Tag: Iowa Hawkeyes Football

Iowa Hawkeyes: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Iowa Hawkeyes season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Iowa Hawkeyes season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Iowa Schedule Analysis
– Iowa Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 6-2 overall, 6-2 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz, 23rd year, 168-106
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 17
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 27
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 23

Iowa College Football Preview 2021: Offense

– The Iowa offense wasn’t bad, but there’s a whole lot of room for improvement. It didn’t move the chains all that easily, was awful on third downs, and wasn’t nearly efficient enough throwing the ball, but it was No. 1 in the Big Ten in the red zone, took advantage of every opportunity, and it scored a whole lot of points. Now it’s time to be more explosive.

– Spencer Petras has the arm. The 6-5, 231-pound junior quarterback has no problems pushing the ball down the field. However, he’s got to be more accurate and has to come up with more big plays for a passing game that hit just 57% of its throws with nine touchdowns in eight games.

Leading wide receivers Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Brandon Smith are gone, but TE Sam LaPorta is a good one and veteran Nico Ragaini is a decent receiver to start with. However, new big play targets have to emerge fast.

– It’s Iowa, so the offensive line is going to be solid. However, just two starters are expected to be back – starting with junior Tyler Linderbaum at center – with a whole lot of shuffling being done to get the right starting five in place. This isn’t a massive group, but again, it’s Iowa – the O line will be fine.

The running game wasn’t spectacular, but it was sneaky-good with Tyler Goodson leading the way with 762 yards and seven scores. Mekhi Sargent is done, and the depth is going to be an issue early on.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Iowa Schedule Analysis

NEXT: Iowa College Football Preview 2021: Defense

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Iowa Football Schedule 2021: Analysis, Best and Worst Case Scenarios

Breaking down and analyzing the 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football schedule with the best and worst case scenarios

Breaking down and analyzing the 2021 Iowa Hawkeyes football schedule with the best and worst case scenarios.

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Iowa Football Schedule 2021

Full schedule analysis with best and worst scenarios below

Sept. 4 Indiana

Sept. 11 at Iowa State

Sept. 18 Kent State

Sept. 25 Colorado State

Oct. 2 at Maryland

Oct. 9 Penn State

Oct. 16 Purdue

Oct. 23 OPEN DATE

Oct. 30 at Wisconsin

Nov. 6 at Northwestern

Nov. 13 Minnesota

Nov. 20 Illinois

Nov. 26 at Nebraska

Dec. 4 Big Ten Championship (in Indianapolis)

Games vs. The East: Indiana, at Maryland, Penn State

Missed Teams From The East: Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers

Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule Analysis: COMING

Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule Best Case Scenario: COMING

Iowa Hawkeyes Football Schedule Worst Case Scenario: COMING

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Wisconsin falls in latest USA TODAY bowl projections

After a disappointing loss to the now No. 8-ranked Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, the Wisconsin Badgers have fallen to No. 25 in both poll…

After a disappointing loss to the now No. 8-ranked Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, the Wisconsin Badgers have fallen to No. 25 in both polls and have dropped in their USA TODAY bowl projections for this week.

Wisconsin is now predicted to play the Missouri Tigers in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn. The Badgers have dropped from their USA TODAY prediction of last week to play against the Auburn Tigers in the Citrus Bowl. Coincidentally, Wisconsin has only played in one Music City Bowl, and it was a 28-14 loss to Auburn back in 2003.

Wisconsin quarterback Jim Sorgi (19) gets sandwiched by Auburn defenders Reggie Torbor and Karlos Dansby, causing him to fumble in the fourth quarter. Auburn defeated Wisconsin 28-14 before 55,109 in the Music City Bowl in Nashville Dec. 31, 2003. Music City Bowl © Sanford Myers / The Tennessean, Nashville Tennessean via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Missouri and Wisconsin have only played five times in their histories, with the Badgers winning four of the games. The last time the two teams played was back in 1984, where Wisconsin was able to pull out a narrow 35-34 victory against the Tigers on the road.

The predicted College Football Playoff teams for this week stay the same with Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, and Notre Dame maintaining their positions.

