The wait is finally over, Hawkeye Fans: It's Game Day! After months of wondering if this team has improved, we will finally witness the Hawkeyes in action against Albany.
While many consider this a "warm-up game." Big upsets have happened already in Week 1, so there's no such thing as a "warm-up game." Here are the three keys to victory for this game.
1. Establish the run early
A lot of people think the most important thing to focus on for this game is how Mark Gronowski plays. However, any offensive coach would tell you that you cannot open up the passing game until the run game is established. In a running offense like the Hawkeyes have, this is especially important.
The depth chart showed that the running back room has depth and no true starter. While many fans and coaches alike think that Kamari Moulton is going to get the most reps of the running backs, don't be surprised to see the other three RBs on the depth chart get reps in this game to keep fresh bodies playing all the time.
If the RBs can make big runs and force Albany to load the box and blitz, that will give Gronowski opportunities to showcase his abilities in the passing game.
2. New names need to emerge at WR
After the devastating news that Reece Vander Zee is out for multiple weeks with a foot injury, new players are going to need to step up to keep the passing offense afloat.
The Hawkeyes have more than capable Wide Receivers who can fill this role.
Jacob Gill was the team's top WR last year with 411 yards and 2 TDs. Expect him to play a similar role again this season.
While Seth Anderson has had the injury bug in his time at Iowa, he has proven he can be a force to be reckoned with in his time at Charleston Southern, where he caught 42 passes for 612 yards and 7 TDs in 2022.
If the new WRs can step up in Vander Zee's absence, Gronowski should have opportunities to show all of college football what he is capable of. If the WRs can give him a chance, he can make the plays.
3. Defense and special teams play exactly like last season
There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes, and Iowa having a great defense and special teams. Phil Parker enters his 14th season as Iowa's defensive coordinator, and he has put together technically sound and fundamentally gifted defenses every year.
He is going to have a lot to look forward to on the defensive line with guys like Aaron Graves and Ethan Hurkett returning, who played crucial roles on the defensive line.
The LB corps will be filled with rotational guys, but talented guys that have played in multiple games nonetheless. The secondary will be filled with veteran players like Xavier Nwankpa and Deshaun Lee, who have high expectations again this season.
This defense is filled with young guns and veterans to continue this tradition.
LeVar Woods has made a name for himself as a DC, consistently producing All-Americans on special teams. One All-American is returning in Kaden Wetjen, who had over 1,000 yards on punt returns and kick returns last year.
Drew Stevens was as consistent as they come at kicker, not missing an extra point and going 20 for 23 on field goals. Finally, Rhys Dakin was a momentum swinger at punter last season, punting an average of 44 yards.
If we can see the same consistency on defense in special teams in this game that we have seen in previous seasons, the other two keys to victory become irrelevant. The bread and butter of Hawkeye football is the defense and special teams.
This key will be the difference maker between a blowout game and a potential upset.
Final Prediction
Please make no mistake about it: This game is still a tone setter for the season. Everyone expects Iowa to win the game by a significant margin.
If they can do that, expectations for this team should be high, but if the team comes out flat and barely wins or even loses, fans could be in for a long season. We'll see which players will be the X factors going into the season and how good a season fans should expect.
Final Score: Iowa 30, Albany 3