Iowa vs. Iowa State (What to expect)

Posted on 10. Sep, 2010 by admin in Iowa Football

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

To get you all ready for Saturday’s game between No. 9 Iowa and Iowa State, I put together a list of things you ought to know before heading to Kinnick Stadium.

At the end, I’ll provide what I think are three keys to an Iowa victory.

No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (1-0)

Kinnick Stadium; Iowa City, Iowa

Sept. 11, 2010

2:30 p.m. Central

TV: ABC/ESPN2 (Ron Franklin, Ed Cunningham)

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Ed Podolak, Rob Brooks)

Weather: 75 degrees

Brendan’s Three Keys to the Game:

1. Solid QB play/avoid turnovers

These kind of go hand in hand. Iowa needs another solid outing from quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who completed 18-of-23 passes against Eastern Illinois with one touchdown and no interceptions. The “no interceptions” is good, but the Hawkeye offense did have a couple of fumbles last week, which can’t happen against a rather opportunistic Cyclone defense.

2. Win in the trenches

Both sides of the ball need the linemen to be dominant. If Iowa’s O-Line can win most of its battles, I think running backs Adam Robinson and Jewel Hampton both can be very effective on Saturday. As for the D-Line, it badly wants to make up for relinquishing 190 yards on the ground to Iowa State last year. Stopping the run and pressuring Austen Arnaud into some of the errant throws he had in last year’s game is a must for Iowa.

3. Special Teams

The last two times Iowa has won, it was sparked by special teams. Whether it’s Andy Brodell returning a punt for a touchdown, or Bruce Davis recovering an onside kick in the first quarter, football’s third phase has played a vital role in this series for the Hawkeyes. They’ll need a solid effort in this area against Iowa State.

Tags: Iowa Football