Iowa football: Wind could be factor in 2019 CyHawk game

We are just three days away from the Iowa football team kicking off in their annual rivalry game with Iowa State. Here’s what’s the weather looks like.

So far this season in two games, the Iowa football team has gotten lucky with the weather. Against Miami of Ohio, it was supposed to rain, but mother nature held off, and against Rutgers, it was an absolutely beautiful September morning.

When the Iowa football team takes the field Saturday, the weather may look good on TV, but it could be a factor in what is possibly the biggest non-conference game of Kirk Ferentz’s tenure.

As of right now, the high for the day is supposed to be 82 degrees and precipitation chances are at 41%. When looking closer at when the rain will hit, it shouldn’t be much of a factor as the rain is forecasted later in the day.

What does cause a bit of concern for me though is the wind. Currently listed as 15 miles per hour, it could change before Saturday’s matchup, but that number is right on the Mendoza line of good and bad.

In an analysis of NFL games and impacts of wind speed, 15 miles per hour was the point where you could see a noticeable difference in points scored.

This will be important to monitor as the Iowa football team has shown how adept they are at passing the ball and spreading it around to their variety of weapons early this season.

The one saving grace, however, is Nate Stanley has fantastic arm strength which gives the Hawkeyes’ signal-caller an advantage over the younger Brock Purdy.

Moreover, without David Montgomery leading the way for Iowa State, the Iowa Hawkeyes have the advantage in the rushing game as well. So while a windy game may not be ideal, it could actually play in the Hawkeyes favor as they’ve got enough weapons to move the ball in other ways come Saturday.