The Hawks have there final game of the regular season coming up on Friday afternoon as they take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Iowa is 7-4 4-3 in the Big Ten while Nebraska is 8-3 5-2 in the Conference so this match up is basically for second place in the Legends division. I know second place isn't a great think we would all rather be playing for first but finishing in second place in the Legends when most people picked us to finish 4th or worse is very good. Both of these teams are going to a bowl game so that isn't on the line but either team could improve their bowl position. If Iowa wins I see them in Florida for the bowl season if they fall to the Cornhuskers on Friday still a good bowl the Gator or Buffalo Wild Wings bowl. I think if Iowa wins they will be headed to the Outback bowl due to the fact that two Big Ten teams will make the BCS whether that be Ohio State and Michigan State or Wisconsin it doesn't really matter two will likely make it the next will be in the Capitol one Bowl. This is why this game is so important I feel the winner will play in the Outback Bowl a January bowl game after last year would be way more than a success. So let's take a look at what you should expect on Friday.
Iowa over the course of the season has shown glimpses of a very good offense than they have also had games where the offense wasn't very good. On the season Jake Rudock is passing for 207 yards per game good enough for 86th in the country the problem with Rudock this season has been the number of interceptions he has thrown. He has thrown for 2155 yards on the season with 16 TD's and 12 INT's completing 60 percent of his passes. If Iowa is going to win in Lincoln they need Rudock to be on his game if he throws 3 interceptions like he did vs Michigan it will be very difficult for the Hawkeyes to come out with a win. The Hawks receiving core seems to be getting better as the season has gone on the one guy that really seems to be coming along is Tevaun Smith. He had a great game last weekend vs Michigan hauling in 6 passes for 96 yards a Touchdown so I will be very interested to see if he can continue that this week vs a decent secondary. Nebraska is allowing 213 yards passing per game, they also have a very strong pass rush sacking the quarterback 33 times this season. Iowa on the other hand is a very good pass blocking team only allowing 10 sacks so far this season so that will definitely be something to watch for on Friday. I see the screen game very important this weekend Nebraska is a very aggressive defense they blitz a lot to try to create pressure on the quarterback. This can be very beneficial to a team but it can also backfire as Iowa should have some one on one match ups on the outside.
I see the running game being a factor in this game but I also see the backs catching the ball out of the backfield more this week. Damon Bullock will probably play more snaps this week as he is the best pass blocker from the running back position.On the season the Hawks are rushing for 191.5 yards per game. They have had success the last 2 games running the football so this should help get the momentum on Iowa's side Friday. I see a very similar rotation to what we saw vs Michigan with Weisman getting his 18 carries and Jordan Canzeri getting 12 to 14 carries which leaves about 4 to 5 carries for Damon Bullock. Nebraska is allowing 161.6 yards on the ground they have struggled vs teams that have lined up to run the football right at them. I expect to see Iowa do the same thing the question will be how much success can Iowa have in the passing game to loosen up the Cornhusker defense. The Hawkeyes on the season are scoring 26.4 points per game while Nebraska allows 24.2 points per game. This like most of Iowa's games this season will come down to which team controls the line of scrimmage if the Hawks can run the ball well they will have a great shot to win this game. I think Canzeri could break one on Friday for a long Touchdown he has been close a couple of times and the Nebraska run defense has been vulnerable this season so don't be surprised if he gets loose on Saturday. Another guy that I expect will see the field is Damond Powell as Iowa will run a couple of screens to him and maybe hand it off to him once like vs Michigan. With the one on one match ups Iowa will have on the outside I see us taking some shots down the field. I don't see a shootout with these offenses but a well played game by both teams.
Nebraska is built on offense the days of the Blackshirts are gone even though the defense is decent the only way Nebraska will win this game is if they turn this into an offensive battle. Nebraska wants to run the football they are averaging 199 yards per game on the ground. They have one of the best running backs in the country in Ameer Abdullah who has rushed for 1483 yards and 7 Touchdowns. He is the main cog on the Nebraska offense but they also have a dual threat quarterback in Tommy Armstrong Jr. who has rushed the ball 57 times for 176 yards. Nebraska is built around there running game so if Iowa can slow down the run they should be able to force Nebraska into some difficult spots. They play two quarterbacks one Tommy Armstrong Jr. who has thrown for 807 yards 7 TD's 7 interceptions and Ron Kellog the Third who is the better passer throwing for 720 yards 5 TD's 1 interception. I believe if Iowa can make these two quarterbacks try to beat us we have a great chance to win the football game. On the season Nebraska is scoring 34 points per game while Iowa is only allowing 18.9 points per game. The Hawks run defense is only allowing 123 yards rushing per game. Nebraska's passing game isn't great but they do have two weapons on the outside Kenny Bell has 44 receptions for 499 yards with 4 Touchdowns averaging 11.3 yards per reception. Quincy Enunwa is the other threat he also has 44 receptions for 578 yards 9 Touchdowns averaging 13.1 yards per catch. The Iowa defense will have to keep an eye on these two as they have had trouble at times giving up the big play in the passing game. Iowa's secondary is only allowing 180.9 passing yards per game and the pass rush has been pretty good sacking the quarterback 18 times while Nebraska's offensive line has allowed 14 sacks this season. Again this game is going to come down to which team controls the line of scrimmage I believe if Iowa can pressure either of these quarterbacks they can force some turnovers Friday.
Special teams is always a huge factor in a close game and both of these teams have pretty good special team units. One of the major keys Friday will be Iowa's kickoff team vs the Nebraska return team Kenny Bell is a dangerous Kick returner averaging 23.5 yards per return as a team with one that went for a touchdown. Iowa is allowing 23.82 yards per kick return so they have to clean that up because a big play on Special teams can be a game changer. The Hawkeyes on the other hand are averaging 19.64 yards per return but Jordan Cotton just last week had a return over 60 yards. Nebraska's kickoff team is very good only allowing 17.82 yards per return. In the punt game Conor Korbraith is averaging 39.9 yards per punt with the punt team allowing 5.82 yard per return. Nebraska is averaging 3.1 yards per return. Nebraska's punt team is allowing 8.62 yards per punt return while the Hawkeyes are averaging 15 yards per return. Sam Foltz the Cornhusker punter is averaging 42.4 yards per punt. Nebraska has the advantage in the kick return game with Iowa having the advantage in the punt return game. Field goal kicking Nebraska's Pat Smith is 10 for 11 while Mike Meyer for the Hawkeyes is 15 for 20 and with wind likely being strong again it puts more pressure on these kickers.
Turnovers are always a factor in a close game last week Iowa turned the ball over 4 times losing the turnover battle but it was the first time this season that the Hawks won the game after losing the turnover battle. Iowa has fumbled 6 times with 13 Interceptions on the season while Nebraska has lost 15 fumbles and thrown 10 Interceptions. The Hawks have forced 17 turnovers this season with 7 fumble recoveries and 10 interceptions. Nebraska has forced 16 turnovers only 3 forced fumbles and 13 Interceptions. The team that wins this battle will likely be the team that comes out on top which is why it is so important for Rudock to take good care of the ball. He has thrown 12 Interceptions this season and he is going vs a very aggressive secondary that likes to jump the short routes so he will have to be careful on Friday.
My prediction is a very close game between these 2 teams both teams are playing pretty good football I just have a feeling that Iowa is ready to win a big road game. I have the Hawkeyes 24 to 17 it could be a little more low scoring but I think Iowa will be able to run the football. It's going to come down to quarterback play and Jake Rudock has proved that he can win games passing the football. I think Iowa will be able to force a turnover on Friday and I think that Jordan Canzeri get's loose for a long gain. If my prediction is correct on Friday Iowa would be 8-4 headed to the Outback Bowl to meet another SEC Team with 3 straight wins to end the season. I guess we will find out on Friday I have a number of posts up on the website so check them all out my Battle 4 Atlantis Preview is right below this one as the Basketball team is playing in that starting tomorrow. As always thanks for reading.
Go Hawks.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Battle 4 Atlantis Preview.
Since Iowa is going to be playing in this tournament coming up on Thursday at 6pm I thought I would write up a preview of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Iowa hasn't been tested much yet but the number 23 team in the country will have some tests in this tournament. We will find out how good this team is as they could potentially play Xavier, Tennessee and Kansas on there way to the championship. Here are the first round match ups for the Battle for Atlantis Iowa vs Xavier, Utep vs Tennessee, this is the bottom half of the bracket on the top half it's Kansas vs Wake Forest, Villanova vs USC. This is what the bracket looks like lets dive deeper into all of these teams.
Iowa will be playing Xavier on Thursday night so I will start off with a preview of the Musketeers they are out of the Big East conference so this would be a good win for the Hawks. On the season they are 5-0 with a win over Tennessee 67 to 63 who is the team that could play the winner or loser of this game. On the season they averaging 79 points per game with 16.6 assists and shooting 52 percent from the field. Team stats are hard to read too much into this early in the season due to most teams level of competition. They are led in scoring by Semaj Christian a 6 ft 3 guard who is averaging 16.4 points per game looking at his numbers he has been to the free throw line 39 times this season only making 20 so he looks to drive to the basket a lot only shot 4 three pointers made 2 of them. They are a fairly balanced team with 5 guys averaging over 7 points per game. Matt Stainbrook is their interior threat the 6 ft 10 Center is averaging 10 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Xavier only allows 57 points per game so they play pretty good defense. Xavier is turning the ball over 13.5 times per game which isn't terrible but with the pressing defense Iowa plays this will be a key factor. They are a 39 percent 3 point shooting team making 24 of 61 with Miles Davis being their best 3 point shooter making 10 of 23 on the year. Also Xavier is only a 59.9 percent free throw shooting team so this could come in to play if it's a close game. That was a small preview on Iowa's first opponent.
If Iowa wins and Tennessee wins they would play each other on Friday night at 6 on the NBC Sports Network so lets do a quick preview of the Volunteers. Tennessee is 3-1 on the season with their only loss coming at the hands of Xavier. They play Utep with winner playing the winner of Iowa and Xavier. The Volunteers average 78 points per game shooting 47 percent from the field with 12.2 assists. Tennessee is led in scoring by Jordan McRae a 6 ft 6 guard who is averaging 21.5 points per game he is a 45 percent 3 point shooter 9 for 20 on the season. The other 3 key players for Tennessee are Jarnell Stokes a 6 ft 8 forward who is averaging 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Antonio Barton a 6 ft 2 Guard scoring 10.8 points per game and 2.3 assist. Barton is 61 percent 3 point shooter 8 of 13 and the final player is Jeronne Maymon the 6 ft 8 Forward averaging 9.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. On the season Tennessee is 24 of 54 from the three 44 percent they also shoot 69 percent from the foul line getting there 111 times. Tennessee turns the ball over 9 times a game which is a very good number as Iowa turns it over 11 times per game which is about where you want that number. Tennessee allows 64.8 points per game. This could be a very interesting match up in the second round if both teams win.
