Iowa at Northwestern Preview

The Hawks will be tested Saturday Afternoon when they travel to Evanston for a battle between ranked teams. Iowa is coming off a hard fought win over Illinois 29 to 20. The bad news is they are very banged up. A number of key players suffered injuries in the win including Drew Ott tearing his ACL. Ott wasn't the only Hawkeye injured though as Ike Boettger suffered an ankle sprain so he's out. Tevaun Smith, Leshun Daniels and Boone Myers will not play.  Northwestern is coming off their first loss of the season in blowout fashion to Michigan 38 to 0. The good news for Iowa is CJ Beathard will play, he's been banged up but looks ready. What will Northwestern bring to the table offensively.

Northwestern isn't the same wildcat team we are used to seeing where they spread and pass a lot. This Wildcat team wants to run first and pass second. The Wilcat offense hasn't scored a lot of points this season only 21 per game. They are throwing for 140 yards and rushing for 213. The running attack has been where there offense has been good this season. Justin Jackson has 150 carries for 650 yards but only 1 touchdown. Jackson is the bell cow for the Wildcats and has averaged 25 carries a game. Northwestern does have a running threat at quarterback in Clayton Thoson. He's run for 161 yards and 4 touchdowns on 66 carries. The Iowa run defense is ranked 5th in the nation only allowing 78 yards rushing per game. The one game where Iowa struggled against the run was North Texas who was able to exploit the edges. Northwestern runs the type of offense where they will try to do something similar. Without Drew Ott, Parker Hesse has a lot of pressure on him to keep contain. The defensive tackles getting penetration will be important to stop the run game. I think if Iowa stops the run they have a very good shot to win. I personally don't believe Thorson can beat Iowa with his arm.

Thorson has thrown for 877 yards 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. His leading receiver is tight end Dan Vitale who has 16 receptions for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Christian Jones is the leading wide receiver with 16 catches for 179 yards and Austin Carr is the deep threat for the Wildcats with 6 catches for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Iowa pass defense struggled a little bit last week vs Illinois but the wildcats don't have anywhere near the quality of passing attack that Illinois has. Thorson has had really only one game where he threw the ball well. Thorson has had one game where he threw for more then 200 yards and that was against Ball State, he had 276 yards passing. He threw 3 of his 4 Touchdown passes in that game. The one thing Thorson does have is the ability to scramble. He's had some big runs including a long of 42 vs Stanford. What will Iowa need to do on offense vs a very stingy Northwestern defense?

This is the best Northwestern defense they've had in a while and the main reason the Wildcats are 5 and 1. First of all Iowa will have a patchwork offensive line both Boone Myers and Ike Boettger are out. Tevaun Smith is out at wide receiver so it will be the same guys we've seen the last two weeks. The key will be can the Iowa offensive line protect Beathard. James Daniels will likely make his first start at right tackle. He struggled a little bit last week when he came in,but settled down and played well down the stretch. I'm not worried about run blocking because they all can do that. The biggest key will be pass blocking vs Illinois there were times when Beathard was getting hit right when he received the snap. I expect we will see a lot of blitzes from Northwestern to try to confuse Daniels. The good news is that James will be working at right tackle all week in practice so that should help him be more comfortable.

At running back Jordan Canzeri has been great but he's also had to carry the ball a lot with the injury to Leshun Daniels. Do we finally see a little more of Akrum Wadley or Derrick Mitchell this week. Last week Canzeri carried the ball 43 times and with a patchwork offensive line this might be another day Iowa looks to to the run a lot. Northwestern has been decent against the run allowing 130 yards per game. This Iowa rushing attack is more diverse then in the past. Iowa is running a lot more counters like the one Canzeri took for 75 yards and isos. They still have the stretch play but they aren't running it like they used to. Wadley has shown glimpses over the last 2 years, he's just had some issues with fumbles. Mitchell has been hurt a lot but he showed some potential vs North Texas. Both of these guys should get a chance to play some this week because Canzeri can't carry the ball 40 times a game. I would like to see a split of 20 plus carries for Jordan 10 to 15 carries for Mitchell or Wadley. The Iowa passing attack saw a new receiver step up last week can he have a repeat performance?

Jerminic Smith came onto the scene last week vs the Illini. He caught 4 passes for 118 yards after the week before being unable to come up with a reception. Northwestern has a very solid secondary only allowing 138 yards per game. The wildcats did lose their starting cornerback Harris to a facial fracture so he will be replaced by a sophomore Keith watkins. This week I think we could see a lot of tight ends in the offensive formations for Iowa. Both Croston and Daniels might need some help so having a tight end stay in to help block or at least chip could be a good idea. Iowa rarely does this so I wouldn't be surprised if they are left on an island. Northwestern as a team has 12 sacks. With the patchwork offensive line I think we will see more quick passes, and screens. Beathard is also pretty banged up so I don't know how much running he will do. The rollouts would be good to get him out of the pocket where we've seen he can make plays. Matt Vandeberg was shutdown last week and without Tevaun he is at the top of the list for defenses on what to stop. Kreiger Coble has come on the last few weeks catching more passes. George Kittle has 3 straight games with a touchdown catch. Iowa was able to hit a couple of long passes last week which really opened up the run. They will need to do this again because Northwestern will stack the box to try to take away the run.

Final thoughts this is going to be one of those good old fashion defensive battles. I don't expect a lot of points will be scored on Saturday. Two very good defenses are going at it. The team that can run the ball and stop the run will likely have the advantage. The one big difference I see is if Iowa has their rushing attack slowed down CJ Beathard can win this game with his arm. If Northwestern can't run I don't see Clayton Thorson beating Iowa with his arm. I see Iowa winning this game 17 to 7. I think this will be a very tight game  with Iowa pulling away late. I believe the Hawkeyes shut down Jackson and force some turnovers to move to 7 and 0. This one won't be easy but if the Hawks can get this one they have a bye week to get healthy before Maryland comes to town. If Iowa can deal Northwestern their second loss of the conference they really become the front runner to win the west. They've already beaten Wisconsin, and Minnesota has a loss, Nebraska has 2 losses and Northwestern would have their second loss.

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Go Hawks.

Iowa moves to 6-0 with Win over Illinois

The Hawkeyes remained unbeaten Saturday afternoon vs a very tough Illinois team. Iowa had to fight tooth and nail to get out of Kinnick Stadium with a victory Saturday. The Hawks beat the Illini 29 to 20. This was a nice win but Iowa did get some bad news in this game as all reports are saying Drew Ott suffered a torn ACL in the 3rd quarter and will be out for the season. So how did the Hawks find a way to get the job done when both offensive tackles were injured, even Jordan Walsh missed some time in this game?

This was really a very interesting game to watch because it felt like Iowa should have been up more yet when you looked at the scoreboard it was a one score game with just over 3 minutes left. In the first half Iowa struggled to get the running game going. Illinois was stacking the box to try to take away the run and in the first half they did a good job. The first half was all about CJ Beathard passing. Beathard finished 15 for 31 200 yards and two touchdowns with 0 interceptions. The Hawkeyes got the offense going on their second drive of the game. On second and 8 the one thing everyone was looking for happened. Jerminic Smith the true Freshman Receiver caught his first pass a 14 yard slant pattern. Later in the drive on another second and 8 Beathard showed his ability to scramble running for 9 yards for a first down at the Illinois 21. The next play the Hawks ran a well designed playaction pass with Beathard hitting George Kittle for a TD. This was George's third straight game with a touchdown reception. Illinois quickly responded for their only big plays in the first half. Wes Lunt hit Malik Turner for 34 yards on a pass against Red Shirt Freshman Corner Josh Jackson. Turner made a tremendous one handed catch with Jackson having pretty good coverage. The next play Illinois ran a quick flea flicker where Lunt hit Geronimo Allison who broke Jordan Lomax's tackle attempt and took the ball down to the 4 yard line. On second and goal Iowa gave up their first rushing touchdown of the season giving the Illini a 7 to 6 lead due to a missed PAT by Marshall Koehn.

Iowa and Illinois traded punts before the Hawkeyes put together another nice drive moving the ball all the way down to the Illinois one. The big play of the drive came on a 3rd and 27, Beathard hit Jerminic Smith for 46 yards on a bullet down the right sideline setting the hawks up at the Illini 15. The Hawkeyes had been excellent in the redzone in the Non Conference portion of the schedule, they've had a little tougher time in conference play. The Hawkeyes went for it on 4th and 1 picking up the first down at the Illini 4. The first play Iowa tried a play action pass that Beathard had to throw away. On second down Canzeri took the ball to the two yard line and on 3rd down Jordan was stopped at the one. Iowa chose to go for it on 4th down running a rub route with Smith running a Slant and Vandeberg a corner. Beathard was pressured forcing him to throw the ball quicker then he wanted and Vandeberg just had the ball go off his fingertips.

The Iowa defense only allowed one first down before forcing a punt setting Iowa up at the 42. The Hawks once again faced a long 3rd and 13. Out of Shotgun Beathard took the snap rolled to his right away from pressure before launching a 49 yard pass to Jerminic Smith down to the Illini 11. On 2nd and 15 Iowa ran a halfback screen that Jordan Canzeri took 15 yards to put Iowa back in front 13 to 7.

Iowa put together a 13 play drive to end the first half. Beathard hit his tight end Henry Krieger Coble for a 1st down on 2nd and 9. Iowa moved the ball down to the Illinois one yard line with just 19 seconds left in the first half. Iowa was out of timeouts so their options were limited on what they could do. They ran a perfectly designed play with Jerminic Smith coming open on a crossing pattern but CJ threw it a little behind him and Smith couldn't come up with the catch. Koehn made a field goal to extend Iowa's lead to 16-7 at halftime. This is now two weeks in a row where Iowa has struggled a little bit in the redzone. I would personally like to see more rollouts for Beathard giving him the run or pass option. He has proved he can run and protect the football.

Things changed very quickly to start the second half as Illinois finally decided to abandon the run and pass almost every play. The Illini really started to pick on Greg Maybin as Geronimo Allison was getting open at will for most of the second half. Illinois started the second half with a 10 play 57 yard drive to make the score 16 to 10. Drew Ott came up big on 3rd and goal from the 9 sacking Wes Lunt to force a field goal. This is where the Iowa rushing attack started to gain some traction but Illinois forced a punt. Their next drive they went 7 plays in 41 yards before Iowa finally stood up again to get a stop. The big play was a sack by Nathan Bazata causing a 6 yard loss. On 4th down everyone in the stadium went from excited to very quiet as Drew Ott was rushing the punter his right knee buckled. Ott did return to the sidelines but he was on crutches and wasn't able to walk hardly at all. All the reports are stating Drew Ott has a torn ACL.