Wisconsin will need a big game this weekend against the Iowa Hawkeyes to remain in a relevant bowl game and stay ranked, especially as the Badgers are sitting at 2-2 before the last game of the season.

It was all about family this weekend for Tristan Wirfs

Bucs rookie OT Tristan Wirfs took to Instagram to show off his time with the Wirfs family this weekend.

Buccaneers rookie tackle Tristan Wirfs will be under pressure to perform right away when the season kicks off.

The 2020 first-round pick of the Bucs will be looked upon to keep soon-to-be 43-year-old quarterback Tom Brady upright all season. The Bucs’ O-line allowed 47 sacks on Jameis Winston last year, something they can’t afford to let happen to Brady.

Fortunately, Tampa Bay seems to have gotten one of the best tackles in the 2020 draft class. Wirfs has been hitting the field, and pool, putting in the work ahead of training.

This weekend, though, he took some time out of his busy schedule to hang with his family, who came to town for a visit.

Take a look.

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College Football News Preview 2020: Iowa Hawkeyes

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Iowa Hawkeyes season with what you need to know

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Iowa Hawkeyes season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Iowa Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 10-3 overall, 6-3 in Big Ten
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz, 22nd year, 162-104
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 14
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 23
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 13

No one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Iowa Hawkeyes Offense 3 Things To Know

– Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz has as much talent and experience to work with as Iowa has enjoyed in a long time, but a whole lot more pop has to be generated from the nation’s 99th ranked attack.

The Hawkeyes have their moments, but they simply didn’t score enough until they ripped up USC for 49 in the Holiday Bowl win.

They didn’t score more than 27 points against anyone but Rutgers in Big Ten play, but that was still almost enough to come up with a huge season – each of Iowa’s three losses came by seven points or fewer.

CFN in 60 Video: Iowa Hawkeyes Preview
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– It’s not that QB Nate Stanley was bad; he just didn’t make the jump up in production he probably should’ve. Now it’s up to 6-5, 231-pound sophomore Spencer Petras to be the guy with the massive arm who can stretch the field more and get the offense to be a bit more explosive. He’ll have to fight off a few options, including freshman Deuce Hogan, the star of the 2020 recruiting class.

No matter who the quarterback is, he’ll have a fantastic receiving corps to help the cause.

Star with senior Ihmir Smith-Marsette, the 6-1, 186-pound senior who led the team with 722 yards on 44 catches and five scores. He averaged over 16 yards per catch, and so did sophomore Tyrone Tracy, who was second on the team with 589 yards.

Senior Brandon Smith is a 6-2, 219-pound physical receiver who made 37 grabs in his nine appearances, and sophomore Nico Ragaini led the team with 46 catches as a possession receiver. Throw in tight ends Sam LaPorta and Shaun Beyer – these two should do a whole lot more than they did last season – and the pass catching weapons and depth are there.

– Losing OT Tristan Wirfs to the first round of the NFL Draft stinks, but everyone else is expected back, and that’s more than a little bit of a shocker.

Alaric Jackson could’ve been a possible first rounder, but he was banged up for most of last season and is back to potentially up his draft positioning. The rest of the line is solid, but the whole group has to do more for the running game.

Tyler Goodson had an okay season with 638 rushing yards and five scores, but he was a good receiver and has the flash to start doing a whole lot more.

Former JUCO transfer Mekhi Sargent returns after finishing second on the team with 563 yards and four scores, but third-leading rusher Toren Young – who was one of the former Hawkeye players speaking out against the program in June – left the team this offseason.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Iowa Hawkeyes Defense 3 Things To Know

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Wisconsin recruiting comparison: Iowa

Wisconsin recruiting

National Signing Day has come and gone and the Wisconsin Badgers have put together a fairly decent class compared to the rest of the Big Ten. In the spirit of looking at recruiting classes compared to the rest of the conference, Badgers Wire is taking a look at Wisconsin’s class on a national level and a conference level. We’ll be including their national rankings and their conference rankings. Fourth on our list is one of the most consistent and stable programs in the nation when it comes to their style of play and ability to play within their own style, the Iowa Hawkeyes. 