UTEP plays Tennessee so here is a look at what they have done so far this season they are 3-2 with their only 2 losses coming vs New Mexico State. The Miners average 74.8 points per game shooting 46 percent from the field with 15 assists per game. They are a very balanced team with 6 guys scoring above 8 points per game and 4 scoring in double figures. They are led in scoring by Mckenzie Moore a 6 ft 6 guard who is averaging 14 points 4.8 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Cedrick Lang 6 ft 10 Forward averaging 11 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Julian Washburn 6 ft 8 G/F averaging 10.4 points per game while shooting 44 percent from 3. Vince Hunter a 6 ft 8 forward scoring 10.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. John Bohannen 6 ft 11 Center averaging 9.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. So again the Miners are a very balanced scoring team so it will be interesting to see their game vs Tennessee which follows the Iowa game against Xavier. They turn the ball over 14 times per game so if they get by Tennessee expect Iowa to really pressure the ball to force the Miners into some turnovers. UTEP allows 64.6 points per game. We looked at the potential second round match ups now I'm going to preview the other half of the bracket.
Lets start out with a preview of Wake Forest the Demon Deacons are undefeated 5-0 on the season they haven't played a very strong schedule so it's hard to tell how good they are. They are the unlucky ones of the bunch drawing number 2 Kansas in their first game so I don't expect we will see this team but it's basketball anything can happen. They play a little faster than most of teams I've previewed so far they score 85 points per game shooting 44.5 percent with 17.2 assists per game. They have 4 players scoring in double figures leading them is Codi Miller-Mcintyre a 6 ft 3 Guard who is scoring 18.6 points and 4.8 assists. Devin Thomas the 6 ft 9 Forward averaging 14.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Travis Mckie a 6 ft 7 Forward scoring 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Coron Williams the 6 FT 1 Guard averaging 11.2 points per game and is a 41 percent three point shooter. They take good care of the ball only averaging 9 turnovers per game. They shoot a lot of 3 pointers making 30 of 92 on the season while shooting 64.2 percent from the foul line. They allow 66.8 points per game. The only way Iowa would meet them is if they made it all the way to the Championship game.
Kansas is the team that most people feel are the favorite to win this tournament and they are the team I think Iowa would play in the Championship if they make it. The Jayhawks are ranked 2nd in the Nation 4-0 with a win over Duke 94 to 83. They are averaging 87 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the field with 19.3 assists per game. They play Wake Forest in the first round of this tournament and they are likely to make the championship game. Kansas is a very balanced team with 3 players scoring in double figures and 6 players scoring at least 7 points per game. Andrew Wiggins the 6 ft 8 guard leads the Jayhawks in scoring averaging 16.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Wiggins is the potential number one draft pick in next years NBA draft. Perry Ellis the 6 Ft 8 Forward is averaging 16.8 points and 7 rebounds per game. Wayne Selden Jr. is a 6 ft 5 guard who scores 10.5 points with 3.3 assists per game. Kansas does turn the ball over 12 times per game so if Iowa happens to play them they could take advantage of the Jayhawks not taking care of the ball.The Jayhawks are 21 of 56 from the 3 point line while shooting 68 percent from the free throw line. Kansas only allows 67.5 points per game so they do play pretty good defense.
The other match up on the top half of the bracket is USC vs Villanova. The Trojans are 4-1 on the season scoring 75.2 points while shooting 46 percent from the field with 15.4 assists per game. USC is based around their big 3 with leading scorer Byron Wesley 6 ft 5 Guard who is scoring 19.8 points and 8.8 rebounds with 3.4 assists. Omar Oraby a 7 Ft 2 Center averaging 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. J.T. Terrell scoring 10 points per game. USC is turning the ball over 12 times per game while shooting 31 percent from 3 26 for 82. They are a 65 percent free throw shooting team. USC is allowing 67.8 points per game. Again the only way Iowa would play this team would be in the championship game which is possible but not likely.
Villanova is undefeated on the season 4-0 with wins over Towson and Delaware so they haven't played a very difficult schedule. The Wildcats average 81 points while shooting 46 percent from the field with 17 assists per game. They are led in scoring by Jayvaughn Pinkston the 6 ft 7 forward who is averaging 20.3 points per game James Bell the 6 ft 6 Guard is scoring 18 points with 7 rebounds per game. Darrun Hilliard the 6 ft 6 guard is the third leading scorer averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds per game. Villanova averages 11 turnovers per game shooting 25 percent from 3 for 24 of 94, and shooting 72 percent from the foul line. They allow 60.5 points per game and they are a team we could play if they make the finals but I'm not sure they can get by Kansas.
Finally I'll preview the Iowa Hawkeyes they haven't really played a lot of competition yet so it will be very interesting to see how they do vs some of the better teams. Iowa is averaging 92.6 points per game shooting 47 percent from the field with 18.2 assists per game. Iowa like most of the teams in this tournament have a very balanced scoring attack with 4 guys averaging over 9 points and 7 players scoring over 7 points per game. The Hawks are led in scoring by Roy Devin Marble a 6 ft 6 guard scoring 14.6 points 3.8 assists per game. Aaron White the 6 ft 9 forward is scoring 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Jarrod Uthoff is the 3rd leading scorer for the Hawks which is kind of a surprise the 6 ft 9 transfer from Wisconsin is scoring 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Iowa is turning the ball over 11 times per game while shooting 35 percent from 3 29 of 82 and 74 percent from the foul line.Iowa is only allowing 54.6 points per game The Hawks like to play extremely fast and are probably the deepest team in the tournament Kansas has the most talent but going 9 almost 10 deep the Hawks are the deepest team.
Prediction time in the First Round Match ups I have Iowa defeating Xavier by 10 points it will be close for a while but the Hawks pull away in the end. I see Kansas Rolling to a first round victory over Wake Forest, I like Villanova to knock off USC in the first round, and I think Tennessee gets the win over UTEP in a very close one. I think this game could go either way but I like the Volunteers to advance. For the second round I think the games will both be close but I think Iowa will get by Tennessee in a close game to move on to the championship, Kansas will also beat Villanova so I have the two best teams making it to the championship on Saturday night. I think Iowa does have a chance to knock off Kansas it won't be easy but the Hawks have the depth and talent to compete with Kansas. Especially after playing for the 3rd night in a row this will be a huge factor in the game come Saturday. I think Iowa will upset Kansas on Saturday night the Jayhawks have the more talented team but I just have a feeling the Hawks get it done. It could go either way but I think Iowa's depth will allow them to knock off Kansas in a very close game. I will have a preview of the Nebraska game coming soon for the football team thanks for reading.
Go Hawks.
Iowa will be playing Xavier on Thursday night so I will start off with a preview of the Musketeers they are out of the Big East conference so this would be a good win for the Hawks. On the season they are 5-0 with a win over Tennessee 67 to 63 who is the team that could play the winner or loser of this game. On the season they averaging 79 points per game with 16.6 assists and shooting 52 percent from the field. Team stats are hard to read too much into this early in the season due to most teams level of competition. They are led in scoring by Semaj Christian a 6 ft 3 guard who is averaging 16.4 points per game looking at his numbers he has been to the free throw line 39 times this season only making 20 so he looks to drive to the basket a lot only shot 4 three pointers made 2 of them. They are a fairly balanced team with 5 guys averaging over 7 points per game. Matt Stainbrook is their interior threat the 6 ft 10 Center is averaging 10 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Xavier only allows 57 points per game so they play pretty good defense. Xavier is turning the ball over 13.5 times per game which isn't terrible but with the pressing defense Iowa plays this will be a key factor. They are a 39 percent 3 point shooting team making 24 of 61 with Miles Davis being their best 3 point shooter making 10 of 23 on the year. Also Xavier is only a 59.9 percent free throw shooting team so this could come in to play if it's a close game. That was a small preview on Iowa's first opponent.
If Iowa wins and Tennessee wins they would play each other on Friday night at 6 on the NBC Sports Network so lets do a quick preview of the Volunteers. Tennessee is 3-1 on the season with their only loss coming at the hands of Xavier. They play Utep with winner playing the winner of Iowa and Xavier. The Volunteers average 78 points per game shooting 47 percent from the field with 12.2 assists. Tennessee is led in scoring by Jordan McRae a 6 ft 6 guard who is averaging 21.5 points per game he is a 45 percent 3 point shooter 9 for 20 on the season. The other 3 key players for Tennessee are Jarnell Stokes a 6 ft 8 forward who is averaging 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Antonio Barton a 6 ft 2 Guard scoring 10.8 points per game and 2.3 assist. Barton is 61 percent 3 point shooter 8 of 13 and the final player is Jeronne Maymon the 6 ft 8 Forward averaging 9.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. On the season Tennessee is 24 of 54 from the three 44 percent they also shoot 69 percent from the foul line getting there 111 times. Tennessee turns the ball over 9 times a game which is a very good number as Iowa turns it over 11 times per game which is about where you want that number. Tennessee allows 64.8 points per game. This could be a very interesting match up in the second round if both teams win.
UTEP plays Tennessee so here is a look at what they have done so far this season they are 3-2 with their only 2 losses coming vs New Mexico State. The Miners average 74.8 points per game shooting 46 percent from the field with 15 assists per game. They are a very balanced team with 6 guys scoring above 8 points per game and 4 scoring in double figures. They are led in scoring by Mckenzie Moore a 6 ft 6 guard who is averaging 14 points 4.8 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Cedrick Lang 6 ft 10 Forward averaging 11 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Julian Washburn 6 ft 8 G/F averaging 10.4 points per game while shooting 44 percent from 3. Vince Hunter a 6 ft 8 forward scoring 10.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. John Bohannen 6 ft 11 Center averaging 9.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. So again the Miners are a very balanced scoring team so it will be interesting to see their game vs Tennessee which follows the Iowa game against Xavier. They turn the ball over 14 times per game so if they get by Tennessee expect Iowa to really pressure the ball to force the Miners into some turnovers. UTEP allows 64.6 points per game. We looked at the potential second round match ups now I'm going to preview the other half of the bracket.