After this play it almost felt like all the air came out of the Stadium. It started to feel like maybe Illinois was going to be the team leaving with a victory. After a 17 yard run by Jordan Canzeri, Ike Boettger went down with an ankle injury. Left Tackle Boone Myers was already sitting out this game so now Iowa was down both of their starting offensive tackles. James Daniels came into the game under very difficult circumstances. He gave up a sack on third down so Illinois once again had all the momentum and the ball. They took 6 plays to go 57 yards before the Iowa defense came up big again forcing a field goal to cut the lead to just 3. At this point in time it felt like Iowa needed something big to swing the momentum. They got just that when Jordan Canzeri ran a Counter play starting out left before cutting back to the right side where he went 75 yards for the score. The play was sprung on a great pulling block by Jordan Walsh and Austin Blythe completely turned his guy. Jame Daniels also made a nice block on the outside.

Illinois then drove right back down the field facing a 3rd and 1, they tried a reverse pass that Greg Maybin intercepted. Iowa punted 5 plays later. Illinois capitalized as Lunt hooked up with Geronimo Allison for a 53 yard touchdown pass. The Illini were back within 3 with still 10:10 to go in the 4th quarter. This is when Jordan Canzeri was given the ball on 11 straight plays as Iowa took almost 7 minutes off the clock. On 3rd and 5 Beathard tried to hit Smith on a slant pattern but Jerminic couldn't come up with it so Iowa settled for a field goal. So with Iowa leading 26 to 20 the Illini had one last chance to try to win the game. They had just executed a game winning drive last week vs Nebraska. The very first play of the drive Parker Hesse who replaced Drew Ott knocked the ball out of KeShawn Vaughns hands which was recovered by Josey Jewell. 3 Plays later Iowa kicked a field goal to put the game out of reach.

This was a very physical game both defenses made multiple big hits. I love this Iowa secondary they are making huge hits and that continued Saturday. Jordan Lomax had a huge hit on the sideline just how your taught with the shoulder. Josey Jewell had a great game at linebacker leading the team in tackles and recovering the fumble that won the game. The Iowa run defense was excellent again only allowing 46 yards on 24 carries. They did however get beat through the air for 317 yards. Greg Maybin had a tough day and with the way King has played this year teams are going to be targeting him. He did come up with the big interception at the end of the 3rd quarter.

On offense I can't say enough about the performance of Jordan Canzeri. He had 43 carries for 256 yards and a touchdown. He was the key in this victory for Iowa. Without Leshun Daniels, Canzeri had to basically get every single carry. Also it was nice to see Beathard and Jerminic Smith get on the same page. Jerminic caught 4 passes for 118 yards. Now if Iowa can get Tevaun Smith back this offense is starting to look pretty dangerous. Both Jerminic and Tevaun can beat man to man coverage deep which should open up holes for Matt Vandeberg. CJ did miss one touchdown pass but for the most part when he had time to throw he made plays.

Special teams was also big. I thought Dillon Kidd was one of the reasons Iowa was able to get the victory, he had a great day punting. He averaged 46.6 yards per punt including a 55 yard punt and a 50 yard punt to keep Illinois backed up. He had 3 punts inside the 20 including one downed at the 4. Marshall Koehn did miss a PAT but he came up big late in the game making 2 pressure kicks to ice the game. Desmond King didn't get a lot of opportunities in the return game as Illinois kept the ball away from him most of the time.

This was a nice win for Iowa it didn't go exactly how I expected. I thought Iowa would have been up by more which they very easily could have if they would have scored touchdowns on those two drives in the first half. Illinios was an impressive team I think Iowa caught them at the right time because this Illini team will be very dangerous as we move forward. The Hawks are banged up as they head to Evanston so hopefully a lot of the injuries won't keep guys out this week. This is a huge game for the Hawks as they can deal Northwestern their second loss in the conference and really take control of the western division. I'll have a preview of that Game in the next couple of days.

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Go Hawks.

Iowa vs Illinois Preview

The Iowa Hawkeyes return home for Homecoming to meet the Fighting Illini in a battle of two 1-0 teams in the Big Ten Western division. Iowa is coming off a hard fought victory over Wisconsin and Illinois is coming off a come from behind victory over Nebraska. Iowa is back in the rankings sitting at number 22, but this is a game they can overlook. Northwestern is next but Illinois has been a thorn in the Hawkeyes' side over the years. What will the Illini bring to Kinnick Stadium Saturday afternoon?

The Illini offense has been pretty good this year under new head coach Bill Cubitz. He took over for Tim Beck a couple of days before the season opener. Illinois hasn't played a very difficult schedule so their 4-1 record is a little bit misleading. The two toughest games they played were at North Carolina a 48 to 14 loss and the win over Nebraska last weekend. The Illini are scoring 30.2 points per game with 244 yards passing and 155 rushing. Wes Lunt is the QB for the Illini he's thrown for 1107 yards 8 touchdowns just 2 interceptions. He has a few weapons to watch for at the wide receiver position. Geronimo Allison is the lead guy with 32 catches for 453 yards 2 TD. I would expect Desmond King will be following him in man to man situations. Marchie Murdock is another target with 20 catches for 194 yards and 3 TD's. Desmond Cain is the third target he has 19 catches for 141 yards. Illinois is going to be a spread offense with a pass first mentality. They will be similar to Iowa State with less talent on the outside and similar to North Texas. The Iowa secondary has been up to the challenge all season so I expect they will be able to make some big plays. The interesting thing is Illinois might try a lot of underneath passes since Iowa tends to give those up in the zone defense. 

Illinois does run the ball too, but they will be without starting running back Josh Ferguson who was injured in the Nebraska game. Freshman Ke'shawn Vaughn will be the main guy he has 76 carries for 325 yards. Iowa has been dominant vs the run allowing just 84 yards on the ground. The only time Iowa struggled a little was when North Texas was running out of the Spread. The good thing in that game was Drew Ott was clearly not 100 percent. Illinois could attempt to try and run the ball like the Mean Green did. Ott proved last week he's back dominating the Wisconsin offensive line. The defensive line for the Hawkeyes has shown their dominance so far this season. Now that we know about the Illini offense what kind of challenges will the Iowa offense face.

Illinois is only allowing 126 yards per game rushing. To be fair though they haven't played a physical rushing attack like Iowa. The Hawks are rushing for 185 yards per game and Jordan Canzeri has taken over the running back position. Leshun Daniels is getting healthier so maybe this is the week that he shows the explosiveness he had earlier this season. The Iowa passing attack had a lot of struggles last week against a very strong Wisconsin defense. The Iowa receivers had a lot of trouble getting open in man to man situations. Tevaun Smith will miss another week and a couple of guys are still day to day. Boone Myers missed last week vs Wisconsin and Derrick Mitchell also missed last week both could play Saturday.

The Illinois defense isn't nearly as good as the defense Iowa faced last week vs the Badgers. I think we could see the tight ends more involved in the offense this weekend. The biggest thing I'm looking for is how does CJ Beathard bounce back after last weeks rough Start? Can Jerminic Smith and CJ Beathard get on the same page. Smith does have the ability to get open vs man to man coverage. I think Iowa will try to get him some early touches so he can get some confidence. Matt Vandeberg is the main threat with Tevaun Smith being out of the line. I also think this is the first week we see Jake Duzey get targeted. George Kittle has come on lately so I think we might see some of the three tight end sets we saw a few years ago against Ohio State. Also Iowa has to take some shots down the field even if the receiver isn't open. Beathard has the arm to throw the ball down the field and they can complete big pass plays or draw a penalty. If the run game is rolling Iowa should have some chances on play action passes. I also want to see more play action passes on first down especially when they get into the red zone. 

This could be an interesting game, Iowa is coming off an emotional victory over Wisconsin and they can't come out flat. Illinois although not a great team is capable of winning at Kinnick Stadium. The good thing is this team has been so focused that I don't see a let down. Homecoming in front of big crowd I see a rout as the Hawks move to 2-0 in the Big ten with 38 to 14 win. Again Illinois does have some talent so this isn't a game where Iowa can get caught looking ahead to Illinois. 

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Iowa vs Wisconsin Review

Saturday Afternoon at Camp Randall Stadium was a good old fashioned defensive battle. Iowa found a way to move to 5-0 with a 10-6 victory over 19th ranked Wisconsin. This was a crazy game both defenses were dominant. So how did Iowa get the victory on Saturday?

The Iowa offense definitely had it's struggles vs the Wisconsin defense. CJ Beathard had his worst game as the starting quarterback going just 9-21 for 77 yards 1 TD 1 Interception and one fumble. Jordan Canzeri and the Iowa offensive line made the difference Saturday. Everyone thought going into this game the team that ran the ball the best and stopped the run would win. That is exactly what happened Iowa ran for 144 yards with 125 coming from Canzeri. Wisconsin put points on the board first taking an early 3 to 0 lead. Iowa put together a very nice drive going 10 plays to take the ball to the Wisconsin 8 yard line. The Hawkeyes were facing 3rd and 2 they tried to run Leshun Daniels who was stopped for no gain. Most the time over the years Iowa kicks a field goal ties the game at 3. The Hawks gambled going for it on 4th and 2. Krieger Coble ran an out and up where it appeared that Kaputo might have got a way with a hold but either way I liked the early gamble.

The next drive after Wisconsin missed a field goal the Hawkeyes put together another nice drive taking the ball from their own 24 all the way to the Wisconsin 9 yard line. Beathard missed Jerminic Smith for what could have been a touchdown on a fade rout. Smith beat his defender but CJ just overthrew him. So on 4th and 7 Iowa settled for a field goal but Koehn missed from 27 yards out and Wisconsin maintained a 3 to 0 lead. The game changed this drive as the defense came up big. On second and 7 Desmond King intercepted Joel Stave setting the Hawkeyes up with 1st and 10 at the Wisconsin 31. The first play Canzeri ran for 19 yards down to the Wisconsin 12. Later in the drive on 3rd and 1 Beathard ran a QB sneak to get the first down. 1st and goal from the 1 Iowa ran a play action pass bringing Kittle in motion then rolling him across the formation where Beathard hit him for a 1 yard score.

