Iowa Hawkeyes: Can NDSU pull off an improbable upset Saturday?

Can the North Dakota State Bison pull off an improbable upset against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday in Kinnick Stadium? We examine the matchup…

Whoever is doing the scheduling for the Iowa Hawkeyes football program should probably be fired for scheduling North Dakota State as the last non-conference opponent heading into Big Ten play.

The Hawkeyes are currently 2-0, averaging nearly 45 points per game offensively and looking incredibly balanced in every facet of the game. This Iowa team looks better than the one that went undefeated all the way to the Big Ten Championship game last season before they lost a heartbreaker to Michigan State.

That being said, you can never — I repeat: never — overlook the North Dakota State Bison.

The fact that NDSU doesn’t have Carson Wentz should be a slight sigh of relief for the Hawkeye faithful, but this is an NDSU team that would love nothing more than to win on their biggest stage of the season. They have been one of the most incredibly consistent teams over the last five years, winning five straight FCS National Championships which involves winning at least four playoff games per year.

Despite having played FBS schools Miami (OH) and Iowa State thus far, there’s probably no question that NDSU is the best team Iowa will have faced prior to entering Big Ten play.

What the Hawkeyes are going up against is a very hungry, very well-coached team that would love nothing more than to derail Iowa’s season in September while also cementing themselves as one of the most feared teams at the FCS level.

The Hawkeyes, however, would love nothing more than to squash the thought that an FCS team can come into their house and win. As good as NDSU is and has been, their first two games this season against Charleston Southern and Eastern Washington (both home games) have gone to overtime.

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Walking the tightrope against FCS teams while Iowa has been drubbing FBS teams isn’t the most comforting thing for NDSU, but like I said — this is a team that comes up big in big spots.

That being said, I think Iowa is going to roll in this one. The Hawkeyes’ offense is simply too big, too fast, and too experienced to lose this kind of game at home unless they come in completely unprepared.

The Hawkeyes have a veteran quarterback in C.J. Beathard that presents a unique challenge for any defense, not just NDSU. Beathard looks improved as a passer this season and has always been a very good runner when the need arises, and his job is made much easier by one of the biggest, strongest offensive lines in college football.

That offensive line knows how to pave the way for a running game that features one of the best duos in the Big Ten of LeShun Daniels and Akrum Wadley. Both players are averaging nearly eight yards per carry through the first two games, and each of them has three touchdowns already.

The Hawkeyes’ defense is led by a big defensive line and star playmakers Josey Jewell and Desmond King. Iowa’s defense knows how to create turnovers in critical situations and they can create points for the offense.

I think Iowa is going to win this football game, but you can never discount NDSU. This will be a great test for Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes.

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