Lets start out with a preview of Wake Forest the Demon Deacons are undefeated 5-0 on the season they haven't played a very strong schedule so it's hard to tell how good they are. They are the unlucky ones of the bunch drawing number 2 Kansas in their first game so I don't expect we will see this team but it's basketball anything can happen. They play a little faster than most of teams I've previewed so far they score 85 points per game shooting 44.5 percent with 17.2 assists per game. They have 4 players scoring in double figures leading them is Codi Miller-Mcintyre a 6 ft 3 Guard who is scoring 18.6 points and 4.8 assists. Devin Thomas the 6 ft 9 Forward averaging 14.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Travis Mckie a 6 ft 7 Forward scoring 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Coron Williams the 6 FT 1 Guard averaging 11.2 points per game and is a 41 percent three point shooter. They take good care of the ball only averaging 9 turnovers per game. They shoot a lot of 3 pointers making 30 of 92 on the season while shooting 64.2 percent from the foul line. They allow 66.8 points per game. The only way Iowa would meet them is if they made it all the way to the Championship game.
Kansas is the team that most people feel are the favorite to win this tournament and they are the team I think Iowa would play in the Championship if they make it. The Jayhawks are ranked 2nd in the Nation 4-0 with a win over Duke 94 to 83. They are averaging 87 points per game while shooting 56 percent from the field with 19.3 assists per game. They play Wake Forest in the first round of this tournament and they are likely to make the championship game. Kansas is a very balanced team with 3 players scoring in double figures and 6 players scoring at least 7 points per game. Andrew Wiggins the 6 ft 8 guard leads the Jayhawks in scoring averaging 16.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Wiggins is the potential number one draft pick in next years NBA draft. Perry Ellis the 6 Ft 8 Forward is averaging 16.8 points and 7 rebounds per game. Wayne Selden Jr. is a 6 ft 5 guard who scores 10.5 points with 3.3 assists per game. Kansas does turn the ball over 12 times per game so if Iowa happens to play them they could take advantage of the Jayhawks not taking care of the ball.The Jayhawks are 21 of 56 from the 3 point line while shooting 68 percent from the free throw line. Kansas only allows 67.5 points per game so they do play pretty good defense.
The other match up on the top half of the bracket is USC vs Villanova. The Trojans are 4-1 on the season scoring 75.2 points while shooting 46 percent from the field with 15.4 assists per game. USC is based around their big 3 with leading scorer Byron Wesley 6 ft 5 Guard who is scoring 19.8 points and 8.8 rebounds with 3.4 assists. Omar Oraby a 7 Ft 2 Center averaging 13.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. J.T. Terrell scoring 10 points per game. USC is turning the ball over 12 times per game while shooting 31 percent from 3 26 for 82. They are a 65 percent free throw shooting team. USC is allowing 67.8 points per game. Again the only way Iowa would play this team would be in the championship game which is possible but not likely.
Villanova is undefeated on the season 4-0 with wins over Towson and Delaware so they haven't played a very difficult schedule. The Wildcats average 81 points while shooting 46 percent from the field with 17 assists per game. They are led in scoring by Jayvaughn Pinkston the 6 ft 7 forward who is averaging 20.3 points per game James Bell the 6 ft 6 Guard is scoring 18 points with 7 rebounds per game. Darrun Hilliard the 6 ft 6 guard is the third leading scorer averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds per game. Villanova averages 11 turnovers per game shooting 25 percent from 3 for 24 of 94, and shooting 72 percent from the foul line. They allow 60.5 points per game and they are a team we could play if they make the finals but I'm not sure they can get by Kansas.
Finally I'll preview the Iowa Hawkeyes they haven't really played a lot of competition yet so it will be very interesting to see how they do vs some of the better teams. Iowa is averaging 92.6 points per game shooting 47 percent from the field with 18.2 assists per game. Iowa like most of the teams in this tournament have a very balanced scoring attack with 4 guys averaging over 9 points and 7 players scoring over 7 points per game. The Hawks are led in scoring by Roy Devin Marble a 6 ft 6 guard scoring 14.6 points 3.8 assists per game. Aaron White the 6 ft 9 forward is scoring 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Jarrod Uthoff is the 3rd leading scorer for the Hawks which is kind of a surprise the 6 ft 9 transfer from Wisconsin is scoring 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Iowa is turning the ball over 11 times per game while shooting 35 percent from 3 29 of 82 and 74 percent from the foul line.Iowa is only allowing 54.6 points per game The Hawks like to play extremely fast and are probably the deepest team in the tournament Kansas has the most talent but going 9 almost 10 deep the Hawks are the deepest team.
Prediction time in the First Round Match ups I have Iowa defeating Xavier by 10 points it will be close for a while but the Hawks pull away in the end. I see Kansas Rolling to a first round victory over Wake Forest, I like Villanova to knock off USC in the first round, and I think Tennessee gets the win over UTEP in a very close one. I think this game could go either way but I like the Volunteers to advance. For the second round I think the games will both be close but I think Iowa will get by Tennessee in a close game to move on to the championship, Kansas will also beat Villanova so I have the two best teams making it to the championship on Saturday night. I think Iowa does have a chance to knock off Kansas it won't be easy but the Hawks have the depth and talent to compete with Kansas. Especially after playing for the 3rd night in a row this will be a huge factor in the game come Saturday. I think Iowa will upset Kansas on Saturday night the Jayhawks have the more talented team but I just have a feeling the Hawks get it done. It could go either way but I think Iowa's depth will allow them to knock off Kansas in a very close game. I will have a preview of the Nebraska game coming soon for the football team thanks for reading.
Go Hawks.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Iowa vs Michigan Review
Last Saturday at Kinnick Stadium Iowa had their biggest win in the last 3 years over the Michigan Wolverines. Maybe I'm placing a little more on it than it was but I believe this win is a signal that this team back on the upswing. We went through a little rebuild the last couple of years but this season really is starting to have a 2008 feel to it. If you remember Iowa had a very similar record before winning the final 3 games of the regular season and beating South Carolina in a bowl game. The Hawkeyes look to be on a very similar path right now the team has been getting better every single game. If Iowa beats Nebraska on Friday the same thing that happened in 2008 could happen again and we all remember 2009 when we started 9-0 nearly winning the Big Ten. So am I saying that the 2008 season and 20013 with look exactly the same not necessarily but there are a lot of thing similar with this season to that one. Enough about what could happen lets talk about what did happen on Saturday.
The Iowa offense was very bad in the first half I mean the first play on offense Jake Rudock threw a pick 6 after he was hit on a play action pass. Rudock didn't have a lot of options on this play but he probably could of taken the sack instead of just throwing the ball up for grabs but that is something learned through experience. I mean that first half couldn't of gone any worse for the Hawks but like they have all season they kept on fighting. Even though it was very cold and Michigan seemed to be in complete control of the game I felt if Iowa could take care of the ball they could get back in the game. Really Iowa gave Michigan their points first the interception for a touchdown than the second interception where Rudock threw into triple coverage to set up another Michigan touchdown. After Iowa got down 7 to 0 they put a nice drive together to respond but missed the field goal. The Hawks 3rd drive resulted in a touchdown pass from Rudock to Fiedorowicz capping a 7 play 45 yard drive. Again the Iowa defense continued to shut down the Michigan offense but the next drive Iowa turned it over on downs than threw another interception. Both of Michigan's scoring drives started in Iowa territory one going 7 plays for 28 yards a touchdown pass from Gardner, than the second drive right before halftime 10 plays 47 yards and another TD from Gardner. Jordan Cotton had a big kick return before the half but a bobbled snap on the field goal caused the Hawks to miss another scoring opportunity. The interesting thing about this first half is it felt a lot like the Wisconsin game we were making a lot of mistakes which would wind up costing us the game.
Iowa came out in the second half looking like a completely different team and the play that completely changed the game was Tevaun Smiths 55 yard touchdown catch. He made a one handed catch on the play gathered it in broke a tackle than out ran every one to the end zone. After this play I could really feel the momentum shift towards the Hawkeyes, the defense completely shutdown Michigan forcing 4 three and outs out of the 6 Michigan possessions. After Iowa's touchdown it seemed like we were going to tie the game but we had to punt 2 times than Rudock threw another interception when Iowa was driving for the game tying score. Instead of getting frustrated like the fans were the defense went back on the field allowing one first down but only 4 plays to force a punt. Finally Iowa put there best drive together going 60 yards in 9 plays to score the game tying touchdown. Mark Weisman had his best game since the beginning of the season bulldozing the Michigan defender into the end zone. After the Hawks tied the game the defense was just outstanding in the second half forced another 3 and out, these are the type of things you need to happen to overcome losing the turnover battle to win a football game. Iowa than put another nice drive together to get the go ahead field goal from Mike Meyer on 9 plays for 50 yards. After the field goal the defense came up big once again as Michigan was starting to drive the ball down the field when Anthony Hitchens and Tanner Miller stripped Devin Garder with Hitchens recovering it. Iowa had a key third down Michigan was likely going to get the ball back if the Hawks just ran the ball instead they called a play action naked bootleg giving Rudock the option to throw or run he found Fiedorowicz for a first down sealing the win for the Hawks. So we know how the Hawks got the win so lets take a look at some of the key stats.
Offensively Jake Rudock was okay but the way he fought back after throwing 3 interceptions was very impressive. He went 19 of 30 for 239 yards throwing 2 TD passes and 3 interceptions but he was outstanding down the stretch of the game. He really made some big time throws. I had been saying it for while that Tevaun Smith was getting close to having that breakout game well that happened last weekend. Smith had 5 catches for 97 yards including a 55 yard touchdown reception leading the Hawks in receiving. . He had the big touchdown catch but also had a 21 yard reception to start off the game winning drive followed by an 8 yard catch. He really had a big game when Iowa needed him the most. Now hopefully he can continue to build on this success becoming a more consistent threat. CJ Fiedorowicz also had a nice game hauling in 3 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. Rudock completed passes to 10 different receivers including 2 catches from Martin Manley for 20 yards, Hillyer didn't have a lot of catches only 2 but both went for first downs. Jordan Canzeri, Mark Weisman and Damon Bullock all caught passes out of the backfield. Canzeri had 2 catches for 27 yards Bullock only had one catch but it was a great catch on a back shoulder throw setting up a field goal attempt. The running game was very good on Saturday as the Hawks rushed for 168 yards on 44 carries averaging 3.8 yards per carry. Weisman had 17 carries for 88 yards looking a lot more explosive than he had the last few weeks. Jordan Canzeri had his second nice performance rushing 12 times for 50 yards, and Damon Bullock had 4 carries for 12 yards. Michigan's defense coming into this game was very good against the run so this was a very good day for the Hawkeyes on the ground. Even though Iowa had some mistakes on offense they made up for them in the second half to pull off the come from behind victory.
