Well it's finally that time of the year, Saturday Morning Iowa will open the season vs Wyoming. Its an 11 am kickoff on the Big Ten Network. In this post I'm going to go through some of the stuff I'm going to be watching for Saturday.
First off on the offensive side of the ball the question on everyone's mind is what will the offense under Brian Ferentz look like? I liked what I saw in the Kid's day Scrimmage but that doesn't mean we won't see some similar things to last year. The interesting thing on the 1st 2 deeps released on Monday, Iowa listed two starting tight ends Noah Fant and TJ Hockenson. Both guys can bring a lot to the passing game. Nathan Stanley won the starting quarterback job how comfortable will he look in his first career start as a True Sophomore?
On the subject of the passing game the biggest mystery is the wide receivers. The only guy with a catch back is Matt Vandeberg but you wonder if he could be rusty with all the injuries he's gone through. Nick Easley I've never seen him in any practice so I really don't know what to expect from him. He did good things at Iowa Western so their is a reason he took over the starting receiver job.
Do Adrian Falconer and Devonte Young start to make an impact as receivers? There was a lot of buzz about Falconer playing pretty well in camp and Young really looked good in the one practice I saw. After that theirs graduate transfer from New Mexico Matt Quarells who we really don't know much about but he has moved up the depth chart quickly. The other question is what Freshman will play Brandon Smith was listed 2nd behind Vandeberg. Ihmir Smith Marsette and Max Cooper also could see time.
When it comes to the running game what will the split be with Akrum Wadley and James Butler? Also how much will Wadley move around will he play a lot of slot receiver? His ability to run routes as a receiver could really help the offense. Will any of the younger players see the field Ivory Kelly-Martin is listed as one of the Kick Returners will he play some out of the slot? Does Toren Young get on the field he showed some good things in the practice I saw. The offensive line is going to be a veteran unit and should lead to a huge season from Wadley and James Butler.
Defensively the biggest thing to watch Saturday is the Secondary. The Hawkeyes will have new starters with Josh Jackson, Michael Ojemudia and Jake Gervase making starts. With the suspension of Manny Rugamba it will be interesting to see how much that hurts vs a talented quarterback like Josh Allen. With Brandon Snyder injured how does Jake Gervase fill in, he's been a playmaker in the back end in a lot of the practices. Which young players will see playing time on Saturday? Matt Hankins is listed as one of the backup corners. Cedrick Boswell also could see the field.
Up front on the defensive line how good can this unit be? They have to replace Jaleel Johnson and Faith. Anthony Nelson and Parker Hesse are the defensive ends with tackles being Nathan Bazata and Cedrick Lattimore. This will be Lattimore's first time playing quality minutes. How many lineman will rotate in Matt Nelson has moved from end to tackle? Brady Reiff and Sam Brincks will also be in line for playing time. The other question on everyone's mind is how many snaps a game will Freshman AJ Epenesa get? The biggest thing with the line will be if they can put pressure on Josh Allen with their front 4. Will we see a raider package with a lot of pass rushers on 3rd down situations?
Special teams is the other question that needs to be answered. Miguel Recinos is listed as the starting kicker after beating out Keith Duncan. Iowa has a new punter Colton Rastetter and Ryan Gersonde. The return game looks like it could be a factor, at Kick Return Akrum Wadley and Ivory Kelly-Martin are both speedsters. Of Course we know about Wadley but Martin can fly. Matt Vandeberg and Josh Jackson are listed as the punt returners. They have big shoes to fill for Desmond King.
Wyoming has a talented QB in Josh Allen who is being talked about as a high draft pick in the NFL draft. The Cowboy's defense allowed over 600 yards a game last year. They also lost their starting running back and top 3 receivers from last season. Even though Allen is a dangerous QB I feel Iowa should be able to run the ball very effectively. The biggest question is how will the passing do?
That will wrap up this blog post. I'll have a review of the game that I'll release probably sometime on Sunday. Saturday is going to be awesome can't way to kick of the 2017 College Football season. As Always thanks for reading and GO HAWKS.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Kids Day Open Practice Thoughts
We Finally got a chance to get a sneak peak at the 2017 Iowa Football Team. The Hawks took the field at Kinnick for their annual Kids Day Scrimmage. First of all the Field looked terrific the logo on the 50 yard line looks awesome. So lets jump right into it.
Some of the things I noticed during the offensive periods were a lot more rub route type plays and a lot of drag routes. In the 7 on 7 drills the Hawks were running at least one drag route on every play. I think this will be a positive change for the receivers to get open more this season.
The 2 main questions on everyone's mind was who is going to be the starting quarterback and who are the receivers going to be with so much change. Nathan Stanley looked better in this practice but that doesn't mean he will be the starter. Stanley connected on a couple of deep touchdown passes to Devonte Young. The most impressive thing I saw is that he stands up tall in the pocket. Stanley threw 3 touchdown passes, one was a beautiful pump and go to Young on a fade. The other touchdown Young started on the right side of the field ran a crossing pattern all the way across the formation then went deep. Stanley put the pass right on his finger tips as he raced into the end zone. The other Touchdown pass was a well designed play with a trips bunch set on the right side of the field, Max Cooper ran a quick flat route, the throw was right on time and he went into the end zone. Weigers just seemed to be a little bit off but again this is just one practice. By the time we get to the September 2nd opener vs Wyoming it will be interesting to see who starts that game or if they both play.
