UConn Defense against ISU Offense Prediction...

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KMAC_ATTACK

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Okay - were only 2 days and 12 hours away from kickoff....i thought i would start a thread that only looks at the matchup....

First off - i'm almost too confident about this game which makes me wonder if the kids are too? I mean on paper this contest should not be close, if you can believe that. But, thats the very essence of a watchout game!!!!

ISU Offense versus UConn Defense
RUSHING
The numbers say this is going to be very close. However, i'm reading into this a bit further to suggest its not as close as it appears. ISU's rushing offense is ranked 49th in the nation. The two teams that uconn has faced are 85th and 109th respectively. Thus, our rushing attack is far more successful then either of the teams that Uconn has faced. Much of that has to be our Oline and its shear size. Oconns front is very good, however, they are thin, if our big guys lean on them all day our rushing attack will get more successful as the day goes along just as it did against Iowa. Secondly in regards to the rushing attack - Jantz makes guys run, which is a killer for a DL...IMO we will wear their front down and have big success in the second half. The numbers are misleading as Fordham is the bearer of their boastful numbers. Its fordham that ran the ball 30 times for 20 yards, you figure out the avg (.7 per attempt). Again Vandy another lowly ranked rushing opponent ran the ball 32 times for 118 yards which is better at 3.7 yards per carry. If ISU runs the ball as they did against Iowa, 52 times for 194, Uconn will be gased.

PASSING
Again Uconns defense is highly ranked and we will wait to see if rightfully so....they faced an offense that ranks 84 and 101 in passing, their numbers should be good. Iowa States passing attack is ranked 54th and that would be higher but it took about 3 quarters for Jantz to get his feet under him and adjust to the speed. However, against Iowa he made some truly special throws. Several back shoulder throws which by the way are a welcome sight for a cyclone fan! the 3rd and 20 throw to Money was pinpoint accuracy...you could see the disgust on Praters reaction to that throw, it was simply perfect. If Jantz continues on this pace, he will only continue to get better as the lil things in the offense become second nature. Uconn has 1 excellent corner, but the rest of the defensive backfield are no better then Iowa's and we just lit them up. I think this is an area that is a huge advantage for ISU.

Looking at these facets of the ISU Offense against the UConn Defense on paper, this should be a blowout. Everyones talking about the short week and how it benefits UCONN...i think just the opposite. UCONN has a lot more to prepare for simply because of the pace that our offense is playing at....that pace is dictating repeat coverages and offering indicators to how or what their coverages will be making it easier to take advantage. I am not a firm believer that this defense will be the best we've seen this year. If Iowa or even UNI had played Fordham and Vandy their defense would be ranked in the top 20 of every aspect as well. I think their stud dline will get worn down and our success will only get better as the game goes along. We need to sustain drives and move the ball down the field methodically and this game will not be close. I think Jantz as a runner/scrambler is huge...those DL will be chasing - thus tired. Don't be surprised if KO is pulled at half. This offense is beginning to click and i'm buying into it. The passing game is light years ahead of where its been. The timing, the reads are spot on. I think Uconns linebacker core is not nearly as good as Iowas and will be exposed to the quick slants and tight end packages that will ultimately open up huge running lanes for SJ and Woody not to mention White. I think UConn is susceptible to our 3,4,5 wr sets and we will spread them out and hand the ball off away from Reyes.

And for all these reasons is exactly why this worries me...this matchup looks too good on paper. but i'm sticking with the facts....

ISU Offense vs UConn Defense - HUGE Advantage ISU.
 
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Falselife

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Two wins against programs within our state and you are proclaiming us with a huge advantage already? UCONN's defense is strong, I think giving us a huge advantage is overlooking a team that is very strong on that side of the ball.

UCONN is at worst a 4.5 point favorite. That isn't because of their offense. Their defense is good. Their offense is where the problems lie. Not to mention this is our first road test. Crowd noise, hostile environment.

Don't get me wrong, I'm hopeful and think we can win this thing. But to think we have a huge advantage in any area involves wearing some pretty thick goggles.
 
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Cyclonepride

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It's hard for me to put too much emphasis on stats this early, as it is hard to tell the quality of the units we and they have faced.

My impression, though, is that we will have a larger advantage with our defense against their offense. They seem one dimensional with the running game, and with our defensive backfield, I think we can stack the box a bit and force them to pass to beat us, and I really like our odds there.
 

Bigman38

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If the O Line played like they did Saturday we can score points on anyone, the pass protection was great and the few times it did break down Steele slipped away from the D and made a positive play out of it. The only thing that is concerning to me is how well Steele will be able to scramble against a supposedly faster D Line than Iowa's.

The running game was really good and the passing game looked very sharp, I agree that on paper our offense is a lot better than their defense. But sometimes that all gets thrown out the window in your first away game of the season.
 

Clone5

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Our receivers need to have another big game. Steele is going to get blitzed relentlessly (especially if KO isn't in) so it will be vital for them to get open quickly.
 

BCClone

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It's hard for me to put too much emphasis on stats this early, as it is hard to tell the quality of the units we and they have faced.

My impression, though, is that we will have a larger advantage with our defense against their offense. They seem one dimensional with the running game, and with our defensive backfield, I think we can stack the box a bit and force them to pass to beat us, and I really like our odds there.

