Iowa Football: 3 key matchups to watch against Penn State

The Iowa football team take on the Penn State Nittany Lions at home under the lights. Here are 3 key matchups to look for during this game.

We are hours away from the toughest home game the Iowa football team has this season, and as it has been the past two games, this game is expected to be a battle. Both teams come into the game with elite defenses and College Football Playoff hopes.

Off the field, the Iowa football team has quite a few things going for it this evening as Cole outlined in his game-time notes article, but in terms of the battle on the field, there will be a few key matchups the Hawks need to win if they want to win this game.

Here they are.

1. The Iowa Offensive Line vs Yetur Gross-Matos

With AJ Epenesa garnering most of the attention this year, another star Big Ten defensive end has emerged. Yetur Gross-Matos is a 6’5 ” 265 lb behemoth that has already accumulated 11 tackles and 5.5 sacks thus far. After a terrible performance against Michigan’s pass rush last week, the Iowa football team’s offensive Line will its hands full keeping Gross-Matos away from Nate Stanley.

2. KJ Hamler vs the Iowa Secondary

KJ Hamler is a shifty Rondale Moore-esque receiver for the Nittany Lions. KJ leads Penn State in receiving with 19 catches, 394 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Hamler’s quick cuts and acceleration allow for him to thrive in the open field. It will be up to the Iowa football team’s cornerbacks and safeties to bring down Hamler in the open field, before his superb speed and agility land him in the endzone.

3. Iowa’s Running Backs vs Penn State’s Defense

Penn State has bottled up running backs this year, and they are only giving up an astounding 50.6 rush yards per game, which is third-best in the nation. For years, Iowa’s biggest strength and identity has been a solid run game. Last week, the Iowa football team abandoned that, which ultimately led to Michigan blitzing more, and sacking Stanley eight times. Iowa will need to use their three-headed rushing attack of Sargent, Young, and Goodson to be productive and set up the play-action passing game; which Nate Stanley thrives on.

Although last week was a unique case where the Hawks won each matchup and lost the game, I truly feel if the Hawks can win each of these matchups, they will be victorious tonight against #10 Penn State.