Wide Receiver is also a huge question mark for this team but I saw some talent that hopefully can translate to better play this year. I saw a lot of crossing patterns that we just didn't see a lot last year. Devonte Young had the best day for the receivers catching two long touchdown passes. He was supposed to be able to step up last year but now as a Sophomore hopefully he takes some big steps forward. Falconer who has generated some buzz in camp didn't have a lot of balls thrown his way. Vandeberg only played a little but once he's healthy he will definitely play a lot. Of the young guys Brandon Smith looked good he caught everything with his hands. Ihmir Smith Marsette has a lot of speed but I didn't see him make too many plays during the scrimmage. Max Cooper had the one touchdown catch on a little flat route at the goal line.
The Tight ends Noah Fant, TJ Hockenson and Shaun Beyer were getting the majority of the playing time when Iowa was passing. Pekar is still the best blocking tight end. The Tight ends weren't just lining up in normal formations. They were split out in the slot some. They also had some two tight end sets. Fant made a nice catch on a crossing pattern where he had to out battle the defender for the ball. All 3 are poised to make some noise this year.
The Hawks also have a whole lot of talent in the backfield. Of course we all know about Wadley but today was our first chance to get a look at James Butler. Butler was very impressive he ran very low to the ground and with a lot of power. The interesting thing about the offense is they put Wadley in the Slot a lot with Toren Young in the backfield and Butler too. I focused a lot on the skill position players for the most part since that is where we need the most help. Of the Freshman one of the more impressive players was Ivory Kelly Martin he has some serious speed. Iowa was running him out of the slot a lot. One play he ran a little drag route caught it made one guy miss and dashed to the end zone. Toren Young also ran the ball very well including a long touchdown run when he was in the backfield and Wadley split out in the slot.
The most interesting thing I saw was that we had a lot of formations with more than one running back on the field. It wasn't like Last year where they were running the fake jet sweep motion every time. This time the running backs in the slot were running a lot of regular patterns. I saw one play where they had Wadley the Inside guy in a trips set and they ran a Screen pass to him but the young receivers didn't block very well on the play. I also loved seeing Wadley in the slot and then a hand off to another back lined in the backfield. On one play Wadley was in the slot and the Hawks handed it off to Toren Young going for a long touchdown run. I liked some of the new wrinkles Iowa showed now whether we see them all the time on Saturday's who knows. They had one play where they faked the hand-off to I believe James Butler and ran a reverse to Ihmir Smith Marsette.
Defensively the most impressive thing I saw was the defensive line has a chance to be very good. There is a ton of depth and talent on the line. 5 Star recruit AJ Epenesa is going to be hard to keep of the field in my opinion. The defensive line had a number of sacks on the day and I feel it was because the defensive line was good not the offensive line bad. The big change we saw is Matt Nelson played exclusively defensive tackle. The starting defensive line was Anthony Nelson, Cedrick Lattimore, Nathan Bazata and Parker Hesse. Rotating in at the end position was Epenesa. I would expect Iowa will have a number of different players rotating in. At times last year the defensive line would be tired, this year they have enough depth to keep the line fresh.
The Secondary is also a question the good news is both Rugamba and Jackson should be very good. Some of the younger players who saw time include Matt Hankins. The Freshmen will likely play some on special teams and maybe the defense. Michael Ojemudia looks like he's going to be the Nickle Corner.
Miguel Recinos was the best kicker at least today. He was making every kick he attempted. I'm guessing the situation will likely be the same as last year with Duncan kicking the short field goals and Recinos the long ones. We didn't get a chance to see the punters.
I'm very excited about his team, going into today I wasn't sure what to expect at the practice and the overall season. After seeing the practice I like the changes to the offense. The idea of Wadley and Butler on the field at the same time could be a lethal combination. There are still some questions on the offense at quarterback and wide receiver. Defensively they need to find out about the secondary without King and Maybin. I came away from the practice very optimistic about the season. The schedule this year is very tough with a lot of the big games in the West on the road. The start of the Big Ten schedule hosting #6 Penn State and at Michigan State the next week. They also have to travel to Northwestern, Nebraska and Wisconsin. They also host #2 Ohio State. The schedule is difficult so I don't know how many wins they will get but I'm excited about the potential of this team. I guess we will have to wait till September to really find out about the Hawks. Thanks for reading and Go Hawks.
Some of the things I noticed during the offensive periods were a lot more rub route type plays and a lot of drag routes. In the 7 on 7 drills the Hawks were running at least one drag route on every play. I think this will be a positive change for the receivers to get open more this season.
