Iowa football: Five observations in crazy win over Cyclones

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AMES, IA – SEPTEMBER 14: Head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones, right, and head coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes shake hands at midfield during pregame warmups at at Jack Trice Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

Iowa was outcoached

You know what, I have no problem saying it. Matt Campbell is a good coach and with an extra week of preparation, he was ready for the Iowa football team.

When Iowa weaved, Iowa State weaved with them, especially on third down. The Hawks were 10 of 19 on third down and on several occasions, Iowa State had the perfect call to squash Iowa in their tracks by loading the box with 10 men. Instead of doing something smart like changing out of the play, Iowa ran the ball right into the heart of the defense led by All-Big 12 player Ray Lima, who was a guy that concerned me heading into this game.

The one time they tried to catch Iowa State off guard, the Cyclones had brought so much pressure that Nate Stanley was taken down before he could even finish his play-action.

dark. Next. Recap of bizarre win over Cyclones

Moreover, the wide receiver pass referenced earlier was beautifully set up by running a similar swing route the play before. For the rest of the night, they did similar concepts and you could tell the Iowa football team’s defense was playing hesitantly.

Thankfully, the Iowa football team has a bye week to work on a few of these things and get healthy before they are back in action against Middle Tennessee State. For now, though, celebrate the fact that it’s a Hawkeye State!

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