The Iowa defense on Saturday was unbelievable in the second half completely shutting down the Michigan offense. They only allowed 60 yards rushing and 98 yards passing holding the offense under 200 yards a very impressive performance. There isn't really anything bad to say about the defense they won this game for the Hawks by keeping the team in the game long enough for the offense to get going. Desmond King was just outstanding he probably had a little chip on his shoulder being from Michigan, he was all over the field breaking up passes and Carl Davis another kid from Michigan just dominated the interior offensive line with 8 tackles. This front 7 is outstanding but the big thing for this team is they are starting to eliminate the big plays they were giving up early in the season not only is the front 7 playing well but the secondary is too. Coming up on Friday Iowa has a big test facing the Nebraska rushing offense but the way they have played all season I believe they will be up for the challenge. These linebackers Iowa have are right up there with the best in the country they all make so many plays. Hitchens coming up with the strip to finish the game also they are very effective when they blitz timing the blitz to get to the quarterback. All 3 of these guys have an NFL future and it's great to see all the seniors having a lot of success.
Special teams played a role in the game as Meyer missed a field goal than was unable to attempt one as the snap was bobbled. He came back though to make the big one putting the Hawks ahead by 3 which turned out to be the game winning points. Jordan Cotton had a strong day returning kicks including a 27.5 yard average with one for 60 yards. The kickoff team was decent for Iowa only allowing 21.2 yards per return to the Wolverines. Punting Connor Kornbraith was pretty good for the conditions averaging 37.5 yards per punt with 2 of his 4 punts downed inside the 20.
Now that Hawks got win number 7 they will be going bowling to a nice area of the country but I see this team finishing even stronger. This win last Saturday is one that I believe people will look back on and be like that was the game that turned the program around. We all remember last season's 4-8 team can this team reverse those totals making it 8-4 with a win over Nebraska I think they can. Iowa needs to win one of these games in Lincoln to really turn this into a rivalry but enough about that enjoy this great win over Michigan. I will have a preview for the Nebraska game in the next day so check back. As always thanks for reading.
Go Hawks.
The Iowa offense was very bad in the first half I mean the first play on offense Jake Rudock threw a pick 6 after he was hit on a play action pass. Rudock didn't have a lot of options on this play but he probably could of taken the sack instead of just throwing the ball up for grabs but that is something learned through experience. I mean that first half couldn't of gone any worse for the Hawks but like they have all season they kept on fighting. Even though it was very cold and Michigan seemed to be in complete control of the game I felt if Iowa could take care of the ball they could get back in the game. Really Iowa gave Michigan their points first the interception for a touchdown than the second interception where Rudock threw into triple coverage to set up another Michigan touchdown. After Iowa got down 7 to 0 they put a nice drive together to respond but missed the field goal. The Hawks 3rd drive resulted in a touchdown pass from Rudock to Fiedorowicz capping a 7 play 45 yard drive. Again the Iowa defense continued to shut down the Michigan offense but the next drive Iowa turned it over on downs than threw another interception. Both of Michigan's scoring drives started in Iowa territory one going 7 plays for 28 yards a touchdown pass from Gardner, than the second drive right before halftime 10 plays 47 yards and another TD from Gardner. Jordan Cotton had a big kick return before the half but a bobbled snap on the field goal caused the Hawks to miss another scoring opportunity. The interesting thing about this first half is it felt a lot like the Wisconsin game we were making a lot of mistakes which would wind up costing us the game.
Iowa came out in the second half looking like a completely different team and the play that completely changed the game was Tevaun Smiths 55 yard touchdown catch. He made a one handed catch on the play gathered it in broke a tackle than out ran every one to the end zone. After this play I could really feel the momentum shift towards the Hawkeyes, the defense completely shutdown Michigan forcing 4 three and outs out of the 6 Michigan possessions. After Iowa's touchdown it seemed like we were going to tie the game but we had to punt 2 times than Rudock threw another interception when Iowa was driving for the game tying score. Instead of getting frustrated like the fans were the defense went back on the field allowing one first down but only 4 plays to force a punt. Finally Iowa put there best drive together going 60 yards in 9 plays to score the game tying touchdown. Mark Weisman had his best game since the beginning of the season bulldozing the Michigan defender into the end zone. After the Hawks tied the game the defense was just outstanding in the second half forced another 3 and out, these are the type of things you need to happen to overcome losing the turnover battle to win a football game. Iowa than put another nice drive together to get the go ahead field goal from Mike Meyer on 9 plays for 50 yards. After the field goal the defense came up big once again as Michigan was starting to drive the ball down the field when Anthony Hitchens and Tanner Miller stripped Devin Garder with Hitchens recovering it. Iowa had a key third down Michigan was likely going to get the ball back if the Hawks just ran the ball instead they called a play action naked bootleg giving Rudock the option to throw or run he found Fiedorowicz for a first down sealing the win for the Hawks. So we know how the Hawks got the win so lets take a look at some of the key stats.
Offensively Jake Rudock was okay but the way he fought back after throwing 3 interceptions was very impressive. He went 19 of 30 for 239 yards throwing 2 TD passes and 3 interceptions but he was outstanding down the stretch of the game. He really made some big time throws. I had been saying it for while that Tevaun Smith was getting close to having that breakout game well that happened last weekend. Smith had 5 catches for 97 yards including a 55 yard touchdown reception leading the Hawks in receiving. . He had the big touchdown catch but also had a 21 yard reception to start off the game winning drive followed by an 8 yard catch. He really had a big game when Iowa needed him the most. Now hopefully he can continue to build on this success becoming a more consistent threat. CJ Fiedorowicz also had a nice game hauling in 3 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. Rudock completed passes to 10 different receivers including 2 catches from Martin Manley for 20 yards, Hillyer didn't have a lot of catches only 2 but both went for first downs. Jordan Canzeri, Mark Weisman and Damon Bullock all caught passes out of the backfield. Canzeri had 2 catches for 27 yards Bullock only had one catch but it was a great catch on a back shoulder throw setting up a field goal attempt. The running game was very good on Saturday as the Hawks rushed for 168 yards on 44 carries averaging 3.8 yards per carry. Weisman had 17 carries for 88 yards looking a lot more explosive than he had the last few weeks. Jordan Canzeri had his second nice performance rushing 12 times for 50 yards, and Damon Bullock had 4 carries for 12 yards. Michigan's defense coming into this game was very good against the run so this was a very good day for the Hawkeyes on the ground. Even though Iowa had some mistakes on offense they made up for them in the second half to pull off the come from behind victory.
The Iowa defense on Saturday was unbelievable in the second half completely shutting down the Michigan offense. They only allowed 60 yards rushing and 98 yards passing holding the offense under 200 yards a very impressive performance. There isn't really anything bad to say about the defense they won this game for the Hawks by keeping the team in the game long enough for the offense to get going. Desmond King was just outstanding he probably had a little chip on his shoulder being from Michigan, he was all over the field breaking up passes and Carl Davis another kid from Michigan just dominated the interior offensive line with 8 tackles. This front 7 is outstanding but the big thing for this team is they are starting to eliminate the big plays they were giving up early in the season not only is the front 7 playing well but the secondary is too. Coming up on Friday Iowa has a big test facing the Nebraska rushing offense but the way they have played all season I believe they will be up for the challenge. These linebackers Iowa have are right up there with the best in the country they all make so many plays. Hitchens coming up with the strip to finish the game also they are very effective when they blitz timing the blitz to get to the quarterback. All 3 of these guys have an NFL future and it's great to see all the seniors having a lot of success.
Special teams played a role in the game as Meyer missed a field goal than was unable to attempt one as the snap was bobbled. He came back though to make the big one putting the Hawks ahead by 3 which turned out to be the game winning points. Jordan Cotton had a strong day returning kicks including a 27.5 yard average with one for 60 yards. The kickoff team was decent for Iowa only allowing 21.2 yards per return to the Wolverines. Punting Connor Kornbraith was pretty good for the conditions averaging 37.5 yards per punt with 2 of his 4 punts downed inside the 20.
Now that Hawks got win number 7 they will be going bowling to a nice area of the country but I see this team finishing even stronger. This win last Saturday is one that I believe people will look back on and be like that was the game that turned the program around. We all remember last season's 4-8 team can this team reverse those totals making it 8-4 with a win over Nebraska I think they can. Iowa needs to win one of these games in Lincoln to really turn this into a rivalry but enough about that enjoy this great win over Michigan. I will have a preview for the Nebraska game in the next day so check back. As always thanks for reading.
Go Hawks.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Iowa Basketball and Football Thoughts
Whats up Hawk fans I haven't wrote about Iowa Sports in a while so I thought I would give some thoughts on the Football and Basketball team. The football team is coming off a bye week after they got their 6th win in impressive fashion 38 to 14 over Purdue. Iowa now has a big game against Michigan at home this Saturday. Michigan has been struggling a lot lately only scoring 6,13, and 9 in regulation games even though they put up 27 due to the triple Overtime win over Northwestern. Iowa needs a signature win for this season beating Michigan would be a great win for this program even though Michigan is a little down this year they are still Michigan. So lets recap the Purdue victory before we move on to previewing the Michigan game.
Offensively Iowa had one of their best games totaling 509 yards on 72 plays while rushing 52 times for 318 yards. This was the first game Iowa was able to run the football but it was Purdue so I don't exactly know what this tells us about the team. Jake Rudock had a very solid game going 12 for 20 with 191 yards 2 Touchdown passes with 0 interceptions. This was the first game where Jake didn't throw an interception in a long time so hopefully this means he has turned the corner. Jordan Canzeri started at running back and was a big success carrying the ball 20 times for 165 yards 1 Touchdown. Damon Bullock had 10 carries for 85 yards and Mark Weisman had 9 carries for 30 yards. I really liked how Iowa used their running backs on Saturday they basically used Jordan Canzeri and Damon Bullock for the majority of the carries with Weisman getting the short yardage carries. Now there were some big holes for all the backs to run through but over the last 2 games Wisconsin and Purdue Jordan Canzeri has looked like the best running back on the team. I expect we will see him starting when the Wolverines come to town this Saturday. From the receiver position Iowa had catches from George Kittle 3 for 37 yards Don Shumpert had his best game with 2 catches for 69 yards maybe this means he has finally getting it. Tevaun Smith had 2 receptions for 33 yards and CJ Fiedorowicz also had 2 catches for 19 yards. Kevonte Martin Manley only had one catch but it was a big one a 19 yard Touchdown reception. I still need to see the offense perform against a good defense, they will get that chance this weekend vs Michigan's defense.