The very next offensive play Wisconsin had, Drew Ott came around the right side forcing a fumble that Nate Meier recovered. Now personally I would have loved to see Iowa take a shot after the quick change but they were running the ball well so I can see either way. On 3rd and 4 CJ Beathard made a mental mistake getting called for delay game which turned 3rd and 4 into 3rd and 9. Iowa had to settle for a field goal which Koehn made to put them up 10 to 3. Wisconsin was content to try and take it to half but Iowa showed aggressiveness calling timeout to get the ball back. Beathard was sacked on the final play of the 1st half

The Badgers were playing a lot of man to man defense which made it difficult for the receivers to get much space. There were two big plays in the 3rd quarter that could have helped the Iowa offense put some more points on the board. On 3rd and 7 Beathard had his receiver Krieger Coble coming open over the middle of the field but he was hit as he threw it the ball floated and was intercepted. With all the man defense Wisconsin was playing I felt the Hawks could have taken a few more shots down the field. The other big play happened on another 3rd down as Jerminic Smith had a step on the defense  but Beathard over shot him. If Iowa was able to hit those two plays they likely score some more points but the Badgers defense was tough. Joe Schobert was all over Beathard almost every time he dropped back to pass.

Iowa caught a major break after Beathard was a little bit loose with the ball rolling out. He was hit from behind and fumbled setting up what looked like Wisconsin's go ahead touchdown. Wisconsin had it 2nd and goal from the one yard line. The Right guard for Wisconsin stepped on Stave's foot and he fumbled trying to hand it off. Besides the step Nate Meier completely blew up play destroying the running back. Faith Ekakite came up with the Fumble recovery. The offense could have put the game away but immediately went 3 and out. On 4th and 2 with 44 seconds left Wisconsin had the ball at the Iowa 16 yard line. Cole Fisher made the biggest play of the game getting a good bump on the Wisconsin Tight end throwing off the timing between Stave and his receiver. The pass fell incomplete and the Hawkeyes moved to 5-0.

The defense came up big time and time again Saturday afternoon. Desmond King proved why he's the best corner back in the Big Ten intercepting two passes. Drew Ott is back to 100 percent or at least darn close he was an animal. He forced a Fumble and had some big tackles for loss. Nate Meier came up big perfectly defending a shovel pass, recovering a fumble and just putting pressure on Stave. This defensive line is showing the potential I thought they had. At times they were dominant against a huge Wisconsin Offensive line. Is there a better pair of tacklers at corner back in college football? I mean how many times have we seen Desmond King and Greg Maybin make big hits on the perimeter? It's also crazy how much of a difference a year makes for this linebacking core. All 3 of them are flying around the field making plays. Ben Niemann made a big tackle for loss after Wisconsin had a good drive going. Josey Jewell was all over the field. Cole Fisher made the biggest play of the game breaking up the final pass to seal the victory. He also had a sack and a big hit that forced Stave to throw high missing his receiver. Iowa held Wisconsin to just 86 yards on 34 carries an average of 2.5 yards per carry. This was the difference in the game Iowa stopped the run and forced turnovers.

We've already seen through the first 5 games the offense have to come up big on the road vs Iowa State. We saw special teams come up big with a Koehn 57 yard field goal against Pittsburgh, and now we've seen the defense come through in the clutch to win a game on the road. Over the years Iowa has played a lot of close games. The years they are good they win the close games over the past few years it seemed like every close game Iowa would find a way to lose. In the first 5 games Iowa has found a way to win. Once again just like vs Iowa State, Iowa calmly swarmed across to pick up the heartland trophy. Last year the Hawks were 0-4 in Trophy games this year they've already taken two of those back and have two more on the agenda. This was a good old fashioned Defensive battle and the tougher more physical team would win. On Saturday that was Iowa. I'll have preview for the Illinois game coming up later in the week, as the Illini pulled of a 14-13 win over Nebraska.

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Iowa vs Wisconsin: The Battle for the Heartland Trophy

The Big Ten Conference Opener is finally here! Saturday Afternoon Iowa travels to Wisconsin to face the 19th Ranked Badgers. The Non-conference portion of the schedule couldn't have gone any better. The Hawks went 4-0 with two mentally tough 4th quarter victories. Iowa faced a hostile environment when they beat Iowa State so they should be ready for the atmosphere at Wisconsin. This will be Iowa's toughest challenge as Wisconsin is the first ranked team they've played this year. So what do the Hawks need to do to come away with a victory on Saturday.

Wisconsin's offense normally is a dominant rushing attack but this season they haven't run the ball like we are used to seeing. Wisconsin is rushing for 188 yards per game,but most season's when Wisconsin plays teams like Miami Ohio, Troy and Hawaii they usually have an average of well over 200 yards. The Badgers rushing attack has run into injuries this season as the main ball carrier was supposed to be Corey Clement. Clement is out with a Sports Hernia so the main running back now is Freshman Taiwan Deal. Deal has rushed 62 times for 290 yards and 4 TD's. Dare Ogunbowale is the second Running back with 48 carries for 281 yards and 3 TD's. The Iowa run defense is 12th nationally allowing just 84 yards per game. This will be a key factor because If the Hawks can stop the Badgers rushing attack that puts a lot of pressure on Joel Stave. The defensive line gave up some big yardage on outside runs vs North Texas so they will have to be ready for a more physical rushing attack this week. Wisconsin likes to lineup with two FB's and a RB, they finally had their first good running game of the year vs Hawaii. The Badgers will run the ball more like Pittsburgh a physical, smash mouth style. Drew Ott is still working his way back to 100 percent so hopefully he can keep the outside contained.

Stave is back for another year, he's been the QB for the Badgers off and on for the last few seasons. The other guy who has played QB in key situations is Tanner McEvoy. He is mainly a runner and did have a big game running last season. Stave has thrown for 890 yards this season with 7 TD's and only 2 Interceptions. Stave doesn't have a big arm he throws the underneath routes a lot. Wisconsin likes to run the ball then play action to hit their tight ends over the middle of the field. The Badgers do have some nice talent at receiver Alex Erickson, is the top receiving target with 23 Catches for 320 yards 1 TD. Robert Wheelwright is the second target for Wisconsin he has 10 receptions for 147 yards and 3 TD's. Austin Traylor is the Badgers tight end he has 8 receptions for 121 yards 3 TD's. Iowa's secondary should be able to handle the Badgers passing attack. Now the Hawkeyes have had some little injuries with Miles Taylor and Greg Maybin dealing with some non significant injuries. Hopefully both Taylor and Maybin are ready to go because they will be needed vs Wisconsin.

The Iowa offense continues to improve every week, with a dominating victory over North Texas now they will face the unique challenge of a 3-4 defense. Iowa State played a little bit of a 3-4 defense in week 2 but Wisconsin has a more talented defense then the Cyclones. The Hawks are averaging 37.2 points per game and rushing for 196 yards. Jordan Canzeri has been the main ball carrier the last couple weeks with Leshun Daniels dealing with an ankle injury. Jordan has 63 carries for 316 yards and 8 TDS, Leshun has 48 Carries for 217 yards. Hopefully Daniels is closer to 100 percent this weekend because he hasn't had the same burst the last 2 weeks. The Wisconsin run defense is allowing 82 yards per game. Again this will be the main key which team can run the ball and which team can stop the run.

The Hawks passing attack has come on strong during the Non-conference portion of the schedule. CJ Beathard has 962 yards passing with 6 TD's and only 1 Interception. Matt Vandeberg has been the main target with 25 receptions for 242 yards and 2 TD's. Tevaun Smith has 12 receptions for 235 yards and 2 TD's. Jacob Hillyer has improved a lot from last year. Last year it seemed like he dropped everything, this year he's caught everything. The Tight ends are starting to get more involved too with Krieger Coble hauling in 10 passes for 105 yards, and George Kittle showed some of his potential last week with 4 catches for 69 yards and a TD. Riley McCarron has made plays too. This offense is only going to get better, plus Jake Duzey is ready to return which should impact the offense even more. The Badgers like to blitz a lot which gives Iowa a chance for one on one opportunities down the field. Last year Tevaun Smith took advantage of the Badgers corners drawing pass interference penalties. Iowa will have opportunities to throw the ball down the field they just have to make those big plays. Big news in regards to the Iowa passing attack. Rumors are circulating that Tevaun Smith hurt his knee and will be out 2 weeks. This is a big injury taking one of the Hawkeyes best threats off the field. The question now is who will get a lot of Smith's playing time? I expect it to be by committee with Jake Hillyer getting more playing time. I think it will be important to see Jerminic Smith some too because he has the speed to get down the field. Riley McCarron has played a lot too. Without Tevaun it will be interesting to see who steps up to make plays along side Matt Vandeberg.

One of the biggest keys to victory will be Iowa's redzone offense against the Redzone defense of Wisconsin. The Badgers have allowed one rushing, one passing and one field goal in the redzone this season. Iowa has scored 14 TD's in 16 trips to the redzone. For Iowa to win they have to score touchdowns when they get a chance, field goals are nice but on the road you need to get 7 when your in the redzone. Another big key will be which team can run the ball and which team can stop the run? The other key matchup is CJ Beathard against Joel Stave, the quarterback that makes the biggest plays will win. I feel Iowa gets it done in a close game. I think the running game will be a wash, but I believe CJ Beathard is the better quarterback and therefore the Hawks will find a way to win. My prediction is Iowa 24 Wisconsin 17. Scoring could be a little higher but these are two very good defense's. We will find out how good this team is? They got through the Non-conference undefeated now can they make a statement on the road Saturday at Wisconsin?

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Iowa vs North Texas Review

The Hawkeyes had one non conference challenge left as the Mean Green of North Texas invaded Kinnick Stadium. Iowa already sitting at 3-0 and Wisconsin looming could have easily taken North Texas for granted. On Saturday they played with the same focus and intensity we've seen all season. There were a few things that really stood out in the Iowa 62 to 16 blowout victory.

First of all when you play a team that you should blowout the key is to get off to a fast start. Iowa did exactly that taking their first 2 drives and marching right down the field to go up 14 to 0. One thing we've seen in the past is Iowa wouldn't always have the go for the kill mindset. They absolutely went for it against North Texas. CJ Beathard started the game 15 for 15 including two long TD passes to Tevaun Smith and George Kittle. Iowa continued to show a diverse rushing attack running lead draws, counters and dives in addition to the classic stretch play. Jordan Canzeri rushed for 122 yards and 4 TDs. During the first two drives the offensive line was dominant opening up huge holes for the backs and giving Beathard all day to throw. This offense continues to improve and we finally got a chance to see what Tevaun Smith can bring to the table. Smith had 4 catches for 115 yards including an 81 yard TD reception. Another guy I had high hopes for coming into the season was George Kittle he's too big to be covered by a corner and too fast for linebackers. George had a some nice catches including a long TD reception. Beathard was almost perfect going 18 for 21 for 278 yards 2 TD's. Iowa faced some adversity in a couple of situations Saturday.

