Iowa Hawkeyes - Iowa State Cyclones
Saturday, September 13th, 2014
Iowa City, Iowa – Kickoff: 3:30 PM EST – TV: ESPN
On Saturday, the Iowa State Cyclones travel down Interstate 80 for their matchup with their in-state rivals, the Iowa Hawkeyes. No matter how good or bad either of these teams are, every single battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy is a competitive one. Both teams bring their “A” games as in-state bragging rights are on the line.
The Hawkeyes are 2-0 after two close wins against unimpressive opponents. To open the season the Hawkeyes defeated a tough FCS team in Northern Iowa by a score of 31-23. Last week, Iowa had to come from behind to defeated their MAC opponent, Ball State. Both games were played at home, and were expected victories for the Hawkeyes. A win is a win, and 2-0 is the only thing that matters, but the Hawkeyes must play better if they expect to be competitive in the Big Ten West this season.
Iowa State comes into this one with a record of 0-2. In week one they lost to FCS opponent North Dakota State by a score of 34-14. Obviously that was a tough loss, but NDSU is a powerhouse FCS team who has won three straight National Championships. That team is not a joke. The Cyclones followed up that loss with a tough 32-28 loss in the hands of then 20th ranked Kansas State.
The Cyclones led for most of the second half against Kansas State, but ended up allowing a late touchdown to give up the lead. The 0-2 record is ugly, but Iowa State has had two much tougher opponents than the Hawkeyes, and last week they looked like a much improved football team.
Both teams are struggling a bit with injuries coming in to this game. The Hawkeyes are likely to be without All-American left tackle Brandon Scherff, who injured his knee last week against Ball State. Scherff reportedly under-went minor knee surgery earlier in the week, and while head coach Kirk Ferentz has listed him as day-to-day, his chances of playing this week appear to be slim.
Hawkeyes’ defensive end Drew Ott was in a scooter accident earlier this week, but everything appears to be fine and he is expected to play. Ott was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his performance last Saturday against Ball State. In that game, Ott recorded a career high 13 tackles, 2.5 tackles per loss, including a sack and a forced fumble. Ott appears to have dodged a bullet with his accident, and will be an important player for Iowa against the Cyclones.
The Cyclones have lost three major starters for the year in the first two weeks of the season. First, star wide receiver Quenton Bundrage went down for the season with a knee injury week one against North Dakota State. After the Week 1 game, starting offensive tackle Jacob Gannon left the team for personal reason, and last week their defense suffered a huge blow when linebacker Levi Peters tore his Achilles and will miss the rest of the season.
Three Keys to Victory for Iowa
1. Establish the Running Game. Kirk Ferentz led Iowa teams are known for pounding the ball in the running game. However, so far this season, most of their damage has been done through the air. Unfortunately, it does not appear that has been done by choice.
Through two games, the Hawkeyes have rushed for 264 yards on 65 carries. The team is led on the ground by quarterback Jake Rudock, who has 53 rushing yards on 11 carries. Make no mistake, none of those yards came on designed running plays. Iowa is known for having a strong running game, but it has not shown up yet this season. They have some serious talent in the backfield as Mark Weisman, Jordan Canzeri, Damon Bullock and LeShun Daniels are all talented players, but they have yet to establish themselves on the ground.
Iowa State has been awful against the run this season, and this appears to be the game where the Hawkeyes can get their rushing attack straightened out. It will not be easy without their dominant left tackle, but the Hawkeyes must establish their running game in this one.
2. Contain Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson. The Hawkeyes have traditionally struggled against mobile quarterbacks. Sam Richardson is a dual threat QB who can certainly give the Hawkeyes problems with his legs.
Last year against Iowa, Richardson has some mild success through the air, as he completed 22 of 39 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. However, the Hawkeyes were able to keep Richardson in the pocket, which will be another huge key for them in this game.
Led by Carl Davis, Louis Trinca-Pasat and Ott, the Hawkeyes have one of the most talented defensive fronts in the nation. While the linebackers are inexperienced and have been shaky thus far, the defensive line is incredible. They must get a rush from their defensive front to force Richardson to make quick decisions.
Richardson had some success in the short passing game last week against Kansas State. It seems likely that the Cyclones will look to attack Iowa similarly. Iowa should be able to survive against Richardson dumping the ball off, but if he can make plays with his legs, it could be a very long afternoon for the Hawkeyes. Containment, containment, containment. Iowa’s defensive line and linebackers must work to keep Richardson in the pocket.
3. Make Field Goals. This one may seem simple, but the Hawkeyes’ kicking game has been atrocious so far this season. Marshall Koehn is 2-5 on field goals on the year. Last week against Ball State, Koehn missed two field goals, one from 35-yards out and one from 37. After his second missed field goal on the afternoon, the Hawkeyes went to true freshman Mick Ellis, who immediately missed a 29-yard try.
Ferentz said that the two kickers would battle it out this week in practice to see who would get the starting duties against Iowa State. No word on who will be the kicker, but regardless who it is, they must be able to make their kicks. This game could come down to the wire, and so far Koehn and Ellis have shown nothing to give confidence in their abilities to make a key field goal.
Three Keys to Victory for Iowa State
1. Get Wide Receiver Jarvis West the Ball. Jarvis West was all over the field for Iowa State last week. He caught 8 balls for 75 yards and a touchdown, and was also a huge weapon in the return game, returning a punt 82 yards for a score.
West is a quick and dynamic athlete who can take it to the house from anywhere on the field. Iowa State uses many different ways to get him the ball. They line him up all over the field, and love to get him involved in the short passing game.
The Hawkeyes do not have a ton of defensive speed, so if West can break a tackle or two, he will be off to the races quickly.
2. Compete in the Second Half. Iowa State is a team with some legitimate talent, but they have been dominated in the second half of both games they have played thus far. In fact, they have yet to even score a point in the second half this season.
Iowa’s conservative style of play leads to a lot of close games regardless of the talent of their opponent. The Hawkeyes have proved to be a second half team so far this season, if the Cyclones continue to struggle late in the game, their chances of bringing home a win are slim.
3. Stop Iowa’s Rushing Attack. As stated earlier, the Hawkeyes have struggled to move the ball on the ground this season, and Iowa State has struggled to stop anybody on the ground. The team who corrects their main problem in this in-state matchup will have a huge upper hand.
Ferentz led Iowa teams love to pound the ball and control the clock. The Cyclones could survive by making Jake Rudock beat them with his arm, but if the Hawkeyes are able to establish their running attack, it is going to be an uphill battle for the Cyclones.
Prediction: Iowa 27, Iowa State 20
Iowa has always been a very tough home team, and their crowd will be in full force for this one. Both teams will come to play, but both sides must clean up their game if they expect to come away with a win in this one.
West will likely break a big play or two, but the Hawkeyes have to be the favorites. Establishing the running game will be key, but Rudock has been very good so far this season, and could easily become the difference maker in this one. Expect the Cyclones to force Rudock to beat them, but wondering if he can do it is a fair question.
Expect big games out of Jordan Canzeri, Jake Rudock and Jarvis West in this one, with the Iowa defensive line being a huge problem for the Cyclones’ offense.