Defensively Iowa was very good only allowing 53 yards rushing to Purdue completely shutting down the Boilermaker rushing attack. Iowa didn't really give up to many big plays on defense which has been a problem for this secondary all season but in this game they only allowed one long touchdown. Iowa forced one turnover and sacked the quarterback twice. This will be a big factor this weekend as Michigan's offensive line has been pretty bad allowing a number of sacks to all of there last 3 opponents. I see Iowa being able to get some pressure on Devin Gardner forcing him to make some bad decision with the football. Now that we looked at Purdue lets preview what we will be seeing on Saturday against the Michigan.
Offensively Iowa is the team we thought they were they run the football a lot to set up the Play action pass. On the season Jake Rudock is throwing for 204 yards per game with 14 Touchdowns and 9 interceptions. For Iowa to win this game they need Rudock to make smart decisions in each of Iowa's losses this year he has thrown a big interception. Usually when he has a clean game throwing the football Iowa is going to win. Michigan is 75th vs the pass allowing 236 yards passing per game. Iowa ran the ball better vs Purdue and averaging 193 yards rushing per game. Michigan is 13th in the nation against the run only allowing 111.2 yards rushing per game so they will be focused on stopping the run forcing us to try to beat them through the air. Iowa's offense on the season is averaging 26.6 points per game while Michigan is allowing 25.2 points per game. I don't really know how good this defense is they have had games where they shut down the opposing offense but other games like vs Indiana where they gave up 47 points. I believe Iowa can take advantage of this defense but the receivers need to step up this weekend to make some plays down the field. The running game needs to continue to be successful like vs Purdue hopefully this gives us some momentum vs Michigan. I believe Jordan Canzeri will start at Running back with Bullock and Weisman splitting carries with him. I've been impressed with Jordan's vision he has always had the speed but over the last 2 weeks he showed great vision to find the right hole it also helps that he has that breakaway speed.
Defensively Iowa has been very solid for the most part, they have given up a lot of big plays this season. Devin Gardner is a dual threat quarterback just like Colter and Braxton Miller who gave Iowa some fits when they ran the football. He isn't as good of a passer as Miller so that should help us a little but he is still throwing for 247 yards per game the problem with Gardner is that he doesn't always make the smartest decision. Gardner's numbers are similar to Rudocks with 15 Touchdown passes and 11 interceptions he has also ran the ball 146 times for 461 yards 10 rushing touchdowns. He is a legit dual threat so containing him will be extremely important because he is at his best when he gets outside the pocket to make plays. Iowa is a very good pass defense only allowing 189.2 yards passing per game but they are susceptible to the big play and Michigan has two big play receivers Devin Funchess a very athletic Tight end who has 42 catches for 684 yards 5 Touchdowns, Jeremy Gallon is their other big play guy with 65 catches 1062 yards 7 touchdowns. Iowa's safety play has to be better this weekend I have watched Michigan play a little and while the offense is struggling right now they still have some guys that can make plays down the field. Michigan is 95th in rushing averaging 135.6 yards per game but the last few games they have had negative yardage rushing while Iowa only allows 130 yards rushing per game. Michigan has allowed 31 sacks so Iowa should be able to put some pressure on Devin Gardner this weekend. Iowa has blitzed a lot more this season than previous years so I expect to see this continue also the Raider package should be in play again this weekend. If Iowa gets pressure on Gardner he will make bad decisions with the football. Now Michigan can score averaging 34.3 points per game while Iowa only allows 18.7 points per game. This should be another defensive battle it's going to be cold and windy perfect football weather in the Midwest the team that controls both lines of scrimmage will win the football game.
Special teams as always can turn a game completely around so Iowa's kickoff coverage which has been better lately will have to continue to contain the Wolverines return men. Michigan averages 22 yards per kick return. Michigan allows 21.3 yards per kick return so maybe Jordan Cotton will be able to make some plays this weekend. Iowa's kick coverage is allowing 24 yards per return. Turnovers can also be a big factor Iowa has turned the ball over 15 times this season while Michigan 18 times. The kicking game can always be a factor in a close game both kickers are very good Mike Meyer is 14 of 18 while Brendan Gibbons 15 for 20 so if it comes down to a kick either team could win this game.
Prediction I like Iowa this weekend Michigan has been struggling on the offensive side of the ball I think Iowa will get some pressure on Gardner intercepting him 2 times. Last week he got a way with at least 5 passes that should of been intercepted. I think Iowa wins this one 24 to 10 it could be a lower scoring game but coming off the bye and Michigan having played 3 straight physically tough games. I see the Hawkeyes winning the turnover battle and Rudock making enough plays with his arm to help Iowa get to win number 7. The biggest key in this game will be containing Devin Gardner he has the ability to cause havoc with his arm and legs. I just think Iowa will be able to make enough plays to win the game Saturday Michigan got very lucky against Northwestern so if the Hawks don't turn the ball over they should win this game going away. This is my football prediction for this weekend but another sport started that is College Basketball so I'm going to give a few thoughts on the team.
I'm very excited about this team they have a chance to be a very special they are probably the deepest team Iowa has had in a long time. They also just became ranked 25th in the USA Today poll for the first time since the Alford days so this is very exciting. Iowa is undefeated 4-0 even though they haven't played a lot of competition but they played a very solid Nebraska Omaha team that came in not scared led at the half but Iowa battled back to get the win. The team is averaging 94 points per game 20 assists per game but again they haven't really played anybody too good yet. Iowa has one game left vs Penn on Friday before they have a big preseason tournament, the games in this tournament will tell us how good this team will be. Iowa will play Xavier on Thanksgiving night I believe the games will be on the NBS Sports network if they win that game they play the winner of Tennesse and Utep at 1p.m on Friday, if they happen to win that game they could play Kansas in the Championship. The top half of the bracket is Kansas vs Wake Forest and Villanova vs USC. We will know a lot about this team during this stretch of games than we host Notre Dame. I think this could be a very special team that should make the NCAA tournament and possibly compete for a Big Ten Championship but I still have to see us do it vs some good teams. I'll have a review of the Iowa Michigan game while touching on the basketball team next week so be sure to check back. Thanks for reading
Go Hawks.
Offensively Iowa had one of their best games totaling 509 yards on 72 plays while rushing 52 times for 318 yards. This was the first game Iowa was able to run the football but it was Purdue so I don't exactly know what this tells us about the team. Jake Rudock had a very solid game going 12 for 20 with 191 yards 2 Touchdown passes with 0 interceptions. This was the first game where Jake didn't throw an interception in a long time so hopefully this means he has turned the corner. Jordan Canzeri started at running back and was a big success carrying the ball 20 times for 165 yards 1 Touchdown. Damon Bullock had 10 carries for 85 yards and Mark Weisman had 9 carries for 30 yards. I really liked how Iowa used their running backs on Saturday they basically used Jordan Canzeri and Damon Bullock for the majority of the carries with Weisman getting the short yardage carries. Now there were some big holes for all the backs to run through but over the last 2 games Wisconsin and Purdue Jordan Canzeri has looked like the best running back on the team. I expect we will see him starting when the Wolverines come to town this Saturday. From the receiver position Iowa had catches from George Kittle 3 for 37 yards Don Shumpert had his best game with 2 catches for 69 yards maybe this means he has finally getting it. Tevaun Smith had 2 receptions for 33 yards and CJ Fiedorowicz also had 2 catches for 19 yards. Kevonte Martin Manley only had one catch but it was a big one a 19 yard Touchdown reception. I still need to see the offense perform against a good defense, they will get that chance this weekend vs Michigan's defense.
Defensively Iowa was very good only allowing 53 yards rushing to Purdue completely shutting down the Boilermaker rushing attack. Iowa didn't really give up to many big plays on defense which has been a problem for this secondary all season but in this game they only allowed one long touchdown. Iowa forced one turnover and sacked the quarterback twice. This will be a big factor this weekend as Michigan's offensive line has been pretty bad allowing a number of sacks to all of there last 3 opponents. I see Iowa being able to get some pressure on Devin Gardner forcing him to make some bad decision with the football. Now that we looked at Purdue lets preview what we will be seeing on Saturday against the Michigan.
Offensively Iowa is the team we thought they were they run the football a lot to set up the Play action pass. On the season Jake Rudock is throwing for 204 yards per game with 14 Touchdowns and 9 interceptions. For Iowa to win this game they need Rudock to make smart decisions in each of Iowa's losses this year he has thrown a big interception. Usually when he has a clean game throwing the football Iowa is going to win. Michigan is 75th vs the pass allowing 236 yards passing per game. Iowa ran the ball better vs Purdue and averaging 193 yards rushing per game. Michigan is 13th in the nation against the run only allowing 111.2 yards rushing per game so they will be focused on stopping the run forcing us to try to beat them through the air. Iowa's offense on the season is averaging 26.6 points per game while Michigan is allowing 25.2 points per game. I don't really know how good this defense is they have had games where they shut down the opposing offense but other games like vs Indiana where they gave up 47 points. I believe Iowa can take advantage of this defense but the receivers need to step up this weekend to make some plays down the field. The running game needs to continue to be successful like vs Purdue hopefully this gives us some momentum vs Michigan. I believe Jordan Canzeri will start at Running back with Bullock and Weisman splitting carries with him. I've been impressed with Jordan's vision he has always had the speed but over the last 2 weeks he showed great vision to find the right hole it also helps that he has that breakaway speed.