The Reverse play went about as bad as one can go. When Derrick Mitchell received a late pitch then his pitch was late setting up a Mean Green touchdown. The other score North Texas had came before this play when Jordan Canzeri fumbled for the second time this season, now I'm not concerned yet but that is two fumbles one in the Iowa State game and now vs North Texas. Without these two turnovers the game could have been even further apart at halftime. The thing I liked was once North Texas scored it was only  28 to 13, this game had the feel that they might be able to hang around. Iowa immediately killed that thought as they marched 80 yards in 12 plays to extend the lead back to 35 to 13 at Halftime.

The Second half North Texas found some running room to the outside. I think this was a case of letting up for just a little bit. You have to give the Mean Green credit they came out of the locker room and marched right down the field to kick a field goal. At times it looked like North Texas would score a TD but Iowa came up with the big plays to hold them to a FG. The Iowa secondary was a little banged up as Miles Taylor barely played and Greg Maybin left in the second quarter. The injuries don't appear to be serious so they should both be ready to go vs Wisconsin. There were two plays in the second half that turned this game upside down. North Texas was driving after just kicking a field goal and their offense was starting to find a rhythm. Drew Ott came up big for the Hawks rushing pass the left tackle and knocking the ball out of McNaulty's hands and Bazata recovered for Iowa. Iowa went 12 plays for 50 yards to put the game away at 42 to 16. So like most in the stadium I kind of thought that would be about all the points Iowa would put up. The very next possession Josey Jewel intercepted McNaulty and ran it back for a TD.

It was good to see some of the backups get into the game. We finally got a chance to see Derrick Mitchell in the backfield he's been battling a high ankle sprain. Both Mitchell and Wadley looked pretty good as Iowa ran the ball right down the field scoring another TD. The Final icing on the cake came when Bo Bower intercepted a pass and returned it 80 yards for a TD. One other thing that was great to see Saturday was Desmond King is beginning to look like a weapon in the return game. He had 170 yards in returns and was very close to breaking one for 6. I think we will see King take one back for a TD this year.

Now I'm not saying North Texas is a good Football team but how many times have we seen a directional school come into Kinnick Stadium with a chance to win in the 4th quarter. Last year we had to rally to beat Ball State and UNI. This Iowa team has been dominating the teams they supposed to. Now its time for Conference play as Iowa starts of at Wisconsin. I'll have a preview for that in the next couple days.

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Go Hawks.

Iowa vs North Texas Preview

It's another Saturday at Kinnick Stadium as the Hawkeyes play host to the Mean Green of North Texas. Iowa coming off an extremely physical battle with Pittsburgh. This is a trap game sort of due to the fact that Iowa plays Wisconsin next weekend but as long as Iowa shows up to play they should win big. North Texas is a struggling team sitting at 0-2 with losses to Rice 31-24 and SMU 31-13. It will be interesting to see the focus Iowa comes out with. They dominated the only team they were clearly better then. So if Iowa is likely to win big what do we need to look for on Saturday?

Offensively the Hawkeyes have made great strides with potential to be a top offense in the Big Ten. Iowa has been a fairly balanced team throwing and running effectively. CJ Beathard has changed this team, the last time we had an NFL talented Quarterback was when Stanzi was in charge. We all know what Ricky did as Iowa's quarterback. The Iowa rushing attack has been pretty good with Jordan Canzeri and Leshun Daniels getting the majority of the carries. This is a big week for the Iowa running backs, they will be counted on a lot because North Texas is allowing 231 yards per game on the ground. Leshun played on a sprained ankle last week so we'll see if he continues to get back to 100 percent. With Wisconsin looming Iowa needs to be healthy when they go to Camp Randle. We could also see carries from Derrick Mitchell Jr, and Akrum Wadley. Mitchell has only played on Special teams and Wadley has limited carries this season. I expect we see both this weekend. Another name to watch this weekend is Jake Duzey, he's been injured all season and might have a chance to play vs North Texas. He suited up vs Pitt but didn't play. I think it would be good if he could play this weekend so he isn't making his debut vs Wisconsin. The Wide Receivers have taken steps forward it will be interesting to see they continue to stay involved vs North Texas. So what does North Texas bring to the table?

The Mean Green are scoring 18 points per game while allowing 34 points per game. North Texas is rushing for 143 yards per game and passing for 215 yards per game. The North Texas  running back is Antoine Jimmerson who has 22 carries for 134 yards 1 TD. Andrew Mcnaulty is the Mean Green Quarterback 35-69 for 431 yards 2 TD 3 Interceptions. At Wide Receiver Carlos Harris is the leading receiver with 13 receptions 233 yards 2 TD and a 17 yard average per catch. Harris is the main target for North Texas. The Iowa run defense is only allowing 51 yards per game rushing so that likely won't be an issue. McNaulty will throw interceptions if he's put under pressure. Drew Ott played a little bit last week on 3rd down situations. It will be interesting to see if he plays last week it was pretty clear he wasn't 100 percent. Iowa could use him as close to 100 percent as possible for Wisconsin so if he has to sit out that wouldn't be a bad thing.

This game is about Iowa if they show up to play and focus they should beat North Texas by a lot. I believe the only way the Mean Green stand a chance is if Iowa turns the ball over multiple times. I feel Iowa will run the ball more on Saturday, CJ took a beating against Pittsburgh. It would be a good thing if Iowa could open this one up early and get the backups some valuable experience. North Texas does bring a familiar face back to Kinnick Stadium as Dan McCarney is the head coach for the Mean Green. Dan has had some success with Iowa State vs Iowa but those teams had a lot more talent then this North Texas Team. I'm excited to see how this offense continues to develop the potential is their for a strong offense. The defense has been good nearly every season but this year Iowa looks like they have an offense that can make this defense even stronger. The problem Iowa teams have had defensively over the years is they have had to play the entire game due to an offense not making plays. I think this one is going to get ugly Iowa wins big 45 to 10. The Hawkeyes looking to get to 4-0 before a trip to Wisconsin just have to show up focused and not overlook the Mean Green.
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Go Hawks.

Iowa vs Pittsburgh Review

What an incredible Football Game we were able to see on Saturday Night. Outside of the Penn State finish in 2008 that has to be the most electrifying finish I've seen in Kinnick Stadium. Marshall Koehn kicking a 57 yard field goal as time expires to win it 27 to 24. How did Iowa find a way to win probably one of the more physical Football games I've seen.

The Pittsburgh Defense Iowa faced Saturday Night was so physical and to be honest might have got a way with using their helmets to make big hits. CJ Beathard took an absolute beating from the Panthers but kept getting back up. Offensively Iowa knew coming in that running the football would be extra tough and right from the start the Hawkeyes were looking to the passing offense. There has always been a major question for this team and that is can they win without having a productive rushing attack? I think they answered that question in a big way Saturday Night. CJ was 27 of 40 for 258 yards 0 TD 1 Interception. The Hawks took an early lead on their second drive to open the scoring. Iowa was set up first and 10 at the 48 after an interception by Desmond King. The Hawks picked up two first downs before the drive stalled out and Marshall Koehn made a 43 yard field goal.

Pittsburgh put together a nice drive going 70 yards in just 7 plays but Desmond King once again made a diving interception in the end zone. The 4th drive for the Hawkeyes started with a bomb as CJ Beathard hit Tevaun Smith for 51 yards. Smith hasn't been totally involved in the offense but with the single coverage he was able to make a big play. On 3rd and 5 Beathard showed off his ability to run scrambling for a 9 yard TD. It had the makings of a blowout Iowa leading 10-0 when Beathard made his only real mistake of the game. Jake Hillyer ran a deep out and CJ just didn't put enough on the throw, he was picked off setting up the Panthers at the Iowa 15. One play later Pitt scored on a PA pass hitting their big tightend to make it 10 to 7. On the next drive for Iowa Beathard took an absolute shot looked to me like it could have easily been targeting. I've seen a lot less called targeting, this officiating crew from the ACC was really bad. The Iowa defense forced another 3 and out giving the offense the ball back for one last drive before halftime.

This was the drive that showed me what type of quarterback we have. The second play of the drive after just being crushed one drive ago Beathard stood right in the pocket hitting Tevaun Smith on a post for 18 yards. On another second and 10 Iowa ran some different plays spreading out the Pittsburgh defense Beathard connected with Henry Krieger Coble for 14 yards and a first down. On 3rd and 1 Beathard scrambled for 4 yards to pick up the first down. On 3rd and 4 Beathard found Matt Vandeberg on a quick slant for another first down. With first and goal at the 11 Iowa ran the exact same play twice, Vandeberg came in motion faking the reverse while Canzeri received the hand off slipping through the Pitt defense to put Iowa ahead 17 to 7 at halftime.

After Pittsburgh drove down for a field goal it was just 17 to 10. Iowa started out running the ball with 3 straight runs to pick up a 1st down. On 3rd and 10 Beathard from the pocket threw a strike to his tight end Coble for 13 yards. On 3rd and 11 CJ Beathard threw a pass that he probably wants back Tevaun Smith ran a stop and go getting behind the defender but CJ just overthrew him by a couple of yards. That play would have easily been a touchdown and really would have changed the dynamic of the game. The very next play Pittsburgh blocked the punt and suddenly the game was tied at 17. Two of the Panthers TD's were set up by their defense or special teams. The Hawkeyes went 3 and out so Pittsburgh had the ball all the momentum on their side. Jordan Lomax who was flying around the field came up with a huge stop to set up 4th and 1. Pittsburgh tried everything they could to draw Iowa off sides but instead took the delay of game and punted.

The Hawks finally started to get the run game going with Canzeri picking up 9 yards on the first play. 2nd and 1 Iowa ran PA as Beathard found Hillyer for 32 yards to put Iowa in business. 3rd and 3 once again CJ showed his ability to scramble picking up another first down. On first and 10 the Hawkeyes were called for holding making it 1st and 20 although I didn't see much of a hold on Austin Blythe. Two beautifully designed screen plays. One that almost broke loose to Vandeberg who was tripped up. The second one was a HB screen to Canzeri which went for 17 Yards and a first down. Picking up a first down after being behind the chains is something we couldn't do last season. The very next play Beathard made probably his best throw of the night it was a PA to Canzeri and Beathard quickly set his feet hitting Vandeberg for 12 yards putting the ball at the one. 2 plays later Canzeri punched it in to give the Hawkeyes a 24 to 17 lead. The Drive was 11 plays 80 yards and a huge answer when Pittsburgh had all the momentum.