I agree that our defense will need to kill the run. Their QBs have struggled.

Don't use stats too much at this time. The other teams stats might stink offensively because they went up against a good defense that shut them down. Don't get too confident, we are on the road. Even though CPR has improved the road situation, compared to previous coaches, we still have not lit it up on the road. Although games on odd days sometimes helps the visitor a little since they start their routine when they hit the plane.
 

bosco

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What worries me most is our penchant to TO the ball and we are playing a team who is able to get points from TO's by getting pressure on the QB.
 

Stewo

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Our receivers need to have another big game. Steele is going to get blitzed relentlessly (especially if KO isn't in) so it will be vital for them to get open quickly.

If they do blitz often, that plays right into the hands of ISU. Lots of bubble screens and quick slants. Guys like Horne, Lenz, and West are obviously very capable of making guys miss. As long as ISU keeps taking what they're given all season, good things could be ahead.
 

mustangcy

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I just have a hard time thinking that UConn has that much better of defense than Iowa. Maybe they do, but I doubt it's much better. Frankly, the real conversation at this point has to be will UConn score on OUR defense. If you look at the vandy game where they had zero offensvie TD's that awnser is probably no.
 

mustangcy

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What worries me most is our penchant to TO the ball and we are playing a team who is able to get points from TO's by getting pressure on the QB.

We are living very dangerously with turnovers. If we turn it over 3-4 times in this game like we have been doing look out. We've GOT to keep ahold of the ball. We may all still be on cloud nine but this team in not talented enough to keep that up...especially on the road.
 

Clone9

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It's hard for me to put too much emphasis on stats this early, as it is hard to tell the quality of the units we and they have faced.

My impression, though, is that we will have a larger advantage with our defense against their offense. They seem one dimensional with the running game, and with our defensive backfield, I think we can stack the box a bit and force them to pass to beat us, and I really like our odds there.

This. And with their stout defense, I wouldn't be surprised if neither of the offenses score more than 10 points. Of course, there could be defensive/special teams scores.....
 

Stewo

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I just have a hard time thinking that UConn has that much better of defense than Iowa. Maybe they do, but I doubt it's much better. Frankly, the real conversation at this point has to be will UConn score on OUR defense. If you look at the vandy game where they had zero offensvie TD's that awnser is probably no.

They are on a streak of either 3 or 4 games where they haven't scored a TD on a BCS team. At this point, that's going to really start become a mental thing for the players. Hopefully, that streak continues through Friday!
 
C

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Dont get cocky, this has trap written all over it. I'm going to panic like I did in the realignment thread.
 

kcclone33

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I'll just say friday can't get here soon enough. It's amazing how the anticipation for me between games in bigger than the off season.
 

EYEoftheSTORM

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I believe if our line plays like it did last Saturday we have the ability to beat anyone. I believe out biggest concern is going to be RB fumbles/ or even fumbles in general. I we can eliminate those problems, and let our line do their job I see alot of 5yd chunks on 1st down and slants/bubble screens on 2nd and 3rd to pick up the first down (our very high 3rd and 4th down conversion %). That will grind the game down and you will have to capitalize on your drives and get TDs.

I also think our D is due for a 2-3 INT game. The matchup is there. Our good rush defense (aside from a few Coker runs) will stack/ blitz and force UCONN to throw the ball where our DBs will be ready against a few poor QB of UCONN. I like this matchup and believe we have the strength on D.
 

Wesley

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We next have a bye week. We should put big effort into winning this UCONN game.

The chance of winning the conference is not that high, so the effort should be put into winning six games. For that reason, the nonconference games essentially become more important to win. If we survive this game, we need to beat KU, KSU, and one more to get a bowl offer.

So FOCUS. FOCUS. FOCUS. This may be an exhibition on our way to the BE. Hopefully not.

Hey, we need a Blum article about now to get fired up. How many long plays have we made over 25 yards this year as compared to last year??
 

Cyclonestate78

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Dont get cocky, this has trap written all over it. I'm going to panic like I did in the realignment thread.

Trap games are only trap games when a team shows up not prepared to play. Does CPR or his staff or this team strike you as the kind of group that is going to show up on Friday night not prepared to play? I don't think so. The UNI game was sloppy all around while in the Iowa game ISU executed much better on both sides of the ball yet still had some sloppy penalties and things to clean up. Had ISU played a perfect game against Iowa then people might have a reason to be worried but they didn't. There are still plenty of things for this team to improve on and I can guarantee you that CPR and the staff have drilled this idea into the players heads.... "This team is 2-0 but we are 2 plays away from being 0-2." I am sure the team feels great and has a ton of confidence going right now but this staff will not let that confidence cross over the line between being confident and being over confident.

IMO we will see a very sharp effort on Friday night. Sharper execution on both sides of the ball, fewer mental mistakes, and fewer stupid penalties. If ISU can sustain drives early and continue to control the tempo of the game with their "jet" tempo on offense it is going to be a long and painful night for the UCONN Huskies.

Edit: I also see the short turnaround as a positive not a negative. The team didn't have time off to sit around and feel great about themselves... they went straight back to work and that will benefit them greatly.
 
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ISUonthemove

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The bigger question is ISU's defense vs. UConn's offense. We SHOULD hold them to under 14 points. If we do, I like our chances a lot.