Defensively Iowa has been very solid for the most part, they have given up a lot of big plays this season. Devin Gardner is a dual threat quarterback just like Colter and Braxton Miller who gave Iowa some fits when they ran the football. He isn't as good of a passer as Miller so that should help us a little but he is still throwing for 247 yards per game the problem with Gardner is that he doesn't always make the smartest decision. Gardner's numbers are similar to Rudocks with 15 Touchdown passes and 11 interceptions he has also ran the ball 146 times for 461 yards 10 rushing touchdowns. He is a legit dual threat so containing him will be extremely important because he is at his best when he gets outside the pocket to make plays. Iowa is a very good pass defense only allowing 189.2 yards passing per game but they are susceptible to the big play and Michigan has two big play receivers Devin Funchess a very athletic Tight end who has 42 catches for 684 yards 5 Touchdowns, Jeremy Gallon is their other big play guy with 65 catches 1062 yards 7 touchdowns. Iowa's safety play has to be better this weekend I have watched Michigan play a little and while the offense is struggling right now they still have some guys that can make plays down the field. Michigan is 95th in rushing averaging 135.6 yards per game but the last few games they have had negative yardage rushing while Iowa only allows 130 yards rushing per game. Michigan has allowed 31 sacks so Iowa should be able to put some pressure on Devin Gardner this weekend. Iowa has blitzed a lot more this season than previous years so I expect to see this continue also the Raider package should be in play again this weekend. If Iowa gets pressure on Gardner he will make bad decisions with the football. Now Michigan can score averaging 34.3 points per game while Iowa only allows 18.7 points per game. This should be another defensive battle it's going to be cold and windy perfect football weather in the Midwest the team that controls both lines of scrimmage will win the football game.
Special teams as always can turn a game completely around so Iowa's kickoff coverage which has been better lately will have to continue to contain the Wolverines return men. Michigan averages 22 yards per kick return. Michigan allows 21.3 yards per kick return so maybe Jordan Cotton will be able to make some plays this weekend. Iowa's kick coverage is allowing 24 yards per return. Turnovers can also be a big factor Iowa has turned the ball over 15 times this season while Michigan 18 times. The kicking game can always be a factor in a close game both kickers are very good Mike Meyer is 14 of 18 while Brendan Gibbons 15 for 20 so if it comes down to a kick either team could win this game.
Prediction I like Iowa this weekend Michigan has been struggling on the offensive side of the ball I think Iowa will get some pressure on Gardner intercepting him 2 times. Last week he got a way with at least 5 passes that should of been intercepted. I think Iowa wins this one 24 to 10 it could be a lower scoring game but coming off the bye and Michigan having played 3 straight physically tough games. I see the Hawkeyes winning the turnover battle and Rudock making enough plays with his arm to help Iowa get to win number 7. The biggest key in this game will be containing Devin Gardner he has the ability to cause havoc with his arm and legs. I just think Iowa will be able to make enough plays to win the game Saturday Michigan got very lucky against Northwestern so if the Hawks don't turn the ball over they should win this game going away. This is my football prediction for this weekend but another sport started that is College Basketball so I'm going to give a few thoughts on the team.
I'm very excited about this team they have a chance to be a very special they are probably the deepest team Iowa has had in a long time. They also just became ranked 25th in the USA Today poll for the first time since the Alford days so this is very exciting. Iowa is undefeated 4-0 even though they haven't played a lot of competition but they played a very solid Nebraska Omaha team that came in not scared led at the half but Iowa battled back to get the win. The team is averaging 94 points per game 20 assists per game but again they haven't really played anybody too good yet. Iowa has one game left vs Penn on Friday before they have a big preseason tournament, the games in this tournament will tell us how good this team will be. Iowa will play Xavier on Thanksgiving night I believe the games will be on the NBS Sports network if they win that game they play the winner of Tennesse and Utep at 1p.m on Friday, if they happen to win that game they could play Kansas in the Championship. The top half of the bracket is Kansas vs Wake Forest and Villanova vs USC. We will know a lot about this team during this stretch of games than we host Notre Dame. I think this could be a very special team that should make the NCAA tournament and possibly compete for a Big Ten Championship but I still have to see us do it vs some good teams. I'll have a review of the Iowa Michigan game while touching on the basketball team next week so be sure to check back. Thanks for reading
Go Hawks.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Iowa vs Wisconsin Game Review
Saturday was a game filled with missed opportunities for the Hawkeyes in a game where they had a great chance to beat a very good Wisconsin team. Iowa had great field position the entire first quarter and came away with 3 points once this happened I knew we would regret that later in the game. Wisconsin went on to win the football game 28 to 9 but the score was a lot closer than that. If a few plays would have went the Hawks way they probably win this football game. So why did the offense struggle so much on Saturday against the Badgers defense?
The Hawks struggled running the football once again vs the Wisconsin 3-4 defense only being able to rush for 110 total yards. I really don't know what to say about this running game because at times they have been very good but lately we haven't been able to get whole lot going on the ground. Weisman just doesnt' look like he has the same burst that he had earlier in the season maybe that is because of the better teams we are playing. Weisman was held to 15 yards on 9 carries only averaging 1.7 yards per carry and Damon Bullock had 6 carries for 6 yards only averaging 1 yard per carry. The only running backs that had any type of success were Leshun Daniels who had 4 carries for 14 yards a 3.5 yard average per run. The leading rusher for the Hawks was Jordan Canzeri who ran the 5 times for 58 yards including a long of 43 yards and an average of 11.6 yards per carry. I really am at a loss right now with the fact that Iowa just can't get the running game going maybe playing a smaller shiftier back may be the right thing for the Hawks going forward. Canzeri hasn't had a whole lot of carries on the season averaging 6 yards on 29 carries for 129 yards. I like all of the backs for the Hawkeyes but the interesting thing is that Mark Weisman is not getting the majority of the carries on Saturday Iowa ran the ball 32 times for 110 yards with only 3.4 yards per carry. For 4 of the first 5 weeks of the season Mark Weisman ran the ball for over 20 times a game in the last 3 games he has ran the ball 10 times, 13 times and 9 times. Something has changed with Weisman I don't know if he just banged up or if maybe the defense has figured out that Weisman isn't going to hurt them running the football. Bullock and Weisman haven't been effective running the football so is it time to think about giving Daniels and Canzeri more carries in the next few weeks?
The Iowa passing game wasn't good only completing 16 of 40 passes between Rudock and Beathard for 179 yards 2 interceptions. Jake just couldn't get a whole lot going he missed a number of open receivers on Saturday that could of been some big plays for the Hawkeyes. Dropped passes were an issue for the Hawkeyes as they dropped at least 5 passes that I remember the big one coming down at the 5 yard line where the Hawks were driving Rudock escaped the pocket to hit Kevonte Martin Manley on 3rd down but he dropped the pass. Rudock missed back to back plays which would have been touchdowns on the first play they ran a deep post by Tevaun Smith with a wheel route by Kevonte Martin Manley Jake threw the ball to Martin Manley but overthrew him. On the play Smith was wide open on the post would of been an easy touchdown he just didn't see him. The very next play Kevonte Martin Manley ran a double move out and up where he was all by himself but Rudock pulled the ball down to quick due to the pass rush so he didn't see him. If Iowa could of made one of these plays this game would of been changed dramatically.
The leading receiver for the Hawks was Damond Powell who had 3 catches for 43 yards, Damon Bullock also had 3 catches for 39 yards, Don Shumpert had a nice game with 2 catches for 35 yards. Tevaun Smith had 2 receptions for 26 yards, 1 receptions by CJ Fiedorowicz for 16 yards. The only other players with a reception Jake Duzey had 2 catches for 8 yards, Kevonte Martin Manley had his worst game of the season hauling in 2 catches for 6 yards, Matt Vandeberg had 1 catch for 6 yards. We saw a very good passing game by the Hawkeyes vs Ohio State when they used the 3 tight end set but they have gone away from that formation for the most part. They tried to get Jake Duzey involved but the Wisconsin defense was focused on him so he didn't get a lot of chances to make plays. I still think there is a possibility the Hawkeyes passing game can improve I see great things in the future from Tevaun Smith. I really think for the Hawkeyes to get a passing game going they need Damond Powell, and Tevaun Smith to become more consistent. In this game Iowa made 2 critical mistakes they ran a play action pass down at the goal line where Rudock was pressured he could have been sacked for a safety instead he just threw the ball up for grabs and was intercepted. This play completely changed this game Iowa was trailing 7 to 6 when the Badgers intercepted the pass than scored one play later. The other interception was thrown by CJ Beathard who was hit as he threw the ball and it hit Andrew Donnal in the helmet bouncing in the air for an interception. One thought about Beathard is he definitely has a cannon he makes throws that other quarterbacks simply can't. I'm not saying we have a quarterback controversy yet but going into next year we could have another battle on our hands. Rudock has played very well this season earning this starting job if he is healthy he will be the starting quarterback for this football team. I'd like to see him throw the ball down the field a little bit more he has a tendency to pass the ball to the flat when the middle of the field has been open. I don't know if that is by design or if he just does that on his own. When Beathard came in he threw the ball down the field on a number of throws. Iowa needs to hit some passes down the field if defenses are going to respect the passing game to open up the running game.
Defensively Iowa played a very good game they held Wisconsin to 218 rushing yards with most of those yards coming in the 4th quarter. The impressive thing for the Hawkeyes defense is they forced 3 straight 3 and outs to start the game including an interception by Tanner Miller. The Hawks did get a lot of pressure Stave for the most part sacking him at least 3 times that I can remember. The blitzing the Hawkeyes did on Saturday was very effective. This has been a tool the Hawks have used all season and it has worked very well. The Secondary was much improved on Saturday but they still allowed some big plays the first touchdown by the Badgers was a 44 yard TD reception. The second TD pass was a 20 yard pass play to Jared Abbrederis another play over 20 yards for a TD. Iowa has to play better in the secondary by stopping these big plays they have hurt us all season long the Safeties are part of the problem but it is hard to tell what the coverage is on these plays. Iowa's defense did hold the Wisconsin passing game to 144 yards they forced one turnover a interception but lost the turnover battle 2 to 1. I can't put this game on the defense they played very good all day they just got a little bit tired down the stretch they kept Iowa in the game as the offense only put up 3 field goals.
Special teams was actually a bright spot on Saturday the coverage teams were very good. Mike Meyer made 3 field goals and Konor Cornbraith punted the ball fairly well averaging 41 yards per punt with a long of 54 and 3 inside the 20 yard line. The return game was okay for the Hawks Saturday Jordan Cotton 4 kickoff returns for 88 yards averaging 22 yards per return. Kevonte Martin Manley had 2 punt returns for 10 yards 5 yards per return. Penalties hurt Iowa very badly they had the ball on the Wisconsin 29 but they got a false start penalty even though they did pick up a first down later on the drive. Iowa had the ball 2nd and 6 at the Wisconsin 14 CJ Fiedorowicz was called for holding making it 2nd and 16 they also converted a first down on 4th down and 1. Later on this same drive they had the ball 3rd and goal at the 3 yards line another false Start penalty Rudock ran for 4 yards on 3rd and goal from the 8 without the false start he has a touchdown. Iowa didn't have a lot of penalties but they had critical penalties that hurt drives where they had a chance to score touchdowns.