Pittsburgh went right back down the field converting two 4th down conversions including a 4th and 15 right before they tied the game at 24. Tyler Boyd who might be the best receiver we see this season had his way at times catching 10 passes for 131 yards and the tying TD. Iowa got the ball back with just 48 seconds left in the game. The key on any last minute drive is to get that first 1st down. CJ did exactly that scrambling for 12 yards on the first play of the drive. Beathard on 2nd and 6 scrambled for another first down. 3rd and 10 only 8 seconds to go CJ scrambled to get 8 yards setting up Hawkeye history. Marshall Koehn blasted a 57 yard field goal to win the game, it was kind of fitting that the Panthers best player Tyler Boyd was back to watch the ball just carry over his head and go through for a Hawkeye victory.

Offensively CJ Beathard hooked up with 7 different receivers, Tevaun Smith had 3 catches for 73 yards, Jacob Hillyer had two catches for 52 yards, Henry Krieger Coble had 5 catches for 48 yards, Matt Vandeberg caught 7 passes for 45 yards and Jordan Canzeri had 7 receptions for 30 yards. This offense is really starting to come together they are getting better and better each week. Jake Duzey should be back soon so he will add yet another dimension to this offense. The first two games the Hawks were very balanced and on Saturday it was the passing game that helped get the Win. Iowa as a team ran for 105 yards on 29 carries. Canzeri had 12 carries for 49 yards with most of those coming in the second half.

Defensively the big star was Desmond King he had 2 interceptions and made a number of big tackles at the line of scrimmage. Desmond was assigned the coverage duty on Tyler Boyd and although he did make some big plays King did a pretty good job on him. The defensive line wasn't able to get a lot of pressure on the QB but did come up with 2 more sacks on the night. The linebackers played very well again Cole Fisher had 12 tackles to lead the team. Outside of the two big plays where the tight ends got free they were very good in pass coverage. The Iowa run defense continued to dominate vs a good running Pitt team only allowing 55 yards on 27 carries.

This was an absolute huge victory, Iowa as we know plays a lot of close games. Over the past few years the close games hadn't been going our way. This year Iowa has been tied at 17 entering the 4th quarter the last two weeks. Both times it was the Hawkeyes making plays to win and that was the difference Saturday Night. This is starting to have the feeling of a special season the offense is getting better, and the defense looks very strong. We will find out a lot about this team in two weeks when the Hawks got to Madison but first Iowa needs to take care of business against North Texas. This should be a game Iowa can get a big lead then rest some of the starters in the second half but I'll preview that game in the next couple days.

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Go Hawks.

Iowa vs Pittsburgh Preview

Last week the Hawkeyes got a big win over Instate Rival Iowa State now the Panthers of Pittsburgh come to town for a prime time showdown. Last year it was the Pittsburgh game where CJ Beathard came on the scene leading the Hawkeyes from a halftime deficit to win on the road. This series has been very close about every game has come down to the final quarter who could forget the last time Pitt came to town Iowa rallied from a 24 to 3 deficit to beat the Panthers 31 to 27. The overall series is 3 to 3 and almost every single game has been close. Pittsburgh lost their star running back for the season but this team is very talented and should be another challenge for the Hawks.

Pittsburgh has a new coach this year in former Michigan State Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzi who's taking over after Paul Chryst left to become the coach at Wisconsin. The Panthers are 2-0 with wins over Youngstown State 45 to 37 and Akron 24 to 7. Narduzi was known for one thing at Michigan State and that was an aggressive blitzing defense. They also play a lot of man to man press coverage on the outside. Iowa will have a chance to make some plays down the field with the one on one coverage. Pittsburgh has a good secondary but their front 7 is still a work in progress. Nicholas Grigsby at OLB and Rori Blair the Right Defensive end are the playmakers. Pittsburgh has also got a good push from the interior defensive lineman so it should be an interesting challenge for the Hawks. Pittsburgh's run defense is only allowing 88 yards per game but they haven't faced a team that has the ability to run the football like Iowa. The Panthers have allowed 170 yards passing per game.

Looking at Iowa Offensively they have been a very balanced football team. The running game will be challenged due to the fact that Iowa will likely be without Leshun Daniels Jr. Saturday Night. Jordan Canzeri will get the start and have the bulk of the carries but we will likely see Derrick Mitchell Jr. for the first time this season. I also expect Akrum Wadley to get some carries too. Mitchell was suspended then one day later was off suspension and is able to play now. CJ Beathard showed what he is capable of vs Iowa State will we see more designed runs for him? The passing game has taken steps forward both weeks, they need to continue to improve Matt Vandeberg had a breakout game last weekend I have a feeling that Tevaun Smith breaks out vs Pitt. Also do the tight ends get more involved in the offense especially with the way Pittsburgh will play coverage on the outside. George Kittle is back healthy I could see him making some big plays down the field.

Looking at the Panther's offense they want to run the football and be a physical team. They lost their starting Running Back James Connor for the season but the replacement Qadree Ollison rushed 207 yards in the first game and only 81 the second game. We will likely see all three Pittsburgh Running backs Ollison is bigger back, Chris James and Freshman Darrin Hall. Iowa has been dominant against the run so far this season. Pittsburgh want's to run the football mostly due to the fact that their passing game isn't very good. Pittsburgh has played 2 Quarterbacks so far this year Nathan Peterman will get the start at QB he has thrown for 209 Yards 1 TD 1 Interception while Chad Voytik who started last season has thrown for 104 Yards 1 TD 1 Interception. Most of the time when a team is playing two quarterbacks unless one is a better runner it normally isn't a good sign. Pittsburgh does have an explosive playmaker at WR in Tyler Boyd. He had a huge game vs Iowa in Last years game and is very capable of taking over a football game. With Boyd he likes to catch a lot of short passes and turn them into big gains. Tackling will be extremely important as it was last weekend because he can take a one yard pass and turn it into a 70 yard TD. If Iowa takes away Boyd they should be in pretty good shape.

Pittsburgh is averaging 34 points per game while Iowa is averaging 31 points per game. Pittsburgh is rushing for 226 yards per game while Iowa is rushing for 235 yards per game. Passing Iowa has the advantage at 218 Yards per game while the Panthers 156 yards per game. The more I look at the stats I think Iowa is the better football team. This game will come down to who can control the line of scrimmage. We have two teams that both want to play physical and run the football. I think that match up will be a wash, but I believe Beathard is head and shoulders better then anything Pitt has at QB. Iowa should be able to run to football, and I believe the passing game will push Iowa to 3-0. I expect this will be a close game for a while with Iowa taking control in the 4th Quarter My score prediction is 31 to 21. My big star for the Hawks this week is Tevaun Smith, he's been quiet the first two weeks but I think he breaks out Saturday Night. Should be a great atmosphere in Kinnick with a night game. A win Saturday night gives Iowa a great shot to go to 4-0 before a trip to Wisconsin looms. This is a key game Iowa got a huge victory at Iowa State last week now the Hawkeyes need to take care of business at home.

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Go Hawks

Iowa vs Iowa State Review

It was a tale of two halves for the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday at Jack Trice Stadium. The Cyclones looked like the better team for about two halves. Something changed at halftime as the Hawkeyes completely took control of the game to bring home the CyHawk Trophy. I think the attitude of this team and entire coaching staff has changed. So let's review how the Hawkeyes came out with a 31 to 17 Victory.

During the First half there were a couple of key plays that really got the Iowa offense going. Iowa State was leading 10 to 3 and had Iowa pinned at the 2 yard line. Beathard was able to just barely avoid a safety where the Cyclones would of been up 12 to 3. All the momentum was on Iowa State's side. The very next play Beathard showed how dangerous he can be running the football going 44 yards to take the ball to the 45 yard line. The very next play Ike Boettger got beat by the Cyclones defensive lineman, CJ stepped up in the pocket then slid out to his right to find Jordan Canzeri for 19 more yards. The next play Jordan ran for 9 yards, on a critical 3rd down Leshun Daniels ran for 13 yards to place the ball at the 15. The Hawkeyes facing another 3rd and 9 Beathard hooked up with Tevaun Smith on a beautiful back shoulder throw to tie the game. I thought this was the turning point in the game although it didn't last long as ISU found a hole in the defense on the first play Sam Richardson hit Trevor Ryen for 53 yards. On the play it looked like the linebackers got confused and let him run free. The Iowa defense stood up to force a 3rd and 17. So it looked like we were going to hold them to a field goal unfortunately Desmond King was beat deep for a TD.

The next play on Special teams Desmond King tried to catch the ball on the sideline and it went out of bounds at the 2. Two plays later CJ Beathard ran a QB draw 57 yards to put the Hawkeyes in business. Now is when the strange scenerio occurred facing a 2nd and 1, Jordan Canzeri was stopped in the backfield on two consecutive plays. I thought running the ball wasn't that bad of a call if Iowa gets the first down the clock stops and allows them to run more plays. Now the fake Field Goal wow who would of thought that not me, Iowa pulls off the fake Marshall Koehn runs it all the way down to the 5. At halftime Iowa State was leading 17 to 10.

The second half started and there was a switch that took place. The Iowa defense manhandled Iowa State in the second half. The Cyclones ran 31 plays for 66 yards in the Second Half. The defensive line completely took over even after the Hawks lost Ott in the first half. Nate Meier had a huge game for Iowa seemingly living in the backfield. Parker Hesse who came in for Ott made some big plays also. The first half it seemed like Richardson had all day to the throw in the second half he had no time. Jaleel Johnson and Nathan Bazata both were getting in the backfield and making plays. A big reason he couldn't find any receivers was because they just weren't open. Iowa's secondary which looked bad at times in the first half was in position every time. It wasn't just the starters, the Iowa defensive coaches showed confidence on 3rd down playing more man to man defense then I can remember seeing. Joshua Jackson a RS Freshman corner was matched up on Allan Lizard one on one and he made some very good plays. The only time Richardson could complete a pass was a back shoulder throw or an underneath pass. Iowa State also was gashing Iowa on the run in the first half but the second half Iowa just dominated.

