Tag: cy-hawk

The Cy-Hawk game is rapidly approaching and the dissection of both the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones is nearing its close.

Every stone has been unturned and every bit of data analyzed. Soon, things will get kicked off inside Kinnick Stadium and settle on Duke Slater Field.

One common trend about this matchup is that whichever way the picks are coming in, they are coming with a ton of confidence in predicting how this one shakes out.

CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli may be the most confident of them all. He stamped the Cy-Hawk rivalry pick with his “lock of the week” across all of college football. He doesn’t just like Iowa to win, but also to cover the spread.

It’s fun to goof around about Iowa being an offensive juggernaut after it put up 40 points against Illinois State. The Hawkeyes aren’t likely to set scoring records this season, but I believe the offensive improvements are legitimate. QB Cade McNamara isn’t perfect, but he’s leaps and bounds better than Deacon Hill. The Hawkeyes appear to have playmakers at receiver this season, which hasn’t been the case in a while.

Iowa State looked mediocre last week, but that doesn’t concern me. Here’s what does: this team is extremely thin at linebacker right now, and it could be down a player or two on the offensive line. Stud running back Abu Sama was banged up against North Dakota, but I believe the Cyclones were simply being cautious taking him out of a game they felt they controlled. This a rivalry game, and I know anything can happen, but I can see a scenario in which the Cyclones can’t get stops against this Hawkeyes offense. Yes, it feels very strange to type that sentence out and read it back, but it’s true. Pick: Iowa -2.5 (-112) – Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

It seems like an alternate universe where the picks of this game are focused on a competent, point-scoring offense, but here we are. There was an infusion of life into the Iowa offense by Tim Lester in Week 1.

Iowa does get the return of Kaleb Brown as a wide receiver and will utilize Kaleb Johnson as the top running back after his explosive showing last week. They have playmakers who can take it the distance at any time, a far cry from previous years.

Cade McNamara doesn’t have to be a superhero, he just needs to complete a few key passes and keep the defense honest. The Cyclones are without Caleb Bacon, a key loss at linebacker, and all signs point to Iowa trying to pound the rock and handle their business in this year’s Cy-Hawk matchup.

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Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

It is almost time for kickoff in the Cy-Hawk game and that means it is almost time for fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes and Iowa State Cyclones to hunker down for three hours of a close, stressful contest.

What is being predicted as a close game by many, could be a resume-building win for each of these programs in Week 2 and jumpstart their 2024-25 season with an exciting win.

One thing that is always expected in this game is tough, hard-nosed defense. These teams are both stout on that side of the ball, which has lent itself to the total points set at 35.5 points in this one.

ESPN has marked the total points as their best bet of the week to take in this one. They think that the Iowa offense may have some fireworks ready to go with Tim Lester.

Week 2 best bet: Iowa State at Iowa OVER 35.5

I’m putting my reputation on the line taking the over in an Iowa game. It might be a bold move this early in the season, but here we go. In 2023, Iowa was involved in the four lowest over/under totals in college football history:

• Iowa vs. Nebraska: 24.5 points (lowest ever)
• Iowa vs. Rutgers: 27.5 points
• Iowa vs. Northwestern: 30.5 points
• Iowa vs. Minnesota: 30.5 points

All four games hit the under. However, I’m here to say this is a brand-new Iowa offense. With Tim Lester as offensive coordinator, the Hawkeyes are poised for change. Lester’s extensive coaching experience, including a successful tenure at Western Michigan where his teams consistently ranked in the top 35 nationally in total offense, bodes well for Iowa’s potential. – Pamela Maldonado, ESPN

Iowa’s offense looked like it finally found life in the second half of last week. Cade McNamara was able to complete passes downfield and stretch the defense. He utilized Luke Lachey, Jacob Gill, and Reece Vander Zee to work the entirety of the field.

In the backfield, Kaleb Johnson exploded and will be available for all four quarters this week. Out wide, Kaleb Brown returns to bolster the receiver group even more. The two Kalebs give Iowa playmakers and explosive athletes who can bust a big gainer at any moment.

Unlike other years where this rivalry has been a bare-knuckle fist fight, this chapter could still be a boxing match, but it may just feature a few more points.

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This week will present an entirely new challenge to the Iowa Hawkeyes offense when they take the field inside Kinnick Stadium.

With Iowa State looming in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, Iowa is going to be tasked with a much more intense challenge in the defense that they are facing. After a 40-0 showing against Illinois State by the Hawkeyes, the Cyclones are a much different animal to face.

The Hawkeyes’ offense is healthy and fully loaded aside from a few lingering injuries and will need all hands on deck to notch their second victory.

When asked about facing the Cyclones’ defense and the struggles they have had against them over the past few years, Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz gave them their credit.

“You know, one person’s opinion. They’ve done a lot of things well there since Coach Campbell got there. That league was not exactly, like, known for defense, and ours is probably a little bit more so that way, at least that’s kind of been the trend,” Ferentz said about Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell and his program.

“I think Coach Heacock, he’s an outstanding coach, great person. He came in with a vision. I’m not sure where all it got incubated or where it got hatched, but they’ve been good on defense basically after that first year was a year of adjustment,” continued Ferentz.

“But from my vantage point, they’ve been good on defense all the way through, and they’ve been good on offense, too. They’ve changed subtly, but they’ve got an identity and a system that works really well for them. I think that’s why they’ve been so successful. They run the ball, control the ball. They pass it well, too,” Ferentz went on to say.

“But they’re balanced on offense, and then defensively they’ve been really good. I think you know how I feel. Just growing up, it just seems like if you played defense in any sport, you’ve got a chance. You can’t win if you don’t have a chance. Real credit to them,” Kirk Ferentz added about their successes.

“But they’ve been tough on a lot of people. You look back, it’s hard to find how many games where they gave up a lot of yards or points. Really hard,” Ferentz ended with.

The Cyclones’ Week 1 victory backs up this sentiment as well. They held North Dakota, albeit an FCS program, to just three points.

They limited North Dakota to 121 yards through that year at 4 yards per attempt but did give up 174 yards on the ground.

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Week 1 of the 2024 college football season is in the books and it is now time to turn the page to rivalry week.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are hosting in-state rival Iowa State for the annual Cy-Hawk rivalry. Both teams enter this one 1-0 and are surely headed for another tight battle.

Iowa took care of Illinois State 40-0 while Iowa State dispatched of North Dakota by a score of 21-3. With Week 2 rapidly approaching, this matchup is one of CBS Sports’ biggest games of the weekend.

If tightly contested rivalry games are your thing, the Cy-Hawk battle is a must-see. The last six games have been decided by 10 points or less, and both teams are expected to be strong in 2024. Their Week 1 opponents combined to score three points, so this should be a defensive slugfest that is decided in the fourth quarter. Iowa has won seven of the last eight in the series, but the teams have split the past two meetings. – David Cobb, ESPN

Iowa has more than doubled up on Iowa State in this series with a 47-23 advantage all-time. Iowa State won the matchup in 2022, but over the last 20 years, it has been all Hawkeyes. Iowa has won 14 of the last 20 and eight of the last 10 matchups.

The Hawkeyes have opened up as a 3.5-point favorite in this game, which is a testament to the tightness of the game. Six of the last 10 meetings have been decided by one score.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7