This week the Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0 4-1) host the Indiana Hoosiers (0-1 3-2) for homecoming at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes are coming off of a bye week, and the Hoosiers are coming off of a victory over North Texas 49-24.
Indiana had a huge road win at Missouri earlier this year, but they've lost at Bowling Green and at home against Maryland. They will present Iowa's defense with a huge challenge with a nice balance of running and passing, the offense will be led by running back Tevin Coleman who is one of the nation's top running backs. The passing game isn't quite as good as they were last year and they're trying to find a rhythm, hopefully not this week. If Iowa can find a way to shut down Coleman they should have no problem winning. I think Coleman will end up getting over 100 yards, but I think the Iowa defense will hold Indiana under 30 points.
Indiana's defense is much improved from last year, but they're still giving up 28 points per game and over 400 yards. Teams have been able to pass pretty well against Iowa, which should bode well for Jake Rudock, as long as the receivers actually catch the ball Saturday. Look for the Hawkeyes to throw the ball a bit more and open up the offense. They'll need to keep the defense off the field to keep them fresh against Indiana's up-tempo offense. Iowa should use a heavy rotation on defense.
Iowa has stated that Rudock will start at QB, but C.J. Beathard could also see some time. Beathard brings a nice spark and some much needed confidence. It will be interesting to see if Ferentz actually uses both of them. I think Iowa will control this game early and fend off an Indiana rally for a 31-21 victory sending them to a 5-1 record heading into another bye week before heading to Maryland.
No comments:
Post a Comment