Looking at this game as a whole the Hawks missed a lot of opportunities on Saturday in the first quarter they had the ball on the Wisconsin side of the field just couldn't score touchdowns. The defense kept Iowa in the game the offense just couldn't score touchdowns settling for field goals. Against a good team like the Badgers Iowa needed to score touchdowns if they were going to win this football game. Iowa has 3 games left this season which starts this weekend with a must win game at Purdue they then have a bye week before their final home game against Michigan finishing up on the road at Nebraska. I believe the Hawks can do some special things this season they could finish this season on winning streak going 8-4 or 7-5 is very important for this team they have had a lot of success against teams they are supposed to beat now it's time for them to win a game against a good team like Michigan or Nebraska. The Hawkeyes need to win this game vs Purdue on Saturday getting to the 6 win mark and bowl eligible should take some pressure off the team.. I will have a preview of that game coming up in the next few days thanks for reading.
Go Hawks.
The Hawks struggled running the football once again vs the Wisconsin 3-4 defense only being able to rush for 110 total yards. I really don't know what to say about this running game because at times they have been very good but lately we haven't been able to get whole lot going on the ground. Weisman just doesnt' look like he has the same burst that he had earlier in the season maybe that is because of the better teams we are playing. Weisman was held to 15 yards on 9 carries only averaging 1.7 yards per carry and Damon Bullock had 6 carries for 6 yards only averaging 1 yard per carry. The only running backs that had any type of success were Leshun Daniels who had 4 carries for 14 yards a 3.5 yard average per run. The leading rusher for the Hawks was Jordan Canzeri who ran the 5 times for 58 yards including a long of 43 yards and an average of 11.6 yards per carry. I really am at a loss right now with the fact that Iowa just can't get the running game going maybe playing a smaller shiftier back may be the right thing for the Hawks going forward. Canzeri hasn't had a whole lot of carries on the season averaging 6 yards on 29 carries for 129 yards. I like all of the backs for the Hawkeyes but the interesting thing is that Mark Weisman is not getting the majority of the carries on Saturday Iowa ran the ball 32 times for 110 yards with only 3.4 yards per carry. For 4 of the first 5 weeks of the season Mark Weisman ran the ball for over 20 times a game in the last 3 games he has ran the ball 10 times, 13 times and 9 times. Something has changed with Weisman I don't know if he just banged up or if maybe the defense has figured out that Weisman isn't going to hurt them running the football. Bullock and Weisman haven't been effective running the football so is it time to think about giving Daniels and Canzeri more carries in the next few weeks?
The Iowa passing game wasn't good only completing 16 of 40 passes between Rudock and Beathard for 179 yards 2 interceptions. Jake just couldn't get a whole lot going he missed a number of open receivers on Saturday that could of been some big plays for the Hawkeyes. Dropped passes were an issue for the Hawkeyes as they dropped at least 5 passes that I remember the big one coming down at the 5 yard line where the Hawks were driving Rudock escaped the pocket to hit Kevonte Martin Manley on 3rd down but he dropped the pass. Rudock missed back to back plays which would have been touchdowns on the first play they ran a deep post by Tevaun Smith with a wheel route by Kevonte Martin Manley Jake threw the ball to Martin Manley but overthrew him. On the play Smith was wide open on the post would of been an easy touchdown he just didn't see him. The very next play Kevonte Martin Manley ran a double move out and up where he was all by himself but Rudock pulled the ball down to quick due to the pass rush so he didn't see him. If Iowa could of made one of these plays this game would of been changed dramatically.
The leading receiver for the Hawks was Damond Powell who had 3 catches for 43 yards, Damon Bullock also had 3 catches for 39 yards, Don Shumpert had a nice game with 2 catches for 35 yards. Tevaun Smith had 2 receptions for 26 yards, 1 receptions by CJ Fiedorowicz for 16 yards. The only other players with a reception Jake Duzey had 2 catches for 8 yards, Kevonte Martin Manley had his worst game of the season hauling in 2 catches for 6 yards, Matt Vandeberg had 1 catch for 6 yards. We saw a very good passing game by the Hawkeyes vs Ohio State when they used the 3 tight end set but they have gone away from that formation for the most part. They tried to get Jake Duzey involved but the Wisconsin defense was focused on him so he didn't get a lot of chances to make plays. I still think there is a possibility the Hawkeyes passing game can improve I see great things in the future from Tevaun Smith. I really think for the Hawkeyes to get a passing game going they need Damond Powell, and Tevaun Smith to become more consistent. In this game Iowa made 2 critical mistakes they ran a play action pass down at the goal line where Rudock was pressured he could have been sacked for a safety instead he just threw the ball up for grabs and was intercepted. This play completely changed this game Iowa was trailing 7 to 6 when the Badgers intercepted the pass than scored one play later. The other interception was thrown by CJ Beathard who was hit as he threw the ball and it hit Andrew Donnal in the helmet bouncing in the air for an interception. One thought about Beathard is he definitely has a cannon he makes throws that other quarterbacks simply can't. I'm not saying we have a quarterback controversy yet but going into next year we could have another battle on our hands. Rudock has played very well this season earning this starting job if he is healthy he will be the starting quarterback for this football team. I'd like to see him throw the ball down the field a little bit more he has a tendency to pass the ball to the flat when the middle of the field has been open. I don't know if that is by design or if he just does that on his own. When Beathard came in he threw the ball down the field on a number of throws. Iowa needs to hit some passes down the field if defenses are going to respect the passing game to open up the running game.
Defensively Iowa played a very good game they held Wisconsin to 218 rushing yards with most of those yards coming in the 4th quarter. The impressive thing for the Hawkeyes defense is they forced 3 straight 3 and outs to start the game including an interception by Tanner Miller. The Hawks did get a lot of pressure Stave for the most part sacking him at least 3 times that I can remember. The blitzing the Hawkeyes did on Saturday was very effective. This has been a tool the Hawks have used all season and it has worked very well. The Secondary was much improved on Saturday but they still allowed some big plays the first touchdown by the Badgers was a 44 yard TD reception. The second TD pass was a 20 yard pass play to Jared Abbrederis another play over 20 yards for a TD. Iowa has to play better in the secondary by stopping these big plays they have hurt us all season long the Safeties are part of the problem but it is hard to tell what the coverage is on these plays. Iowa's defense did hold the Wisconsin passing game to 144 yards they forced one turnover a interception but lost the turnover battle 2 to 1. I can't put this game on the defense they played very good all day they just got a little bit tired down the stretch they kept Iowa in the game as the offense only put up 3 field goals.
Special teams was actually a bright spot on Saturday the coverage teams were very good. Mike Meyer made 3 field goals and Konor Cornbraith punted the ball fairly well averaging 41 yards per punt with a long of 54 and 3 inside the 20 yard line. The return game was okay for the Hawks Saturday Jordan Cotton 4 kickoff returns for 88 yards averaging 22 yards per return. Kevonte Martin Manley had 2 punt returns for 10 yards 5 yards per return. Penalties hurt Iowa very badly they had the ball on the Wisconsin 29 but they got a false start penalty even though they did pick up a first down later on the drive. Iowa had the ball 2nd and 6 at the Wisconsin 14 CJ Fiedorowicz was called for holding making it 2nd and 16 they also converted a first down on 4th down and 1. Later on this same drive they had the ball 3rd and goal at the 3 yards line another false Start penalty Rudock ran for 4 yards on 3rd and goal from the 8 without the false start he has a touchdown. Iowa didn't have a lot of penalties but they had critical penalties that hurt drives where they had a chance to score touchdowns.
Looking at this game as a whole the Hawks missed a lot of opportunities on Saturday in the first quarter they had the ball on the Wisconsin side of the field just couldn't score touchdowns. The defense kept Iowa in the game the offense just couldn't score touchdowns settling for field goals. Against a good team like the Badgers Iowa needed to score touchdowns if they were going to win this football game. Iowa has 3 games left this season which starts this weekend with a must win game at Purdue they then have a bye week before their final home game against Michigan finishing up on the road at Nebraska. I believe the Hawks can do some special things this season they could finish this season on winning streak going 8-4 or 7-5 is very important for this team they have had a lot of success against teams they are supposed to beat now it's time for them to win a game against a good team like Michigan or Nebraska. The Hawkeyes need to win this game vs Purdue on Saturday getting to the 6 win mark and bowl eligible should take some pressure off the team.. I will have a preview of that game coming up in the next few days thanks for reading.
Go Hawks.
Friday, November 1, 2013
The Battle for the Heartland Trophy Preview
Whats up Hawk fans it has been a whole 3 years since the Hawks have played the Wisconsin Badgers. That will all come to an end this weekend as the Badgers are in town for a critical conference match-up. Wisconsin is coming off a bye week and they are 5-2 with a 3-1 record in the conference. Iowa comes into this game coming off probably their biggest win so far this year over Northwestern 17 to 10 in OT to bring their record to 5-3 2-2 in the conference. I expect to see a fight on Saturday these teams both are known for being the more physical team and the team that wins the line of scrimmage will likely win the football game. Both teams are very similar in style that they are run first teams they both played Ohio State very strong at the Shoe with Wisconsin losing 31 to 24 and Iowa 34 to 24. The last time we played Wisconsin was the heartbreaking 31 to 30 loss back in 2010 and a lot of people point to this game as the starting point for the program decline. Is this going to be the game we say the Hawks are back to rising as a program. I feel this is a very important game not only for bowl position but Iowa is coming off a big win can they put another good game together to beat a very good Wisconsin team. So lets take a look at Iowa's offense against the Badgers defense.
Iowa is known for running the football which is what they will try to do on Saturday afternoon vs Wisconsin. The winds could play a factor in this game as they are going to be pretty strong out of the Northwest which could effect both passing offenses. The Hawkeyes come into this game rushing for 188.9 yards per game and they have thrown for 208 yards per game. Iowa is scoring 27.4 points per game while allowing 18 points per game. Wisconsin is number 4 in the nation stopping the run only allowing 87.6 yards per game so they will definitely be trying to shut down the run making Iowa one dimensional. Wisconsin on the season is only allowing 197.4 passing yards per game so they have a complete defense good against the pass and running game. The Badgers only allow 15.9 points per game so we could be in for a defensive battle on Saturday in Kinnick Stadium. Wisconsin brings a different dimension the Hawks haven't seen much this year as they play a 3-4 defense which means pass blocking is going to be extra important on Saturday.
