LOOKING AHEAD FOR ISU FOOTBALL: Week two, the Iowa Hawkeyes

[The Rob Gray]

LOOKING AHEAD FOR ISU FOOTBALL: Week two, the Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa State Cyclones defensive back Jontez Williams (31) knocks out the ball from Iowa Hawkeyes' wide receiver Diante Vines (0) during the fourth quarter in the Cy-Hawk football game at the Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NE

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[Naddafinga]

 

[Remo Gaggi]

I hope Heacock will blitz occasionally. Tired of seeing quarterbacks given enough time for their receivers to get open. (See last year’s Liberty Bowl). Iowa doesn’t have much of a rushing attack.

 

[bosco]

My prediction is it'll be a slog. Will come down to turnovers and special teams. *GULP*

 

[madguy30]

Close game score wise that will come down to about 3-4 plays.

 

[CyGuy5]

This game is the same as always. Throw the ball down the field (which we have done exactly once against Iowa, in 2017), don’t turn the ball over (which we always do against them), and don’t make dumb special teams mistakes (LOL). Confidence is pretty low but hope I’m wrong

 

[Cycsk]

"History says no, but history’s been unkind to ISU against the Hawkeyes. So maybe, yes?"

This wonderfully captures my twisted hope!

 

[Clonehomer]

ISU will come out conservatively, just like all early season games under Campbell. It’ll be a close, low scoring game, but Iowa will prevail with special teams. Rinse repeat.

 

[clonedude]

Have to make Iowa defend the entire field... and we've never really done that.

Instead, this game has been a testosterone battle about who has the "tougher" team between Matt and Kirk... and I'm sorry Matt, but we will usually lose that battle. Generally, Iowa has always had the better offensive and defensive lines... and that has not been our strength. Iowa wins games on running the ball, stopping the run, and dominating special teams. And we've played right into that winning formula for them, by trying to run the entire game and failing on special teams.

We will HAVE to mix it up on offense and make Iowa cover the entire field... and then play decent special teams if we want a chance to win.

 

[Pope]

We need to stop trying to emulate Iowa's style of play when we play them. It allows them to dictate the game. We can definitely beat Iowa, but we can't beat them at their own game.

 

[aeroclone]

I really don't even have any desire to watch our games against Iowa in the Campbell era. It is so predictable and frustrating.

 

[GingerNinja]

I'm looking forward to the Iowa game, it'll show us right away how much Campbell trusts Mouser and his play-calling. Mouse and the offense have spent all spring and summer saying they are going to throw the deep ball more this year, and Iowa will be a good prove-it game to see if they'll do it or if they're too stuck in their ways to change things up.

 

[Al_4_State]

We're going to run the ball, go nowhere doing it, get down two scores, start throwing, it will work well, but it will be too late and we'll lose by 3.

Rinse repeat. No learning. No growing. This is the sacrifice we make for a fun Big 12 season.

 

[Al_4_State]

I'm looking forward to the Iowa game, it'll show us right away how much Campbell trusts Mouser and his play-calling. Mouse and the offense have spent all spring and summer saying they are going to throw the deep ball more this year, and Iowa will be a good prove-it game to see if they'll do it or if they're too stuck in their ways to change things up.

LOL. It ain't going to show us jack sh*t. Campbell wouldn't let Gus Malzahn call this game.

 

[Cyinthenorth]

I hope Heacock will blitz occasionally. Tired of seeing quarterbacks given enough time for their receivers to get open. (See last year’s Liberty Bowl). Iowa doesn’t have much of a rushing attack.

Yes and no. I feel like McNamara will be mostly relegated to being a statue after the lower body injuries he's had pile up now, but at the same time, nothing is more frustrating than watching us blitz in vain and an Iowa QB picking apart our soft zone coverage. Iowa hasn't looked competent offensively in the last 5 or so Cy-Hawk games, no reason to start this year.

 

[Lyon309Cy]

I do understand the rationale behind our standard gameplan against Iowa. If you can beat them at their own game it's not like they can try something else. They play one way, and if that way isn't working for them there's not really much they can do to adjust. If you can control the lines and run it down their throats they have to just take their beating. I think the problem is our coaches want to believe that we have fixed the O line and can lean on them. If this game were later in the season we would hopefully have a more realistic expectation of what we can and can't do up front. Hopefully this year our lines actually are as good as we are always led to believe. And when they aren't, hopefully we adjust faster and don't get too stubborn.

 

[CascadeClone]

I really don't even have any desire to watch our games against Iowa in the Campbell era. It is so predictable and frustrating.

Yeah its emotionally painful. Ugly football, and just existential dread of turnovers and losing 13-3.

 

[ScottyP]

We're going to run the ball, go nowhere doing it, get down two scores, start throwing, it will work well, but it will be too late and we'll lose by 3.

Rinse repeat. No learning. No growing. This is the sacrifice we make for a fun Big 12 season.

Campbell treats this game more as a test to see if he can run the ball against a tough defense. As others have mentioned, we need to focus more on getting up-field with the passing game.

When I looked at last year's game, Iowa's offense had one of their best games all season against us. Iowa had some big runs due to our linebackers not being good and some blown coverages (Freyler had a really bad one). Our defense has a long ways to go, especially with the linebackers.

 

[CascadeClone]

We're going to run the ball, go nowhere doing it, get down two scores, start throwing, it will work well, but it will be too late and we'll lose by 3.

Rinse repeat. No learning. No growing. This is the sacrifice we make for a fun Big 12 season.

Well, let me present the optimistic case.

Remember last year at Ohio? After the game, CMC said something about having to trust Nate & Rocco and letting them have the keys. And then things took off.

Maybe, maybe... he has learned something and will alter his approach.

 

[Clonehomer]

Well, let me present the optimistic case.

Remember last year at Ohio? After the game, CMC said something about having to trust Nate & Rocco and letting them have the keys. And then things took off.

Maybe, maybe... he has learned something and will alter his approach.

But that’s been every year. The play calling is conservative until they realize it’s losing us games. Then they change. They are too scared of making mistakes.