Change is afoot. Brendan Sullivan made his first career start for Iowa -- and directed Iowa to its most lopsided win over Wisconsin since a 41-0 Hawkeye win in 1968. The Hawkeye running game ran over, through, and all around the Badger defense, racking up over 300 yards and leading Iowa to a 42-10 rivalry game rout. The win locked up bowl eligibility for Iowa (6-3) and also was the 700th win in program history.

Brendan Sullivan got his first career start at Iowa on Saturday night -- and the Iowa offense picked up where it left off after erupting for 37 points under Sullivan against Northwestern last week. It didn't manifest in points right away -- Iowa's first two drives ended in a punt and a missed field goal, but neither drive was a three-and-out, either. In fact, Iowa had just two three-and-out drives all night, both at the end of the second quarter.

Over the rest of the game, Iowa rolled up 422 yards and 42 points, led by 329 yards on the ground. The ground game has been the biggest strength for Iowa on offense all season and having arguably the best running back in a Power 4 conference and an experienced, talented offensive line has been a big part of that -- but the presence of Sullivan played a major factor against Wisconsin as well.

Sullivan's own ability as a runner opens things up for the Iowa offense and gives defenses another running threat to account for -- which prevents defenses from crashing the line to smother Kaleb Johnson. It's been a very long time since Iowa had a quarterback that could do this:

Sullivan finished the game going 7-of-10 for 93 yards and a touchdown pass through the air -- and 58 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. That 58-yard rushing total includes 14 yards lost on a sack as well.

The running element that Sullivan brings to Iowa's offense is something the Hawkeyes haven't had since at least C.J. Beathard's tenure as Iowa quarterback -- and probably since Brad Banks led the most dominant offense of the Kirk Ferentz Era in 2002. Sullivan's mobility extends plays, creates better match-ups for Kaleb Johnson and the rest of Iowa's running backs, and makes the Iowa offense look more like a 21st century attack.

Wisconsin entered this game with a 1-3 record this season when allowing 150 yards or more on the ground. Make that a 1-4 record after they were mauled by the Iowa running game to the tune of 329 yards and five touchdowns. Iowa-Wisconsin games are often defined by the performance of the respective running games and this was as one-sided as it's been in Iowa's favor in several years.

Iowa out-gained Wisconsin 329 to 124 for the game, a total that includes 77 rushing yards Wisconsin picked up in the second half, most after the game had stopped being a competitive contest. Kaleb Johnson was again the star of the show, as he dominated Wisconsin to the tune of 135 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 24 carries (5.6 ypc).

With all due respect to Kaleb Johnson, who is putting together the greatest single season rushing the ball in Iowa history, this rushing performance was notable for its comprehensive and team-wide nature. Non-Kaleb Johnson players picked up nearly 200 yards on the ground, after all.

Kamari Moulton had 74 carries on nine carries, Jaziun Patterson finished with 56 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, and Sullivan added 58 yards and a score on nine rushes as well. The most remarkable part of Iowa's running performance may have been its inevitability: Wisconsin knew exactly what was coming and they were helpless to stop it, especially in the second half when three of four Iowa drives went for 8+ plays and all four drives ended in touchdowns.

Iowa also just stopped trying to pass the ball after the first quarter -- because it wasn't really needed. After throwing the ball six times in the first quarter, Sullivan threw just four more passes for the rest of the game, including one pass in each of the third and fourth quarters. Meanwhile, the rushing stats by quarter:

1st: 9 carries, 60 yards, touchdown

2nd: 16 carries, 92 yards, touchdown

3rd: 10 carries, 86 yards, touchdown

4th: 19 carries, 91 yards, two touchdowns

Iowa had a pair of scoring drives in the second half that consisted of nothing but runs. Iowa ran it down Wisconsin's throat again and again -- and met very little resistance. Needless to say, when Iowa can run the ball like that the Hawkeyes become a very difficult team to beat.

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Wisconsin gained 59 yards on 12 plays on its first drive of the game, culminating in a 38-yard field goal to go up 3-0. The Badgers gained 67 yards total on their next six drives. Those drives ended in an interception and five consecutive punts.

The Badgers had 146 yards in the second half, but several of those yards came after Iowa had already built a lopsided lead and taken full control of the game. Braedyn Locke finished 15-of-29 for 137 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. The second interception, a spectacular individual effort from Nick Jackson that echoed Tyler Sash's famous pinball pick-six on Halloween 2009.

Jackson wasn't able to return his interception for a touchdown, but it didn't matter -- Iowa scored one play later anyway, on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Brendan Sullivan to Jacob Gill.

This was a boa constrictor-like performance from the Iowa defense in the middle of the game; when they needed to get stops, they got stop after stop and squeezed the life out of the Wisconsin offense.

With Luke Lachey and Addison Ostrenga missing the game due to injury, the primary tight end duties fell to Zach Ortwerth, nominally the third-string tight end. Not a problem for Tight End U, as Ortwerth flashed ability as a blocker and a pass-catcher that suggests he can continue Iowa's tradition of strong play at tight end.

The highlight of Ortwerth's night was a 52-yard catch-and-run that was not just Iowa's longest pass play of the night, but its longest pass play of the season. Ortwerth caught a laser from Sullivan, broke a tackle, and rumbled for several more yards after the catch, displaying legitimate big play ability at tight end. Ortwerth finished the night as Iowa's leading receiver, with three receptions for 66 yards, and staked his claim to be next in line from the Iowa tight end factory.