival. The Cyclones won both of their games against St. John’s and Creighton, but they’ll need to wait out the results of the remaining games on Tuesday to see if they’ll play in the championship, third-place contest or one of the consolation games.
“We don’t want him to feel any additional pressure,” Otzelberger said. “As much as we’re competitive and want to win every game, Tamin has done so much for our program. We want him to be healthy. We want his body to feel great, and we want him to be at his best, and we’ll be disciplined until that time comes.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
Iowa
Iowa Supreme Court upholds $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against Manchester police
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against the city of Manchester in the death of 31-year-old Gus Mormann, who died following a police chase in December 2020.
Mormann was killed after Lt. James Wessels of the Manchester Police Department continued a high-speed chase that other agencies had discontinued. The chase ended when Wessels crashed into Mormann’s motorcycle, severely injuring him. Mormann died about a month later from his injuries.
The case was never initially investigated until Mormann’s family took matters into their own hands, according to their attorney, Dave O’Brien.
“This case, for example, was never even investigated. No one would have ever heard of it if this family hadn’t sat down and said We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” O’Brien said.
Mormann’s mother, Sandra, described her son as someone who “had a lot of friends, everybody just loved him.” She said he was known as a character who always made people laugh and was an avid outdoorsman. Mormann lived with schizophrenia and had previous encounters with Manchester police.
On December 10, 2020, Mormann was riding his motorcycle despite having a suspended license when a police chase began. Eight law enforcement officers from the state patrol, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and the Manchester Police were involved as Mormann travelled at 100 mph.
The State Patrol and County Sheriff’s Office discontinued the chase, but Wessels continued pursuing Mormann. O’Brien said the police officer bumped Mormann’s motorcycle twice, causing him to crash.
Initially, Mormann’s parents were only told their son had gone into a ditch and was thrown from his motorcycle.
A jury found the police were reckless and disregarded Mormann’s rights, awarding the family $4.25 million. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld that verdict last week.
O’Brien said cases like this don’t happen often, but when they do, they set a precedent.
“We honour officers in Iowa, but if they are committing reckless, egregious, wrongful conduct, we’re going to hold them accountable,” O’Brien said.
The attorney noted this outcome would have been impossible without Mormann’s parents pushing for answers. Sandra Mormann said the family continues to grieve.
“Now we just have a broken heart, empty soul,” she said.
O’Brien said the city still has avenues to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but he believes that is unlikely to happen.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
25 burning questions we have entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
Trevin Jirak on Valley basketball’s win over Waukee Northwest
Trevin Jirak breaks down Valley’s win over Waukee Northwest in the Iowa high school basketball state championship. The Tigers claimed their third-straight title.
The Iowa high school boys basketball season is almost here.
The Des Moines Register came up with 25 questions we’re asking about the upcoming IHSAA season, which begins on Dec. 1. Most questions focus on Des Moines-area teams, but our staff was also curious about teams and players all around the state.
The answers to these questions will be revealed over the next few months.
25 questions entering the 2025-26 Iowa high school boys basketball season
- What does back-to-back-to-back state champion Valley look like under a new head coach and without players like Jayden McGregory, Kiki Deng, Trevin Jirak and Zay Robinson?
- With three of its five starters back – including Division I-bound big men Colin Rice and Landon Davis – is last season’s runner-up Waukee Northwest the favorite in Class 5A?
- Ames graduated most of its starting lineup from last year’s 21-win campaign. How many wins can the Little Cyclones pull off this season?
- Who will fill the Anthony Galvin-sized gap in Cedar Falls’ lineup?
- Cael LaFrentz scored 400 points as a sophomore and 701 as a junior. Can he break the 800-point mark in his final season of high school basketball?
- Is Des Moines Roosevelt the top team in the DMPS?
- Only one team across the state finished last season with an undefeated record. Can any programs do that this year?
- Players like Jevyn Severson (Madrid) and Pete Craig (Waukee) made an instant impact in their freshman year. Who will be the top first-year high school player in the state this season?
- Does Cedar Rapids Kennedy bring back enough firepower to return to the Casey’s Center for the fifth-straight season?
- Can Hudson Lorensen, Hudson Shull and Trey Bryte lead ADM back to the state tournament – and past the semifinals?
- Who will emerge as the best big man in Iowa?
- Will junior Lincoln Norris (Knoxville) sink over 100 3-pointers for the second-straight season?
- Can MOC-Floyd Valley make another surprising run in the state tournament, despite graduating three starters from last year’s championship-winning lineup?
- Dallas Center-Grimes graduated its leading scorer and leading assist-getter. Who will take over for Kyle Cason and Mateo Dzolota?
- Only one Iowa high school boys basketball player has ever scored over 1,000 points in a single season: Wapsie Valley’s Brooks McKowen in 2003. Are there any players capable of hitting that mark this year?
- Madrid capped an undefeated season with the Class 1A state title. After graduating three starting seniors – Brody Buck, Fabian Ortiz-Alaniz and Toryn Severson – can the Tigers make it back to the tournament?
- Will Des Moines Christian make it to the state tournament after coming up short last season?
- Jaxon Clark opted to return to Keokuk instead of playing for Montverde Academy. Will he lead the state in rebounds?
- Iowa City Liberty relied on a lot of young players last year. Can Jerimiah Washpun – who scored 437 points – and his teammates help the Lightning to a winning record?
- Dual-sport recruit Evan Jacobson opted to play his final season of high school basketball instead of graduating early. How far can he take Waukee after leading the Warriors in points and rebounds last year?
- Of the top 10 scorers in Class 5A from last season, seven graduated. Will Rio Aguirre (Ankeny), Washpun (Iowa City Liberty), Tevin Schultz (Dubuque Senior) or someone else emerge as the top scorer in Iowa’s largest class?
- What does Linn-Mar look like without Davis Kern on the court?
- It’s been a couple of years since Pryce Sandfort (Waukee Northwest) scored over 600 points in a single season. Will any player in Class 5A break the 600-point mark?
- West Lyon came up short last season, losing to Western Christian in the state title game. Can Jorden Meyer, Jared Ciesielski and Ben Meyer lead the Wildcats back to the state tournament?
- Which program – across all four classes – has the best shot of winning its first-ever state championship?
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
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