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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