On Saturday Iowa was the team that made all the winning plays which is why they won the game. The Hawkeyes quickly tied the game early on in the 3rd quarter when Beathard hit Krieger Coble for about 30 yards then he fumbled and right there to pick it up was Matt Vandeberg who dove into the endzone. The game was tied at 17 with everything on the line the Hawkeyes backed up again. 3rd and 21 how many times in the past would we have seen a run play then a punt where Iowa state winds up with great field position? Iowa instead let Beathard launch one he stood tall in the pocket throwing an absolute strike to Matt Vandeberg for 48 yards. Another 3rd and 7 Beathard hit Vandeberg for a 9 yard gain another first down. Two plays later Jordan Canzeri fumbled that was the only play of the second half where Iowa State made a winning play. Iowa forced another punt and for the first time Desmond King got a chance to make a play and he did a 34 yard punt return setting the Hawkeyes up at midfield. 3rd and 5 Beathard found Matt Vandeberg again for 7 yards and another first down. The Hawkeyes were money on 3rd down in the second half. On Second and 10 Beathard found Tevaun Smith on a quick hitch route for 9 yards. Canzeri picked up the first down with a run of 4 yards. On first and ten the clock running what do the Hawkeyes normally do run the ball to kick a field goal play very conservative? What did Iowa do? They go for the kill beautiful PA pass from Beathard to Riley Mccaron to give Iowa a 24 to 17 Lead. I loved seeing that it just shows a different attitude then we've seen in the past.

Another winning play this time by the defense Desmond King stepped in front of the Iowa State receiver to seal it with an Interception. This was the demoralizing play for the Cyclones, two plays Later Jordan Canzeri really locked the game up with an 8 yard TD Run. Final Score Iowa 31 Iowa State 17. In close games the team that wins is the one that makes the winning plays, Iowa made all but one in the second half. Looking at the offensive stats the Hawkeyes were balanced again CJ Beathard had 292 total yards with 3 TD passes 0 Interceptions. Jordan Canzeri with Leshun Daniels banged up ran 24 times for 124 yards 1 TD. Iowa as a team ran for 260 yards. I love seeing the balance on offense something that hasn't always been there the past few years. The Receivers stepped up Tevaun Smith had 2 catches for 23 yards with a TD. Matt Vandeberg if you didn't know him you do now what a game by Matt 9 Catches for 114 yards a TD. Then how about Riley Mccarron first career TD catch is a game winner 1 Catch 25 yards. We finally found the tight end a couple of times on Saturday Henry Krieger Coble 2 catches for 34 yards. This offense continues to get better I'm really excited about what I'm seeing.

Defensively there were so many guys that took their game to another level. Nate Meier was great making a lot of plays. How about the linebacker Ben Niemann this guy can fly sideline to sideline he made some great open field tackles. Both Cole Fisher and Ben Niemann got sacks and as a Team Iowa sacked Sam Richardson 4 times. They have 9 total sacks in two games with this secondary if they can get pressure on QB's we will see more interceptions.

All around it was a good day Saturday, we saw the Hawkeyes face some adversity trailing at the half but they took over in the second half. Punting Dillon Kidd a big shout out to him he punted 5 times for an average of 47 yards which is a huge improvement from last year. Lazard had some big returns vs UNI last week the coverage was excellent Saturday. Marshall Koehn made his only field goal attempt and kept his kicks deep in the End Zone. This was a great win coming from behind in a hostile environment. Next up is the Pittsburgh Panthers who will bring a very good team to Kinnick Stadium Saturday Night. I'll have a preview of that later in the week. Thanks for reading

Go Hawks

Iowa vs Iowa State Preview

Its that time of the year when the Hawkeyes and Cyclones get together to battle for the CyHawk trophy. Both Teams are coming off dominant wins over top FCS teams. Iowa dominated Illinois State 31 to 14 and Iowa State took it to UNI 31 to 7. First lets take a look at Iowa's offense against the Cyclones Defense.

Iowa wants to run the football and be the more physical team every time they take the field. The Hawkeyes ran for 211 yards Saturday vs Illinois State. I expect to see a similar game plan with the Hawkeyes running the football. UNI didn't have a lot of success running against the Cyclones only getting 126 yards on 41 carries. We got a look at what the running backs will look like this year with Leshun Daniels being the main ball carrier, Jordan Canzeri getting some carries but the majority of his plays will come as a receiving threat. Also Derrick Mitchell Jr. who was banged up on Saturday a former Receiver can be used in that role too. I expect Iowa State to stack the box to try and force CJ Beathard to beat them. I noticed during the Cyclones game with the Panthers they were running a 3-4 defense.

The key to a successful rushing attack for the Hawkeyes will be if they can make some plays down the field. Last week Iowa didn't need to stretch the field vs Iowa State they will need too. This means pass protection will become even more important this weekend, last week ISU had 5 sacks against UNI. Iowa didn't allow a sack vs Illinois State, I believe If CJ Beathard gets time to throw he will be able to make some big Plays. Beathards ability to get out of the pocket and make plays with his legs could be big too. CJ had 211 yards passing on 15 for 24. Iowa State has one really good defensive end in Dale Pierson so Boone Myers will have his hands full at Left Tackle. The Cyclones sacked Aaron Bailey 5 times last week so they will try to get after Beathard. Last week we didn't see the tight ends targeted much at all, is this a setup for them to be a bigger factor this week. The Receivers have to continue to make some plays especially down the field. Last week Jordan Canzeri made the biggest plays for the offense through the air. Matt Vandeberg also stepped up last week with 6 catches for 59 yards. Tevaun Smith was a little bit quiet last week but he needs to be targeted more vs the Cyclones. ISU has a fast and athletic secondary but they don't have the size with Tribune being 5 ft 10 and Sam E Richardson being just 5 Ft 8. If the Cyclones stack the box to stop the run that should open up some one on one opportunities down the field.

Looking at the Iowa State offense the first thing that jumped out to me was they want to pass the football. They will run that normal spread offense throwing a lot of short passes to their talented wide receivers to try to get them in the open field. Sam Richardson is back at QB and for the first time it seems like Iowa State finally has a stable quarterback situation. Richardson was 21 for 29 233 yards with 2 TD's. He is what makes the Cyclones tick, if he plays well they can be a good football team but over the years he's had a tendency to throw interceptions. The Cyclones have a very talented Receiving core with Allan Lazard, Dondre Dailey, Quenton Bundrage and Dvario Montgomery. This will be a great matchup between the Iowa State Receivers and Iowa's secondary. I expect we will see a lot of nickle defense from the Hawks since Iowa State likes to run 4 WR Sets. Iowa has big physical corners in King and Maybin both with NFL Size. Tackling in space will be the number one objective for the defense. The Cyclones like to throw short passes that turn into big gains by missed tackles, make tackles and that takes a large weapon away from Iowa State. Iowa must pressure Sam Richardson last season they gave him too much time, this year they have to put pressure on him. Against Illinois State Iowa racked up 5 sacks and when I was watching the UNI vs Iowa State game the Panthers were able to pressure Richardson. Drew Ott will have a lot of one on one chances if the Cyclones stick with the 4 WR look. Ott was a monster last week so I expect him to live in the backfield again. Iowa State doesn't run the football a lot they will try to run a little but for the most part the defensive line should be able to rush the passer first.

Special teams neither team did a lot of good or bad. Allan Lazard had a big day returning punts for Iowa State but it looked to me like the UNI punter was out kicking his coverage. Desmond King returned punts for Iowa averaging 13 yards per return. The kickers Marshall Koehn was 1 for 1 for the Hawkeyes and Cole Netten was only 1 for 3 for the Cyclones. Dillon Kidd has had his punting issues in the past, he averaged 47 yards per punt Saturday which is good but they were pooch punt chances. Iowa State's Punter Colin Downing punted 5 times 40 yards per punt. Special teams can be a game changer we all remember Andy Brodell's big punt Return vs Iowa State and of course last year Iowa State won on a field goal.

I think Iowa needs to set the tone that they are bigger and more physical then the Cyclones. I see the Hawkeyes coming out running the ball, a couple of years ago Iowa completely dominated the line of scrimmage. The big question will be can they do that again in Ames. My next biggest question is does Drew Ott continue to look like a monster? Last week he lived in the Redbirds backfield can he do that again. Another big question in my mind will be if we see the receivers make some plays down the field and with that do we see some of the younger players get a chance. Last week Iowa ran a lot of formations that had Jerminic Smith on the field but they were all runs. I'm curious if they pull a play action pass out of that formation. The Final key is turnovers I believe if Iowa wins the Turnover battle or our even they should win this game. I see score of 27 to 17 Iowa victory, but if Iowa turns the ball over that could change. This is an improved Iowa State Football team but the way Iowa was so aggressive vs Illinois State last week makes me think this team knows what they have to do.

One final note is a sad one as the Hawkeye Family lost Tyler Sash today. He was only 27 years old. Tyler was one of the better Strong Safeties to play at Iowa. He made so many big plays from his Interception vs Penn State in 2008 that set up the game winning field goal. The interception he picked off vs Michigan State and pitched it to Micah Hyde who went all the way for a touchdown, Or how about the pinball interception vs Indiana that kept Iowa undefeated. The final memory I have of Tyler is the game he played at Iowa State where he had 3 Interceptions in a 35 to 3 victory. R.I.P. Tyler Sash Thoughts and prayers to you and your family.

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Iowa vs Illinois State Review

Saturday afternoon went about as well as Iowa fans could have hoped for. Illinois State is a good Football team and Iowa completely dominated. There were a lot of question marks coming into this game and although its Illinois State all the question marks were answered. CJ Beathard was making his second career start Saturday and played very well.

The offense got off to a fast start on Saturday taking the opening kickoff 81 yards to score a Touchdown. The Iowa offense ran for over 200 yards and threw for over 200 yards also. The Hawkeyes first 2 drives were text book 81 yards and 99 yards to take a 14 to 0 lead. Leshun Daniels showed a great burst and had enough patience to allow his blockers to open the holes. Iowa's offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage. Iowa's first drive was 13 plays going 81 yards for a Touchdown. The Hawks were balanced with 7 run plays including a 27 yard gain by Daniels and 6 passes including a 15 yard gain to Tevaun Smith. Iowa looked to be out to make a statement to start the game moving the ball right down the field, they also converted a 4th and 2 on a quick slant to Tevaun Smith. CJ Beathard showed off one of the skills he has by capping the drive on a beautifully designed QB Draw. We've all watched this team struggle against teams that they should dominate but that wasn't the case Saturday. Iowa had a perfect game plan and they really didn't show a whole lot to Iowa State.

