For the first time in almost a month, Iowa football is back home at Kinnick Stadium.

The 5-2 Hawkeyes enter Saturday's game against No. 25 Wisconsin on a little bit of a low after a disappointing loss in Minneapolis last weekend, but a home rivalry win will certainly change that.

Here are some of the top Iowa players you should be watching for on Saturday:

QB Hank Brown

After Jeremy Hecklinski failed to make it through the first half in his second start at Minnesota last weekend, Ferentz is opting to stick with the man who replaced Hecklinski that day - Hank Brown. Though Brown fared poorly in Minneapolis (he threw two interceptions), Iowa is probably going with Brown in this game because he makes safer decisions with the football and has proven he can win games with his back against the wall as he orchestrated the game-winning 91-yard touchdown drive at Michigan on Sept. 26.

RB L.J. Phillips

With Kamari Moulton now officially ruled out for the season after suffering an arm injury against Minnesota, the bulk of the carries will probably fall on the shoulders of South Dakota transfer L.J. Phillips if he plays. Ferentz declared Phillips "day-to-day" because of his lingering ankle injury, but it would probably be a surprise if he doesn't try to give it a go on Saturday. With so many questions in the passing game, Iowa is going to need someone to step up in this running back room.

It's not going to be easy to get chunk yards against a good Wisconsin defense, but Phillips feels like the man most likely to get a chance to so. He was very candid with the local media about his first season in Iowa City so far on Tuesday, often blaming the Hawkeyes' struggling run game (112.5 yards per game in conference play) on his own performance.

"I feel disappointed [with the season so far] to be honest. I feel like I haven't been playing up to the standard, the Iowa standard," Phillips said. "I hold myself to a high level and I know I can reach that high standard so I have to be better."

RT Jack Dotzler

Speaking of Wisconsin's defense, it's been very good this year. The Badgers have yielded a conference-best 11.7 points per game in Big Ten play this year, including holding a high-octane USC offense to just seven points last weekend. The pass rush numbers rank in the middle of the pack, but expect Wisconsin to stack the box in this one to make Iowa try and beat the Badgers through the air. One way to get Wisconsin away from stacking the box would be to run the football and that's where this offensive line comes in.

Every member of this offensive line struggled against Minnesota, but we're focusing on right tackle Jack Dotzler here. The fifth-year has had his fair of problems this year, but he happens to be a Wisconsin native and will have many Badger friends rooting him on this weekend. Iowa needs stronger protection on the right side of the line, so we'll see if Dotzler can have a bounce back game in a rivalry that means so much to him.

DT Bryce Hawthorne

This is a football game that will probably be decided in the trenches, so it might be a good idea to watch out for Iowa's defensive line as well. The most logical name to include here would be Bryce Hawthorne, who is probably the Hawkeyes' most integral piece on the defensive line. Hawthorne has 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks this year, but the reason why he's on this list is because Wisconsin loves to run the football.

Iowa's run defense has been strong this year (second in the Big Ten at 82.9 yards per game), but this unit will have a tall task defending dual-threat quarterback Colton Joseph. While not a great passer, Joseph is the Badgers' leading rusher (365 yards) and is always a threat to get to the outside. All eyes will be on Hawthorne and Co. to see if they can contain the edge.

P Boston Everitt

If Iowa struggles to move the football again, expect it to use Everitt as a tool to help flip the field position battle and give its offense some short fields. Everitt's first season in the black and gold has been a good one, but he'll have to probably be on his A game if the Hawkeyes want to survive at home.

Source: Yahoo Sports