Defensive Dominance
The one thing that the BTN crew mentioned that I did not address was that Epenesa is the #3 DE in the Big Ten. As Iowa football fans, we all think this is ridiculous, and on Saturday, AJ needs to prove this.
It’s not just AJ, although a 2-3 sack game would make a statement. We need to see the 4-2-5 succeed without recently drafted hybrid safety/cornerback Amani Hooker. With Miami (OH) breaking in a new quarterback, this really shouldn’t be difficult for Iowa to do.
As you’re probably aware, the free safety position is up in the air. Similar to the middle linebacker position last season, Iowa needs to find consistency in this position, even if its just for the second half of this game.
This is a game where I expect that our starting defense would be able to limit the Redhawk offense to a few field goals. If we are giving up points, but only late in the second half with the backups in the game, I’ll be pretty happy.