The second drive Iowa had was 99 yards in 12 Plays to take a 14 to 0 lead. On this drive the Hawkeyes showed a couple of different looks, first they ran a hard play action pass where Beathard hit Hillyar for 18 yards and a first down in the middle of the field. The second new play Iowa ran was a shovel pass screen to Jordan Canzeri, Beathard lured the defense in then shoveled the pass to Canzeri who picked up 21 yards. The other key play on the drive was another play action pass where Beathard showed his ability to get outside the pocket but keep his eyes down the field hitting Matt Vandeberg for 17 yards. The Hawkeyes also showed some new look wide receiver screens that weren't the jail break variety we are used to seeing. This wide Receiver screen was set up on some great blocking by Tevaun Smith who blocked 2 guys on one play to help Vandeberg pick up another 17 yard gain. The second TD Came on another perfectly designed play where the Hawkeyes had a bunch set to the left and ran Jordan Canzeri right up the middle for a 5 yard TD.

One of the bigger drives of the game came with just 37 seconds left in the first half. Iowa ran a HB Screen to Jordan Canzeri who turned a 3 yard pass into a 51 yard gain. Those are just some of the things that Canzeri can bring to this offense. That play set up a Marshall Koehn FG to make it 17-0. The score was only 17-0 but the lead felt a lot bigger then that. On the Hawks second drive of the 3rd quarter the Hawks put the game out of reach with a 13 play 57 yard. Iowa ran another new look out of the bunch set to the left side of the field, earlier in the game the Hawks ran Jordan Canzeri for a TD this time they threw a quick screen to Matt Vandeberg who got two big blocks from Tevaun Smith and Jake Hillyer to help him get to the corner and score. The final scoring drive for the Hawks went 10 plays 66 yards capped by a QB sneak by Beathard. Iowa had 4 double digit plays where they scored a TD and the hawks were 5 for 5 in the Redzone with only one score being a field goal. The last few years it seems like we've had trouble scoring TD's in the redzone Saturday was a big first step in changin that.

Iowa's offense was balanced Rushing for 210 yards and throwing for 221 yards. Leshun Daniels led the rushing attack on 26 carries for 123 yards. Daniels looked like the total package, he's fast enough to hit the hole but also agile enough to make defenders miss and powerful enough to run through defenders. Jordan Canzeri came in to change the pace he had 5 carries for 28 yards but also caught 4 passes for 90 yards. The Run blocking was great, the biggest thing I noticed was Iowa finally has a center who can pull and get the reach block to spring the running back. Austin Blythe was outstanding on his pulls to help spring Daniels for big gains. Also Iowa usually only runs stretch plays but vs Illinois state they ran more plays on the inside of the line.  

The passing offense did some things but for the most part Iowa wasn't looking to throw the ball deep down the field.  CJ was 15 for 24 211 yards 1 TD 0 INTS. Beathard also ran the ball 8 times for 26 yards and 2 touchdowns. Matt Vandeberg was the leading receiver with 6 catches for 59 yards and a TD. Vandeberg showed an ability to get open down the field, he also had some nice runs after the catch. Jake Hillyer showed a lot of improvement from last season catching 2 passes for 38 yards. Tevaun Smith had 3 receptions for 24 yards and Jameer Outsey had one catch for 10 yards. It seemed at times the receivers couldn't get open and Beathard had to throw the ball away a lot. The Receivers have to continue to improve but Iowa didn't really open up the passing game much. The one strange thing I noticed was the Tight ends weren't targeted on time by the first team offense. Now I believe this could have been one of those games where the Hawks didn't use the whole playbook.

Defensively Iowa's first team unit completely dominated the Redbirds. The defensive line was the first thing that stood out in a major way. They overpowered the Redbirds offensive line all day. Drew Ott basically lived in the backfield wreaking havoc on Tre Roberson. Ott had 2 sacks but he could of had few more forcing Roberson up in the pocket to allow other defensive lineman to make the play. Jaleel Johnson was great also getting a lot of penetration into the backfield. Iowa held Illinois State to 36 yards rushing and 196 yards passing but only 49 yards passing by Roberson. The linebackers were a big question mark coming into the season and they played really well. Ben Niemann was in on a lot of plays including a sack of Roberson. Josey Jewell was in on a lot of tackles and Cole Fisher made a lot of plays on the perimeter. The Hawkeyes Perimeter defense was much improved, last year teams took advantage of Iowa's defensive speed on the outside. Illinois State had some players who could make some plays on the outside like Roberson and Coprich but Iowa completely shut them down. The Secondary also made a lot of plays Desmond King wasn't tested much but a made couple of nice tackles. Greg Maybin made the best tackle of the day picking up Coprich and throwing him to the ground. Last year the Iowa defense gave up big plays on Saturday the first team defense didn't give up any big plays.

I was impressed with both sides of the ball Saturday. I honestly didn't know what to expect vs the Redbirds, last year Iowa played UNI to a close game. Iowa completely dominated Illinois State, it  wasn't a game at all as the Hawks led 31-0 in the 4th quarter before the second team defense allowed two scores. The offense was balanced running and passing. I do want to see some more passes deep down the middle of the field. The offensive line was dominant keeping Beathard clean and opening up holes for the running Backs. Now I don't know what this means for the rest of the season but Iowa passed their first test vs a Top team in the FCS. The next test is a big one in Ames vs the Cyclones. I'll preview that game coming up early next week.

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Iowa vs Illinois State Preview

Opening day is Saturday in Iowa City as the Hawkeyes will meet FCS opponent Illinois State. It's finally time to see the team take the field against an opponent and play a game. This could be a very interesting game as Illinois State returned a number of key players on offense and defense. I'm going to start out previewing the Iowa offense vs the Illinois State Defense.

Last season Illinois State had a pretty good defense allowing just 21 points per game, 343 totals yards. The Rushing defense for the Redbirds only allowed 119.7 yards per game and through the air they allowed 223.7 yards per game. Teddy Corwin and David Perkins are both back on defense. Corwin had 7.5 sacks last season with 98 stops, and Perkins had 8 sacks. Pat Meehan is the leading tackler with 115 tackles and Alex Donnaly returns he had 85 tackles. After seeing both the Spring Game and the Kids Day Scrimmage Iowa's offensive line against the two defensive ends will be a key match up. At times Iowa hasn't been able to protect CJ Beathard and Illinois State has some players that can put pressure on him. The Redbirds don't return a lot of there secondary so Iowa should be able to take advantage of that, if the offensive line can give Beathard time to throw. Illinois State only returned a back up Safety Drashane Glass who played a little last season. For the Hawks offensively they need the receivers to make plays down the field. I'm most interested in seeing how Iowa tries to get the ball in Tevaun Smith's hands. He's clearly the best receiver on the field and Iowa has to find away to get him more involved then last season. Iowa is still looking for more receivers to make plays so that will be something to watch too. The other big thing I will be watching Saturday is how much Jay Scheel and Jerminic Smith get on the field.  I also want to see if the Hawks use the middle of the field more, last season Iowa did a lot of horizontal passing. George Kittle at tight end should be able to take advantage against the Redbirds linebacking core, he's faster then a normal tight end and I think he can make a lot of plays down the field.  

Running the football is going to be important for the Hawks as last season the running game had it's moments but not enough of them. Leshun Daniels will be the main ball carrier this season with Jordan Canzeri being a change of pace back. During the Spring game and the kids scrimmage the starters didn't get a lot of carries so its hard to say what the rushing attack will look like. Daniels has dropped a lot of weight and looks like he could have a great season. With Iowa's rushing offense vision is the most important thing. Iowa runs a lot of stretch plays so picking the right hole is the biggest challenge for a Hawkeye running back. The offensive line is better in the interior so I think we will see more straight ahead runs. With Daniels being listed as the number one back I'll be curious to see what the split will be in regards to carries between Daniels, Canzeri, Mitchell and Wadley. Mitchell could be used a lot in 3rd down situations like Damon Bullock was. 

Illinois State's offense returns a couple of key positions on offense but they also lost a lot across there offensive line and at the receiver position. At QB the Redbirds return Tre Roberson who is a former transfer from Indiana that passed for 3,221 yards and 30 Touchdowns while rushing for 1029 yards and 11 TD's. He is a dynamic weapon that Iowa will have to be keyed on. The good news is Iowa's defensive line should be able to control the line of scrimmage. Of all the players returning for Illinois State the offensive line is the least experienced group on offense. The Redbirds also return Marshaun Coprich at running back who ran 2,274 yards and 27 Touchdowns last year. At the receiver position the Redbirds only return two guys with experience, Jon Marc Anderson and Anthony Warrum both who only caught 15 passes. Marshaun only caught 15 balls last season but after the all the trouble the Iowa Linebackers had last season, I would expect Illinois State to try to throw it to him more. The linebacking core has changed a little with Cole Fisher moving into the starting lineup ahead of Bo Bower, the other 2 spots are filled by Ben Niemann and Josey Jewell. Fisher has been pretty good against the pass in the only practices I've seen. Iowa's secondary should make it very difficult on Tre Roberson throwing the football as Iowa has a clear advantage in that area. The tricky thing with Roberson is that he can make as many plays with his legs as he does with his arm. The key for the Iowa defense will be a good pass rush but also controlled to keep Roberson from scrambling. We've all seen scrambling QB's hurt the Hawkeyes in the past so it should be a good challenge for the defense. 

My keys to an Iowa victory take Marshaun Coprich out of the game making Illinois State a one dimensional offense. Its a must to keep Tre Roberson contained he has the speed to make big plays scrambling especially on 3rd down. Offensively protecting CJ Beathard is the number one key, if he has time to throw he should be able to find open receivers. Attacking the linebackers in the middle of the field, I want to see George Kittle be a big part of the offense, and Tevaun Smith has to be a main target. The last key for me is Iowa needs to be able to run the ball if the Hawkeyes can move the ball on the ground it should open up the playaction pass down the field. I believe that the UNI team we played last season in the opener is better then this Illinois State team. I see the Hawkeyes winning Saturday by the score of 34 to 14. I think this could be a close game for awhile but I don't believe the Redbirds have enough on the outside to beat the Hawks. I guess we will all find out next weekend. I'm excited to get this season underway it was such a long off season and its time to hit the field. Thanks for Reading

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2015 Kids Scrimmage Defense thoughts

Saturday was the last chance Hawk fans would have to see the team before they open up the Season September 5th vs Illinois State. During an earlier post I talked about the offense if you missed that use this link to read it Offense Thoughts This post is going to be about what I thought of the defense during the Kids Scrimmage.

