New Hampshire DB Jake Kiley Commits to Penn State
July 26, 2011 – | No Comment

States like New Hampshire are often overlooked by college recruiters scouring the northeast. With a population of a little over 1.3 million (barely 14.5% of the population of New York City), the talent pool in …

Read the full story »

Know Your Enemy: Iowa Edition

Submitted by on September 25, 20092 Comments
Fuck you, Daniel Murray.
Fuck you, Daniel Murray.
Penn State’s Big Ten opener is just a day away, but Saturday’s game is so much more.  It’s our only night game, a white out, with ESPN’s College Gameday in the house, but above all that, it’s a chance to avenge the Nittany Lions lone regular season loss from a year ago; a back breaking 24-23 defeat at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes.  Now, the Lions are once again in the top 5, the Hawkeyes are once again unranked, the game is once again at night, and the biggest difference is the atmosphere.  There will be over 110,000 screaming white-clad Penn State fans, who remember everything that happened last year, and who are determined to do our part and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

On the other side sits the Iowa faithful.  They’re 3-0, too, and haven’t gotten any respect, at least not since just barely squeezing past D1-AA Northern Iowa.  But since then they’ve looked strong, in handling rival Iowa State and Pac-10 opponent Arizona.  To get the perspective of the Hawkeye Nation, I reached out to Eric, at Fight For Iowa, and he was kind enough to answer some of my questions about his Hawkeyes.  Of course, quid pro quo, I answered some of his questions about the Nittany Lions.  To find out what I think about the revenge factor, how injuries will affect the Lions defense, and for my final score prediction, check out my answers over at Fight For Iowa.  And now, to Eric’s answers.

1. Last year, Iowa’s success was largely due to the incredible emergence of Shonn Greene, who was perhaps the best running back in the NCAA last year. How was Iowa adjusted with the loss of Greene to the NFL?

Well, the original plan was to let Jewel Hampton (who was very solid as

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/m-footbl/auto_action/3528540.jpeg
Brandon Robinson has been the Hawkeyes' top rusher
Greene’s backup last year…463 yards and 7 TDs as a true freshman) run through big holes created by a very veteran offensive line. Things have not exactly gone according to plan, however. Hampton’s out for the season after needing surgery on his knee, and the o-line has been in flux due to injuries and a suspension. Stud LT Bryan Bulaga has missed the last 2 games (undisclosed illness…rumor is thyroid issue), LG Julian Vandervelde had surgery on his upper arm and missed the first game, and RT Kyle Calloway was suspended for an unfortunate drunken moped ride.

So, now we have RS freshman Adam Robinson and true freshman Brandon Wegher trying to carry the load of the rushing game. Each has big potential and a 100 yard game under his belt, but Shonn Greene they are not. The line has been okay thus far though, and the running game will be fine this year.

2. The injury bug has hit both sides, as the status of Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga, Darrell Johnson-Koulianos, and Tony Moeaki are in doubt for Saturday’s game along with Penn State’s Sean Lee, Navorro Bowman, and Graham Zug. How will Iowa’s injury concerns affect their gameplan for Saturday’s game?

http://isportsweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/stanzi1.jpg
Ricky Stanzi might be without two of his top targets, and his best lineman to boot
Iowa’s mantra has been “next man in” and it is certainly holding true this year. The overall scheme hasn’t changed much, and the good news, is that the backups for the 3 players mentioned have been playing very well. Riley Reiff has pretty much shut down the opposing DEs he’s faced the last 2 weeks. Backup TE Allen Reisner has been a big target in the passing game. And, Iowa has more than enough receivers to fill in for DJK.

To compensate for the lack of experience in the running game, offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe has dug deep in his playbook and pulled out some old tricks from the Drew Tate era. Iowa has been going to a pass first, run second type game plan, and we’ve actually seen a couple of 5-wide sets. Also, with Moeaki out, there will be less 2-TE sets. Against Arizona we saw a lot of 3-wide.

