Iowa vs. Michigan State (What to expect)
Posted on 11. Nov, 2011 by admin in Iowa Football
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
To get you all ready for Saturday’s game between Iowa and No. 13 Michigan 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.
Iowa Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-2) vs. No. 13 Michigan State Spartans (7-2, 4-1)
Kinnick Stadium; Iowa City, Iowa
Nov. 12, 2011
11 a.m. Central
TV: ESPN2 (Beth Mowins, Mike Bellotti)
Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Ed Podolak, Rob Brooks)
Weather: 47 degrees
Brendan’s Three Keys to the Game:
1. Be physical
If Iowa is going to pull the upset Saturday, it needs to punch Michigan State in the mouth at the start, much like it did last season when these teams met at Kinnick Stadium. The two times the Spartans have lost this season, both occasions were road games and both were contests where they fell behind early and needed to play catch up. Knowing that Michigan State will be attempting to supply payback for each of the last two seasons’ meetings, the Hawkeyes just need to be ready to match their physicality.
2. Prevent the big play
Michigan State has playmakers in both the backfield and receiving corps. The two-headed monster of Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell in the backfield, along with wideouts like B.J. Cunningham and Keshawn Martin ought to be enough to have the Iowa defense’s attention, so keeping them and quarterback Kirk Cousins from making big plays is going to be important in order for the defense to get off the field and allow Iowa’s offense to go to work.
3. Take advantage of home-field
It’s Senior Day, and Iowa has a chance to finish perfect at home for the first time since the 2004 season. Also of note, Michigan State hasn’t won a game at Kinnick Stadium in 22 years. The intangibles are on the Hawkeyes’ side this weekend. Not to mention this is the team’s official Blackout game. Given everything at stake this Saturday, this can and should all play to Iowa’s advantage and assuming the first two keys are addressed, the atmosphere at Kinnick Stadium will only get more electric as the game wears on.
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