The Big Ten season is on the horizon Hawkeye fans but we still have one last test in the non conference schedule. On Saturday afternoon the Hawks will be hosting the 0-3 Western Michigan Broncos. This is a big game for the Hawks on Saturday we have to keep the momentum going for the Big Ten season opener against the Gophers. Western Michigan on the season has lost games to Nicholls State, Michigan State and Northwestern. They played fairly well against both MSU and Northwestern losing 20 to 7 vs the Spartans, 38 to 17 vs the Wildcats. Like every team we have played this season they will play the spread and throw the ball a lot. In the plays I saw against Northwestern they were able to hit a couple of deep balls down the field for touchdowns. This has me worried a little bit with the big plays we have given up this season but we get Jordan Lomax and Reece Flemming back this week so that should help some. Even though they do have some play makers Iowa should be able to handle them.
I expect this game to be a lot like Iowa State last weekend where we control both lines of scrimmage. Western Michigan gave up 300 yards rushing last week to Northwestern so expect to see a lot of Iowa running the football. We should be able to push the Broncos around and basically do anything we want on the ground just like we did vs the Cyclones last week. The Broncos aren't very big across the front of the defensive line except for Travonte Boles who is over 300 pounds and could cause some problems in the middle as our guards had a little trouble with ISU's big tackle last weekend. The one thing I want to see is Iowa finishing a team by playing all 4 quarters. They have had opportunities to finish all 3 games this season and haven't been able to get the job done. We need to see this team put a full game and put some points on the board Saturday. The potential is there for a strong offense but they need to finish off their drives with touchdowns. So I've previewed the game a little on what we can expect from the Broncos so what do we need to see from Iowa on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday I want to see Iowa run the football for 200 plus yards like they have all season. I want Weisman to get his carries but I would like to see more Damon Bullock and Jordan Canzeri, Leshun Daniels so we can rest up Mark for conference play. I expect we will see Mark get his 15 to 20 carries but I don't want to see him with 30 plus carries vs the Broncos. I also want to see the Hawks use the Playaction pass to get the ball down the field more. We should be able to run anytime we want on the Broncos so I expect all of our backs to get some quality carries on Saturday. I really want to see the combination of Bullock, Canzeri and Daniels get a lot of carries this weekend. Another thing I want to see is the passing offense continue to make progress, our running game has been great all season we just need the passing game to keep improving. Kevonte Martin Manley has been the most consistent receiver for the Hawks but we need some of the other guys to continue to improve. Jacob Hillyer and Tevaun Smith both made some plays vs the Cyclones so hopefully they continue to improve vs the Broncos. I'd also like to see Damond Powell make some plays this weekend and maybe get to see Matt Vandeberg get some time on Saturday. Our Tight Ends need to make more plays down the field Ray Hamilton seems to be emerging as a real threat we just need CJ Fiedorowicz to start to play better. What I look for is the offense to have a balanced game where we run the football well while also being able to see the passing game continue to improve before BIG Ten play starts. That is what I want to see from the offense on Saturday so what should we expect from the defense. .
Defensively Iowa needs to stop giving up big plays over the top of the defense. The secondary has struggled giving up the big play so expect the Broncos to take some shots down the field to there freshman Corey Davis who has totaled 300 yards receiving this season. Western Michigan has ran the ball pretty well this season but with the way Iowa's defense has stopped the run I think we will be fine. We held Iowa state to 56 yards rushing last week and the Broncos quarterback can't run like the other few we have seen this season. Western Michigan throws the ball a lot so we will have to make tackles and not allow the Broncos to make plays on the outside taking short passes to turn them into long gains. If Iowa can stop the run we will make them one dimensional so the pass rush becomes more important. We made strides in this area last week but need to continue to improve as we get into conference play. The main key for every game this season will be to run the football and stop the run. I expect the defense to hold down Western Michigan so if the offense can score on Saturday we should run away with this game. That is what I want to see from the defense so what can the special teams do to help the Hawks on Saturday.
I would like to see the special teams make some more plays for the Hawks Jordan Cotton had a big Kick Return vs the Cyclones so I think he is close to breaking one for a touchdown. Mike Meyer has made most of his field goals but hopefully we only have to see him for PAT's because Iowa is scoring so many touchdowns. Punting I hope we don't see Kornbraith a lot on Saturday but when we do I want to see consistency out of him. We have been very good on kickoff this season for the most part but coverage needs to be a little better on the kick return. We gave up a number of longer kick returns vs Iowa State and Missouri State so we need to take care of that before conference season.
Here is my prediction on Saturday Iowa 35 WMU 14. Iowa finally puts a game together on both offense and defense to win a game big. All I want to see from the Hawks is consistency the biggest key is wide receiver play they need to continue to improve. The Secondary can't allow big plays on Saturday those can be game changers. Also I want to see Iowa have some explosive plays whether that be a 20 yard plus run or some long passes down the field. This is a game where we should be able to extend the lead out and see some of our younger players. I want to see CJ Beathard get some snaps if we can extend the lead out. I expect Iowa to get a nice win to move to 3-1 on the season before we get ready for conference play. Also Western Michigan is 2-0 all time vs Iowa so we need to end that with a victory. I will have a review of the game so check it out.
Thanks
Go Hawks
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