I can’t recall ever seeing the Hawkeyes pass so much on first down. It makes sense really, relying on a deep receiving corps and an experience quarterback in Stanzi…and it has been working for the most part (at least in the 2nd half).

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0gEgbV80FqcZ7/340x.jpg
If it makes you feel better, Iowa fans, Northern Iowa has outscored it's last two opponents 96-7
3. Iowa just barely managed to avoid the monumental upset, and sneaked past a D1-AA opponent in Northern Iowa. What lessons have the Hawkeyes learned from that near-disaster?

The trend really started last year against Penn State coincidentally, but this is a team that knows how to play and thrives when they are behind. In fact, in each of the 3 games this year, Iowa has found itself down at one point. The team doesn’t panic, and Stanzi seems to play his best when the game is on the line.

I think, too, that the UNI game was kind of a wake up call for the players. It was obvious that the Panthers came out to play, and the Hawkeyes came out to go through the motions. In the next two weeks, there is no question that Iowa was more ready to play.

http://www.thekickingcoach.com/_userfiles/image/ryan%20donahue.jpg
I know, it doesn't fit with the question. But Iowa has a good punter.
4. Right now, Iowa’s 3-0, and coming off of an impressive win against Arizona. What do you think is the best and worse case scenario for Iowa over the rest of the year?

Best Case: With the 4 very difficult road games (Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Ohio State) I think the best case is 11-1…though more realistically 10-2. Iowa should win all of the remaining home games, though Michigan is starting to look like more of a challenger. And, if Iowa wins this weekend 11-1 looks even more like a possibility with the chance of a BCS game.

Worst Case: Iowa struggles on the road and loses one a home they shouldn’t and finish 7-5 and end up in some crappy bowl game.

5. Kirk Ferentz has experienced tremendous success against Penn State in his career, going 6-1 against the Lions, though no win was bigger than that of a year ago. Why has Iowa been so good against Penn State lately?http://www.beloblog.com/wfaasports/kirk.jpg

I think there is some truth in the statement the Iowa has primarily beaten poor Penn State teams. Quite frankly, the Nittany Lions were not very good at the beginning of this decade. I think Iowa has also matched up well with Penn State schematically. Kirk Ferentz loves to play in those conservative, low-scoring, defensive slug fests (remember that 6-4 game?) and Iowa under Ferentz has been very good in close games (besides 2005-2007 and PSU was off the schedule those first 2 years and won in 2007).

6. Okay, what are the chances that Iowa knocks out a top-5 Penn State team for the second straight year? What do you think the final score is? And how much of an impact do you think the White Out will have?

http://www.davidbergman.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/20081006_si_cover_psu_sm_white_out.jpg
Do not underestimate the power of the White Out
I’m going to cop out and say 50-50. I think Iowa has a very good chance and matches up very well against Penn State. The big reason that I want to pick Iowa is that I think this will be a very close game (especially if the weather is bad) and that special teams will have a large impact. And there is no denying Iowa has the upper edge in special teams. Donahue is one of the best punters in the nation, and Murray has proven he can perform when the game is on the line (you know what I’m talking about). The return game also favors the Hawkeyes. Penn State has been horrid so far.

Any way, my final score is Iowa 17 – Penn State 16. Penn State drives down the field at the end of the game only to miss a field goal at the foot on the inexperienced Collin Wagner.

Finally, on the White Out. The impact it has will depend on how Iowa starts the game. If Iowa can take its first drive down the field and score a quick TD, then I think the crowd will be quieted. If Stanzi comes out the same he has in the first 3 weeks and struggles in the first half, then the crowd could really get into it and make it very difficult for Iowa.

We want to thank Eric once again for his contribution here.  Remember to check out my answers to his questions over at Fight For Iowa.

top related stories
you may also like

  • Keo

    Fuck Daniel Murray?

    Hmmmm.

    Scoreboard, please.

  • Keo

    Fuck Daniel Murray?

    Hmmmm.

    Scoreboard, please.