The last two teams that came into Kinnick Stadium ranked in the top-6 had to put up a huge fight.
Kinnick Stadium is definitely a place that ranked Big Ten teams are feel morose about. Not only do those teams struggle, but the Hawkeyes are always ready for a fight and come in with tons of grit. This weekend against the 6th ranked Buckeyes of Ohio State, things may be a little different than what we are used to seeing.
Not saying the Hawkeyes will get absolutely incessantly tossed around all game, instead will be trickier than most games against ranked teams. Even though the Hawkeyes almost beat Penn State, it is unassailable to say Ohio State is the better team. The Hawkeyes will have to square off against a current Heisman candidate quarterback in J.T. Barrett, in hopes that this fledgling Iowa defense will keep up with the pace. Oh yeah, don’t forget about the beautiful new alternate jerseys that the Hawkeyes will catch on fire with during the game.
This could either be a complete nightmare or a sunshine rainbow evening for the Hawkeyes.
There is really no in between when the Hawkeyes face top-ranked opponents such as the Buckeyes. But who is there to say there won’t be?
Offensively, the Hawkeyes are in desperate need of a spark either in the run game or the passing game. Both categories of offense have been quite brusque the past few weeks. After the Penn State game, it seemed like the Hawkeyes used the rest of the eight games worth of energy for that specific prime-time match up. Stanley cannot afford any overthrown passes, especially against this Buckeye defense. Any openings the Hawkeyes get this game will have to be taken to full advantage. This isn’t a team Iowa can afford simple mistakes, like a false start penalty, even.
The Iowa defense needs to come out very strong this game with absolutely no quit in them at all. They need to play incessant with determination and cover the passing game, specifically. With how young this Iowa defense is, it’s quite tough getting the perfect play to work every snap. Although, Josh Jackson is going to come into this game and have a major impact along with Josey Jewell. If Iowa has one side of football that needs to impress the most, it’s the defense.
This should be an overall fun game which we will discover new things about this team.
The beauty of a young team and playing tough ranked opponents is that we learn a lot from just one snap. It definitely brings the future into consideration every single down, which is perfect in a season like this, where nothing really exactly was expected highly considering the young talent. This game, with the beautiful new alternate jerseys the team has put together, should be a fun one. Yes, it could be a blowout, but playing ranked opponents at home is always exciting. Let’s just have a great time and enjoy this Hawkeye team as the season comes to a close, searching for our sixth win to head to a Bowl Game.
Overall, the game will come down to a fourth-quarter push to put the Buckeyes up with a victory 27-14. Two touchdowns for Iowa, one being by Akrum Wadley and one Nick Easley touchdown reception in the end zone. The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes, should be a good one on a rainy day in Iowa City. Go Hawks.