They will have a lot of linebackers on the field, we need to take advantage of this matching up our running backs and tight ends on linebackers. I think you will see Iowa spread the field a lot against Wisconsin trying to take advantage of these one on one match ups. Obviously Iowa needs to be able to run the ball to set up the playaction passing game so that will be a major factor. Turnovers will play a major factor Iowa has forced 14 turnovers while turning it over 12 times and Wisconsin has forced 10 turnovers while giving it away 8 times. Even though Iowa may not have the most skilled wide receivers I believe the Hawks will have a chance to make some plays down the field in the only 2 games I saw Wisconsin play they struggled finding the football on deep passes. The Hawks need a good game from the wide receivers I believe that the Badgers will focus on the tight ends in the passing game so the receivers should have some one on one match ups on the perimeter. This is going to be the game Damond Powell makes an impact, expect Jake Duzey to also get targeted a lot he has the speed to run away from linebackers in coverage. Tight ends and running backs will be targeted a lot this weekend with the way Wisconsin likes to blitz I think the screen pass could be a very effective weapon for the offense. The one thing that doesn't worry me is that Rudock will not be scared to stand in and take a shot to complete a pass. I also think his scrambling ability will come into play this weekend Wisconsin likes to blitz so if Rudock can escape the pocket he could have some room to run. The 3-4 defense could cause a lot of problems for the zone blocking scheme Iowa runs so I think we will see Iowa focusing on running the ball in the middle of the defense more than the stretch play. If they can outnumber the defense on the outside they should still be able to run the football and if Iowa is going to win they need to at least run for over 100 yards. Now lets look at the Wisconsin offense against the Hawks defense.
Wisconsin wants to run the football and be the most physical team on the field they have rushed for 296 yards per game good enough for 8th in the nation. They have thrown the ball for 216 yards per game on the season while scoring 39.9 points per game. Iowa is number 14 in the nation in pass defense allowing just under 115 yards per game while their run defense is 24th allowing 128.6 yards rushing per game. The two main guys Iowa will need to contain Melvin Gordon he is a home run threat every time he touches the football, watch for Wisconsin to run some jet sweeps to him. James white is the other running back he has more power than Gordon so he will be running between the tackles more. Wisconsin has a big offensive line and they will just line up to run the ball right at the Iowa defense. The one thing that gives me hope is if Iowa can pressure Stave he hasn't looked all that great. Really the only receiving target Iowa has to worry about is Jared Abbrederis who has 43 catches for 725 yards and 5 touchdowns. If Iowa can slow down the running game they have a great shot to win. I expect we see Iowa run blitz a lot this weekend as the Badgers will be trying to run the football. The defensive line will be without Dominic Alvis again so Mike Hardy will have to step up like last weekend. Stave will make mistakes if Iowa can get pressure on him he has thrown 13 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. Wisconsin's second leading receiver is running back James White and 3rd is tight end Jacob Peterson. Wisconsin's passing game besides Abbrederis doesn't worry me I think we can shut him down the question will be can we slow down the Badgers high powered rushing attack.
Special teams can be a complete game changer in a close game which is what I expect to see this weekend. The Badgers kickoff return unit is averaging almost 25.6 yards per return so the poor kickoff coverage Iowa has had this season could be exploited if they aren't careful. On punt returns Iowa has the upper hand averaging over 20 yards per return could a big return be the game changing moment? Konnor Cornbraith on the season is averaging only 37.2 yards per punt but he has been better as of late and seems to be improving. Wisconsin's punter is only averaging 36.2 yards per punt so field position will be very critical with two punters who aren't great at completely turning the field over with a long punt. Field goals I would give the advantage to Iowa with Meyer being 10 of 14 on the season Wisconsin has scored so many points in most games that kicking hasn't been that important with Kyle French going 5-8 on field goals. French is 3 for 6 on 30 yard plus field goals so if Iowa can hold the Badgers to field goal attempts he could miss a couple.
My prediction is a very close game coming down to the final drive I believe last weeks win helped the Hawks turn the corner Iowa upsets Wisconsin 24 to 21. I believe Iowa will be able to run the ball enough to keep the Badgers off balance. I think this team is ready to get on a roll they won a close game last weekend and I see another close game where the theme of Rudock making big plays continues. I think Jake Rudock will be the difference in the game as the Badgers will be focused on the run I think the quarterback that plays better will lead his team to a victory. The one thing we haven't seen from Jake in a while is a turnover free football game I think we see that this weekend. I also believe Damon Bullock will come up with some big plays in the passing game coming out of the backfield. Also with the number of linebackers Wisconsin will play George Kittle one of the faster tight ends will probably get some more playing time this weekend. I have Iowa moving to 6-3 securing a bowl game with a chance to finish this season very strong. As always I will have the review coming up after the game so check back. Thanks for reading
Go Hawks
Iowa is known for running the football which is what they will try to do on Saturday afternoon vs Wisconsin. The winds could play a factor in this game as they are going to be pretty strong out of the Northwest which could effect both passing offenses. The Hawkeyes come into this game rushing for 188.9 yards per game and they have thrown for 208 yards per game. Iowa is scoring 27.4 points per game while allowing 18 points per game. Wisconsin is number 4 in the nation stopping the run only allowing 87.6 yards per game so they will definitely be trying to shut down the run making Iowa one dimensional. Wisconsin on the season is only allowing 197.4 passing yards per game so they have a complete defense good against the pass and running game. The Badgers only allow 15.9 points per game so we could be in for a defensive battle on Saturday in Kinnick Stadium. Wisconsin brings a different dimension the Hawks haven't seen much this year as they play a 3-4 defense which means pass blocking is going to be extra important on Saturday.
They will have a lot of linebackers on the field, we need to take advantage of this matching up our running backs and tight ends on linebackers. I think you will see Iowa spread the field a lot against Wisconsin trying to take advantage of these one on one match ups. Obviously Iowa needs to be able to run the ball to set up the playaction passing game so that will be a major factor. Turnovers will play a major factor Iowa has forced 14 turnovers while turning it over 12 times and Wisconsin has forced 10 turnovers while giving it away 8 times. Even though Iowa may not have the most skilled wide receivers I believe the Hawks will have a chance to make some plays down the field in the only 2 games I saw Wisconsin play they struggled finding the football on deep passes. The Hawks need a good game from the wide receivers I believe that the Badgers will focus on the tight ends in the passing game so the receivers should have some one on one match ups on the perimeter. This is going to be the game Damond Powell makes an impact, expect Jake Duzey to also get targeted a lot he has the speed to run away from linebackers in coverage. Tight ends and running backs will be targeted a lot this weekend with the way Wisconsin likes to blitz I think the screen pass could be a very effective weapon for the offense. The one thing that doesn't worry me is that Rudock will not be scared to stand in and take a shot to complete a pass. I also think his scrambling ability will come into play this weekend Wisconsin likes to blitz so if Rudock can escape the pocket he could have some room to run. The 3-4 defense could cause a lot of problems for the zone blocking scheme Iowa runs so I think we will see Iowa focusing on running the ball in the middle of the defense more than the stretch play. If they can outnumber the defense on the outside they should still be able to run the football and if Iowa is going to win they need to at least run for over 100 yards. Now lets look at the Wisconsin offense against the Hawks defense.
Wisconsin wants to run the football and be the most physical team on the field they have rushed for 296 yards per game good enough for 8th in the nation. They have thrown the ball for 216 yards per game on the season while scoring 39.9 points per game. Iowa is number 14 in the nation in pass defense allowing just under 115 yards per game while their run defense is 24th allowing 128.6 yards rushing per game. The two main guys Iowa will need to contain Melvin Gordon he is a home run threat every time he touches the football, watch for Wisconsin to run some jet sweeps to him. James white is the other running back he has more power than Gordon so he will be running between the tackles more. Wisconsin has a big offensive line and they will just line up to run the ball right at the Iowa defense. The one thing that gives me hope is if Iowa can pressure Stave he hasn't looked all that great. Really the only receiving target Iowa has to worry about is Jared Abbrederis who has 43 catches for 725 yards and 5 touchdowns. If Iowa can slow down the running game they have a great shot to win. I expect we see Iowa run blitz a lot this weekend as the Badgers will be trying to run the football. The defensive line will be without Dominic Alvis again so Mike Hardy will have to step up like last weekend. Stave will make mistakes if Iowa can get pressure on him he has thrown 13 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. Wisconsin's second leading receiver is running back James White and 3rd is tight end Jacob Peterson. Wisconsin's passing game besides Abbrederis doesn't worry me I think we can shut him down the question will be can we slow down the Badgers high powered rushing attack.
Special teams can be a complete game changer in a close game which is what I expect to see this weekend. The Badgers kickoff return unit is averaging almost 25.6 yards per return so the poor kickoff coverage Iowa has had this season could be exploited if they aren't careful. On punt returns Iowa has the upper hand averaging over 20 yards per return could a big return be the game changing moment? Konnor Cornbraith on the season is averaging only 37.2 yards per punt but he has been better as of late and seems to be improving. Wisconsin's punter is only averaging 36.2 yards per punt so field position will be very critical with two punters who aren't great at completely turning the field over with a long punt. Field goals I would give the advantage to Iowa with Meyer being 10 of 14 on the season Wisconsin has scored so many points in most games that kicking hasn't been that important with Kyle French going 5-8 on field goals. French is 3 for 6 on 30 yard plus field goals so if Iowa can hold the Badgers to field goal attempts he could miss a couple.
My prediction is a very close game coming down to the final drive I believe last weeks win helped the Hawks turn the corner Iowa upsets Wisconsin 24 to 21. I believe Iowa will be able to run the ball enough to keep the Badgers off balance. I think this team is ready to get on a roll they won a close game last weekend and I see another close game where the theme of Rudock making big plays continues. I think Jake Rudock will be the difference in the game as the Badgers will be focused on the run I think the quarterback that plays better will lead his team to a victory. The one thing we haven't seen from Jake in a while is a turnover free football game I think we see that this weekend. I also believe Damon Bullock will come up with some big plays in the passing game coming out of the backfield. Also with the number of linebackers Wisconsin will play George Kittle one of the faster tight ends will probably get some more playing time this weekend. I have Iowa moving to 6-3 securing a bowl game with a chance to finish this season very strong. As always I will have the review coming up after the game so check back. Thanks for reading
Go Hawks
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