Wisconsin Football: 3 takeaways from Big Ten West win over Iowa

2. Jonathan Taylor made a late Heisman case

Jonathan Taylor entered 2019 as a preseason favorite to emerge in the Heisman race. The Wisconsin running back ran for nearly 2,000 yards as a freshman and nearly 2,200 yards as a sophomore, making everyone wonder what he might be able to accomplish as a junior behind a veteran offensive line.

Interestingly, it has been a bit of a downturn and a regression to the mean this season as Taylor has also dealt with nagging injuries. He still ranks right behind J.K. Dobbins as the second-best back in the Big Ten, but Taylor has not traditionally been known as second-best. He challenged that narrative in Week 11 against a strong Iowa run defense that came to Madison giving up only 88 yards per game on the ground.

Taylor gashed the Hawkeyes early and often, moving the chains and racking up more than 200 yards for the 10th time in his college career. The standout Badgers back finished with 250 yards on 31 carries, and added an eight-yard catch to show off his hands as well. It was exactly the type of performance he needed to put up against the Hawkeyes to emerge victorious.

Taylor bolstered his flagging hopes of getting invited to Manhattan for the Heisman ceremony. While this is undoubtedly a year of the quarterback, Taylor has a great chance to at least earn a trip east in December ahead of bowl season.