The 2 main questions on everyone's mind was who is going to be the starting quarterback and who are the receivers going to be with so much change. Nathan Stanley looked better in this practice but that doesn't mean he will be the starter. Stanley connected on a couple of deep touchdown passes to Devonte Young. The most impressive thing I saw is that he stands up tall in the pocket. Stanley threw 3 touchdown passes, one was a beautiful pump and go to Young on a fade. The other touchdown Young started on the right side of the field ran a crossing pattern all the way across the formation then went deep. Stanley put the pass right on his finger tips as he raced into the end zone. The other Touchdown pass was a well designed play with a trips bunch set on the right side of the field, Max Cooper ran a quick flat route, the throw was right on time and he went into the end zone. Weigers just seemed to be a little bit off but again this is just one practice. By the time we get to the September 2nd opener vs Wyoming it will be interesting to see who starts that game or if they both play.
Wide Receiver is also a huge question mark for this team but I saw some talent that hopefully can translate to better play this year. I saw a lot of crossing patterns that we just didn't see a lot last year. Devonte Young had the best day for the receivers catching two long touchdown passes. He was supposed to be able to step up last year but now as a Sophomore hopefully he takes some big steps forward. Falconer who has generated some buzz in camp didn't have a lot of balls thrown his way. Vandeberg only played a little but once he's healthy he will definitely play a lot. Of the young guys Brandon Smith looked good he caught everything with his hands. Ihmir Smith Marsette has a lot of speed but I didn't see him make too many plays during the scrimmage. Max Cooper had the one touchdown catch on a little flat route at the goal line.
The Tight ends Noah Fant, TJ Hockenson and Shaun Beyer were getting the majority of the playing time when Iowa was passing. Pekar is still the best blocking tight end. The Tight ends weren't just lining up in normal formations. They were split out in the slot some. They also had some two tight end sets. Fant made a nice catch on a crossing pattern where he had to out battle the defender for the ball. All 3 are poised to make some noise this year.
The Hawks also have a whole lot of talent in the backfield. Of course we all know about Wadley but today was our first chance to get a look at James Butler. Butler was very impressive he ran very low to the ground and with a lot of power. The interesting thing about the offense is they put Wadley in the Slot a lot with Toren Young in the backfield and Butler too. I focused a lot on the skill position players for the most part since that is where we need the most help. Of the Freshman one of the more impressive players was Ivory Kelly Martin he has some serious speed. Iowa was running him out of the slot a lot. One play he ran a little drag route caught it made one guy miss and dashed to the end zone. Toren Young also ran the ball very well including a long touchdown run when he was in the backfield and Wadley split out in the slot.
The most interesting thing I saw was that we had a lot of formations with more than one running back on the field. It wasn't like Last year where they were running the fake jet sweep motion every time. This time the running backs in the slot were running a lot of regular patterns. I saw one play where they had Wadley the Inside guy in a trips set and they ran a Screen pass to him but the young receivers didn't block very well on the play. I also loved seeing Wadley in the slot and then a hand off to another back lined in the backfield. On one play Wadley was in the slot and the Hawks handed it off to Toren Young going for a long touchdown run. I liked some of the new wrinkles Iowa showed now whether we see them all the time on Saturday's who knows. They had one play where they faked the hand-off to I believe James Butler and ran a reverse to Ihmir Smith Marsette.
Defensively the most impressive thing I saw was the defensive line has a chance to be very good. There is a ton of depth and talent on the line. 5 Star recruit AJ Epenesa is going to be hard to keep of the field in my opinion. The defensive line had a number of sacks on the day and I feel it was because the defensive line was good not the offensive line bad. The big change we saw is Matt Nelson played exclusively defensive tackle. The starting defensive line was Anthony Nelson, Cedrick Lattimore, Nathan Bazata and Parker Hesse. Rotating in at the end position was Epenesa. I would expect Iowa will have a number of different players rotating in. At times last year the defensive line would be tired, this year they have enough depth to keep the line fresh.
The Secondary is also a question the good news is both Rugamba and Jackson should be very good. Some of the younger players who saw time include Matt Hankins. The Freshmen will likely play some on special teams and maybe the defense. Michael Ojemudia looks like he's going to be the Nickle Corner.
Miguel Recinos was the best kicker at least today. He was making every kick he attempted. I'm guessing the situation will likely be the same as last year with Duncan kicking the short field goals and Recinos the long ones. We didn't get a chance to see the punters.
I'm very excited about his team, going into today I wasn't sure what to expect at the practice and the overall season. After seeing the practice I like the changes to the offense. The idea of Wadley and Butler on the field at the same time could be a lethal combination. There are still some questions on the offense at quarterback and wide receiver. Defensively they need to find out about the secondary without King and Maybin. I came away from the practice very optimistic about the season. The schedule this year is very tough with a lot of the big games in the West on the road. The start of the Big Ten schedule hosting #6 Penn State and at Michigan State the next week. They also have to travel to Northwestern, Nebraska and Wisconsin. They also host #2 Ohio State. The schedule is difficult so I don't know how many wins they will get but I'm excited about the potential of this team. I guess we will have to wait till September to really find out about the Hawks. Thanks for reading and Go Hawks.
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