The defense was dominant at times, was this because they are that good or the offense was that bad? We won't officially be able to answer that question until the season starts but I saw a lot of good things. Lets start on the defensive line where Drew Ott looked like a 1st team all Big Ten Player. He was bull rushing and putting a ton of pressure on CJ Beathard all day, he had 6 sacks. On the other side was defensive end Nate Meier who caused pressure also coming up with 2 sacks. The defensive tackles on Saturday were Jaleel Johnson and Nathan Bazata. Both Johnson and Bazata played a little last season but they do have big shoes to fill replacing Louis Trinca Pasat and Carl Davis. Most of the scrimmage both guys were getting a good push, on one particular play Bazata drove Freshman James Daniels back into the backfield. I was impressed with both guys ability to shed blocks and make plays. The second team defensive line will be important too especially with all the spread offenses depth is important. 

At defensive end Matt Nelson who has huge potential at 6 ft 7 once he puts on more muscle he will be a terror to block. He's looked like he put on a lot of weight on so he will likely be one of the first defensive ends in the game. At the other defensive end position was Parker Hesse a converted QB a lot like Nate Meier who transitioned to defensive line from Running back he's still getting bigger but he does have a quick first step. Faith Ekakite who has waited his turn to make an impact was one of the defensive tackles, and Kyle Terlow was the other one. It's important that all these guys continue to get better especially at defensive end because even though the size is there not a lot of plays were being made but to be fair they were getting into the backfield. On the 3rd team defensive line one player stood out to me and that was Terrance Harris he has already put on a lot of weight. He made the biggest hit in the scrimmage tossing Eric Graham to the ground. I don't know if he will play this year but he looks the part to be a speed rusher which is something we've been missing. If the hawks run the Raider formation again I could see Terrance possibly on that formation. Anthony Nelson is another guy who has a lot of size at 6 ft 7 but needs to get bigger before hes ready to play.  Those are just some thoughts on the defensive line.

On to the linebackers where we had some struggles last season but also had some positives too. The starting linebackers on Saturday were Ben Niemann at OLB, Josey Jewell at MLB and Bo Bower at the other OLB spot. All 3 LB's are fast and pretty solid in pass coverage, they all seemed to be making more plays then last season. It was like they weren't thinking and just making plays. Even when the offense tried to sneak a back out into the flat or run a wheel rout the linebackers were right there in coverage. That was great to see because last season we gave up a ton of big plays on passes to the RB out of the backfield. This young trio of linebackers will only get better, we all remember the struggles of Kirksey, Hitchens and Morris early in their careers. These LB's were thrown in there last season and that should help them be more ready when opening week roles around. The second team linebackers were a couple of veterans in Cole Fisher, Travis Perry and Aaron Mends. All 3 were very solid Saturday at least I didn't notice any big mistakes in either the passing or running game. The 3rd team linebackers were the younger guys Brady Ross, Jack Hockaday and Angelo Garbutt with Nick Wilson and Justin Jinning rotating in. Now to get to the strength of the team the secondary.

This could be on of the best secondary's of the Ferentz era and that is saying something because Iowa has had a lot of good secondary's. Starting at corner Desmond King he's definitely an NFL player the break he gets in the ball is so quick. He was defending Tevaun Smith for most of the practice and was all over him. I think King could have a very good year intercepting passes even on passes like quick curls that were on time he was breaking on the ball and knocking it away. The other corner is Greg Maybin who had a good day too even coming up with a sack on a corner blitz.  Miles Taylor started at Strong Safety and was making hits all over the field plus he never got beat deep which was a problem last year. At Free Safety was Brandon Snyder filling in for Jordan Lomax, Snyder did get beat once but Beathard over threw Tevaun Smith. Also good news the Hawks played a lot of nickel the corner coming in on that was Reese Flemming. The second team secondary at the corner spots Reese Flemming and Sean Draper, Draper made the biggest play picking off Tyler Wiegers which would have been a touchdown. At strong Safety Anthony Gair who has played a little and is a big hitter, at free safety Jake Gervase who was filling in for Brandon Snyder. Also rotating in with the second unit was Michael Ojemudia, he made a great one handed interception of Drew Cook. I'm really excited about this secondary with Lomax and Taylor at the safety spots both fast and big hitters. On the outside 2 shutdown corners in King and Maybin. This secondary will be the strength of the team. 

In closing the defense was dominant Saturday and showed a lot of good things. I feel they have improved a lot from the unit that gave up so many big plays last season. The secondary is the best part of the defense with the defensive line right behind then. How good this defense is come's down to the linebackers and creating depth on the defensive line. If Iowa can do that this could be a very good defense, I guess we will find out opening week vs Illinois State.

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Go Hawks 

2015 Kids Day Scrimmage Offense Thoughts

   
Saturday afternoon was the last chance Hawk Fans had to see the Iowa Football team before they open the season at home vs Illinois State. There were some things to be concerned about and a lot of positives also. The first thing I noticed was people were excited, there were a lot of fans in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday.

 Offensively I wasn't sure what to expect, after the Spring game they didn't look very good. The offense did some good things on Saturday, but they also had some struggles against the number 1 defense. Lets start on the inside and work our way to the skilled positions. The offensive line is the key to whether this offense can take a step forward this season. The interior of the offensive line is experienced with a number of guys who have played. The key to this line is the center Austin Blythe he is the leader of this group then Jordan Walsh is one of the guards with a lot of experience. At the other guard spot there is a lot of competition Eric Simmons and Sean Welsh rotated in with the number ones. Another surprising addition to the competition was 4 Star True Freshman James Daniels who was rotating in a little. James looked like he belonged out there and I wouldn't be surprised if we see him this season. Moving to the tackle position we have two inexperienced players in Boone Myers at Left Tackle and Ike Boettger at Right Tackle. On Saturday those 2 tackles struggled, Drew Ott and Nate Meier were able to get a very good pass rush especially early on in the scrimmage. Ott beat Myers to the outside a number of times putting a ton of pressure on CJ Beathard. I don't think the problem is physical its more mental and technique work. They allowed 8 sacks which was concerning but as the practice went on the line play was better. The run blocking was getting a push which helped both Derrick Mitchell and Akrum Wadley get through the line a lot.

Looking at the receiver position the top 3 are Tevaun Smith, Matt Vandeberg, and Jake Hillyer. Hillyer is still probably the best run blocking receiver on the team but still needs to make some plays to really step up this year. Vandeberg was able to get open and make some plays. Tevaun Smith is clearly the top target on the team he ran some very good crossing patterns. The second team wide outs were Riley Mccarron, Andre Harris, Johnathon Parker and Jay Scheel with Freshman Jerminic Smith rotating in. Scheel also rotated in with the number one unit. Here are some of the stats from the scrimmage. Jacob Hillyer had 1 catch for 3 yards, Tevaun Smith caught 2 passes for 17 yards, George Kittle had 3 catches for 69 yards, Matt Vandeberg 2 catches for 33 yards, Derrick Mitchell 3 catches for 17 yards, Jay Scheel 2 Catches for 15 yards, Riley Mccaron 2 catches for 23 yards, Jameer Outsey 1 Catch for 14 yards, Drake Kulick 2 fro 54 yards and a TD, Jerminic Smith 4 for 25 yards,

Looking at the stats the biggest thing that stood out was Jerminic Smith who looks like he has a very good chance to play this season. Jay Scheel was one of the receivers I was excited to see, he did run a nice inside curl on 3rd and 3 made the safety miss and picked up 10 yards. He showed glimpses of a guy who could become a big play maker. The tight ends also will be a big part of the offense George Kittle had a good day especially in the middle of the field which was nice to see. Kreiger Coble also ran some good routes and made a nice catch down the field. The offense wasn't as perimeter oriented on Saturday, they were utilizing the middle of the field off play action passes. The 3rd team unit showed all the young WR for the Hawks including Adrian Falconer, Joshua Jackson and Emmanual Ogwo. All of these WR's did some good things although the 3rd team unit struggled completing passes. Ogwo is probably the fastest of the bunch he ran a straight go route running right by Michael Ojemudia but Cook under threw him and the pass was intercepted. They all showed very good quickness whether they play or not will come down to how quickly they can get the playbook down.

At Running back on Saturday the top 2 backs Leshun Daniels and Jordan Canzeri were held out of the contact portion of the practice. That didn't stop me from being impressed with the running backs who were getting carries. Derrick Mitchell Jr. ran the ball 13 times for 51 yards with 9 of those carries coming with the first team. Akrum Wadley carried the ball 13 times for 34 yards and a TD. Both Wadley and Mitchell showed a very good burst and moves to make the defenders miss. Wadley played a little last season but had a problem with fumbles on Saturday he didn't put the ball on the ground once. Mitchell Jr. a converted WR reminded me a lot of Damon Bullock but faster. He caught some balls out of the back field and looked good running the football. The last 2 running backs were Marcel Jolly and Eric Graham. Jolly had 4 carries for 12 yards and Graham had 4 carries for 10 yards. For Freshman both backs definitely look physically ready although neither one should be needed this season they both look like they could play if needed.

Finally we get to the quarterback position which of course is now controlled by CJ Beathard. CJ had a tough day on Saturday mostly because he didn't have a lot of time to throw the ball. When he did get time he made great throws, CJ has the ability to throw a receiver open, he can fit the ball into tight windows. The defensive backs were all over the receivers and CJ was still fitting the ball in on crossing patterns. He overshot Tevaun Smith which would have been a touchdown and he also through a great ball to the sideline hitting Matt Vandeberg for a big gain. I'm really excited to see what he can do, if the line can protect him Beathard will make plays with his arm and legs. He didn't run a lot on Saturday but he definitely has that in his game. The second Quarterback was Tyler Wiegers who looked much improved from the Spring. Wiegers was 13 for 22 for 184 yards a TD and an Interception. I wouldn't say he is ready to play right now so keeping Beathard healthy is a must for success this season. Tyler has made a lot of strides since the spring and he showed some that ability on Saturday. The next Quarterbacks to come in were the 2 Freshman Ryan Boyle and Drew Cook. Both guys looked a little nervous Ryan fumbled the first snap then turned the wrong way on the second play. Drew Cook threw a couple of interceptions in the game one where he underthrew his receiver and the other where he pumped and threw the ball late which would have been a pick 6. Both of these guys are definitely not ready to play and will likely red shirt this season.

In Closing on the the offense the positives are we have guys who can make some plays on the outside. We definitely have a quarterback who can make plays the question will be can the offensive line protect him? The running game looks to have a number of guys who can play and play well. The biggest thing I saw was the use of the middle of the field which we rarely threw to last season. I'm very interested to see what the offense looks like vs Illinois State. I'll have my thoughts on the defense in another Blog which I hope to have out in the next day or so.

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Go Hawks