Iowa Hawkeyes: Will they remain undefeated vs. Indiana?
For the Iowa Hawkeyes and their fans, it’s been a long time coming. This team hasn’t been post-season relevant since 2009 when Ricky Stanzi led the charge, and eventual first round pick Adrian Clayborn was the lynchpin of a dominant Hawkeyes defense.
Fast-forward five or six years, and you have a good number of Iowa fans calling for Kirk Ferentz — the beloved head coach of the Hawkeyes — to be fired. It seemed as though he was stuck in his ways, and Iowa was looking like a glorified MAC school (no offense to our MAC brethren) rather than a potential Big Ten power.
With Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh coaching in the Big Ten, it seemed as though all hope was lost for the Hawkeyes in terms of winning or even competing for a Big Ten title, but Kirk Ferentz had other plans in mind.
Ferentz has seemingly adjusted his style of coaching, and has been far more aggressive in 2015 as the Hawkeyes have found a way to go 8-0 with a chance at 9-0 against the 4-4 Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday afternoon.
The way that Iowa is winning games this season has been a pretty simple formula — a couple of big plays in the passing game, a running game where everyone gets involved, and a dominant defense led by cornerback Desmond King, the best ballhawk in the country.
It seems as though that’s the recipe for success, and Iowa should be able to continue that against the Hoosiers, who will be thinking upset on Saturday.
Indiana features quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who has completed roughly 63 percent of his passes this year with 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He’ll have to be on top of his game against a Hawkeyes defense that knows how to get after the quarterback, has athletic linebackers, and a secondary with a combined 10 interceptions this year.
Just don’t throw the ball at Desmond King (or, please do, if you’re an Iowa fan).
Indiana also has a big running back in Jordan Howard who is averaging almost six yards per carry on the season. Three receivers on this offense have at least 30 catches, but none has more than 37, so you know the Hoosiers like to spread the ball around.
Big 6-5, 275 pound defensive lineman Nick Mangieri leads the Hoosiers with eight tackles for loss and seven sacks. He’s also got five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and a blocked kick.
The Hawkeyes have three different receivers this year with 100 yards in a game (Matt Vandeberg, Tevaun Smith, Jerminic Smith) but the passing game on the whole has been somewhat underwhelming at times. Junior QB C.J. Beathard is capable of making plays both with his arm and with his legs, but with just nine touchdown passes in eight games, it’s clear that once again, the running game is the strength of the Iowa offense.
The Hawkeyes have five different players with a rushing touchdown this season, including four different running backs. Jordan Canzeri is working his way back from an ankle injury, but Iowa’s running game hasn’t skipped a beat without him in the lineup, inserting sophomore Akrum Wadley who has six touchdowns this season.
Four of those touchdowns came in a blowout win over the Northwestern Wildcats, the Hawkeyes’ big statement win of the season that earned them a top 10 ranking.
Defensively, Iowa is as good as ever, but they don’t feature the type of top level NFL talent that they have in the past. This is simply one of the most well-coached units in college football.
They have 13 different players that have recorded a tackle for loss this season, and six different players with at least four stops behind the line. They have eight different players with a sack and they have at least four players with 48 or more tackles. Like I said before, this is a well-coached group.
I don’t think the formula to beating Iowa is all that complicated, but this year, it’s been a matter of trying to out-do old Kirk Ferentz on the other sideline, and he’s in another zone this year.
Iowa has a shot at the CFB playoff in just its 2nd year of existence, and I think the Hawkeyes will come out Hungry and focused in this game, improving to 9-0 on the season.
Top NFL prospects to watch (not including injured players)
Iowa Hawkeyes
1. Desmond King, CB, (JR)
2. Austin Blythe, C, (SR)
3. Jordan Lomax, DB, (SR)
4. Tevaun Smith, WR, (SR)
5. Jaleel Johnson, DL (JR)
Underrated watch: Josey Jewell, LB (SR)
Injured stars: Drew Ott, DE (SR); Jordan Canzeri, RB (SR)
Indiana Hoosiers
1. Nate Sudfeld, QB (SR)
2. Jason Spriggs, OL (SR)
3. Nick Mangieri, DE (SR)
4. Darius Latham, DL (JR)
5. Simmie Cobbs Jr., WR (SO)
Kickoff: 2:30 PM CST