This could be a long day at the office for the Wolfpack. It seems everybody has the Iowa Hawkeyes handily defeating the Nevada Wolfpack to finish out their out-of-conference schedule. All of us at Hawkeyes Wire have Iowa winning by blowout proportions, and in Matthew Kenerley’s recent opponent breakdown for Mountain West Wire, he has the Hawkeyes taking down Nevada with ease 24-9.
It doesn’t seem likely that the Wolf Pack will be overrun by an Iowa team that’s more than happy to sit and wait for breaks to come their way, but it also doesn’t seem clear that they’ll have enough answers on offense to get the best of what looks like, on paper, one of college football’s best defenses. – Kenerley, Mountain West Wire.
A bulk of the preview does focus on the defensive strength the Hawkeyes possess, both linebacker Jack Campbell and cornerback Riley Moss featured as key players. Kenerley acknowledges the level Iowa played at last year, seventh in the country by allowing just 4.72 yards per play, ninth in points per drive allowed, and fourth in available yards percentage allowed, and points out the big pieces they bring back.
Behind them, Campbell and Seth Benson (105 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks) will patrol the middle with help from Jestin Jacobs.
In the secondary, Moss is the veteran leader but the unit isn’t without experience otherwise. Strong safety Kaevon Merriweather (42 tackles, four passes defended) made seven stars last year while cornerback Jermari Harris (34 tackles, four INTs) made six. – Kenerley, Mountain West Wire.
On the offensive side of the ball, it’s pretty much the standard preview. Iowa’s offense disappointed last year on all accounts. Spencer Petras needs to step it up a notch at the quarterback position, Iowa needs to figure out how to replace Tyler Goodson’s rushing production, and the line needs a bounce-back year in 2022. Kenerley makes a comparison of Iowa to Mountain West contender San Diego State, a team who also struggled on the offensive side of the ball but were more than able to make it up with their defense.
Overall, 24-9 is a pretty simple victory for the Hawkeyes. The Wolfpack are kind of a mess, losing pretty much their entire offense in the span of one offseason. From coaching to personnel, this is an almost entirely new Nevada offense. They are facing one of the best defenses in the country, and will struggle to score points.
That matches with our predictions. Nobody is projecting the Wolfpack to score over two touchdowns. There is a difference of faith in the Iowa offense for this season, though. All three of the Hawkeyes Wire crew predict the Hawkeyes to score over 31 points, making it even more of a lopsided win.
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