The Iowa Hawkeyes are among the more stable ships in the nation. They may not always compete for conference titles, but since Kirk Ferentz took over in 1999, the Hawkeyes have had a total of three seasons with four or fewer wins. That’s right: three. The Hawkeyes have also had 12 seasons with eight or more wins. The vast majority of Ferentz’s teams end up in a good bowl game and he puts players in the NFL with notable consistency. Iowa is known for churning out quality prospects such as A.J. Epenesa this year and Geoge Kittle in 2017. If you go to Iowa, you’re going to win games and you’ll stand a good chance of scouts seeing you play. That’s all a college player not going to Clemson or Alabama or Ohio State or LSU (or similar elite programs) can ask for in today’s economy of college football. 

The Hawkeyes have the nation’s No. 34 ranked recruiting class in 2020. They are on track for having the No. 8 class in 2021. They finished with the Big Ten’s No. 8 recruiting class with a player average rating of .8645. They’re projected to finish next year with the conference’s 3rd-best recruiting class and a per player average of .8842 in the 24/7 composite rankings. Their best player is defensive tackle Logan Jones. At 6-foot-3, 255-pounds, Jones (.9128) is the No. 1 player in Iowa and the 23rd-best defensive tackle in the class of 2020.The Badgers (.8782) have a higher per recruit average than the Hawkeyes (.8647). The Badgers’ best player in 24/7’s composite rankings is offensive tackle Trey Wedig (.9643). The 6-foot-8, 320-pound behemoth is ranked (.0515) higher than Jones for the Hawkeyes. 

The position both classes compare is at tight end. The Badgers signed Cam Large (.8647), a 6-foot-5, 240-pound player out of Noble And Greenough School in Dedham, Maryland. He’s the No. 29 player at his position in the nation and the sixth-best player coming out of Maryland. The Hawkeyes signed Elijah Yelverton. At 6-foot-5, and 225-pounds, Yelverton (.8763) is the nation’s 21th-best tight end, but he’s the 69th-best best player in the talent-rich state of Texas. Expect Yelverton to get in on the action and compete for playing time early. Cam Large also has a chance to make a substantial impact for the Badgers down the line.

Wisconsin decade in review: Badgers vs Iowa

Wisconsin vs. Iowa

As the 2019 season brings to a close another decade of college football, Badgers Wire has been engaged in a series of reflective pieces. “Record Review” is another series examining how the Badgers have fared against the rest of the Big Ten Conference this past decade. Next up is an examination of the Badgers’ record against one of their chief divisional opponents. Iowa is a truly weird matchup for the Badgers. While they have the edge, this Big Ten West clash is the most difficult to explain and put into context. Let’s take a look at why. 

Using Stassen, Badgers Wire pulled up every result against Iowa this past decade. The Badgers have an impressive 7-2 record over Iowa in that time. The truly odd part about this series is that the Badgers dominate Iowa at Kinnick Stadium, going 5-0, but are 2-2 at home. The Badgers just pulled even at home in 2019 with a close 24-22 win over the Hawkeyes. Close still gets the job done, but it’s fascinating that the average margin of victory in Iowa is 26-17 for the Badgers, but that drops to 19.5-16.5 for Wisconsin when adding the Badgers’ home games. It’s just odd. 

Obviously this game means a lot for both teams. It is often a game that can decide a division, since these two teams are often in the mix in the Big Ten West, though that could be changing with the emergence of Minnesota. We will have to wait and see. 

The toughest loss for Wisconsin against Iowa in the past decade is probably the 2015 game. Had Wisconsin won that game, the Badgers would have won the division. They lost a 10-6 game and had a couple chances to win, but couldn’t get the job done. Wisconsin would have had a crack at Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game, but that honor went to Iowa.

The Badgers seemingly have the Hawkeyes’ number, so the idea here would be to improve their play at home in the series in the new decade. It sounds odd to say that about a rivalry they’re currently dominating, but that’s where we sit. That is what needs to happen for the Badgers against Iowa. If they can do that and maintain their current level of play in other divisional matchups (and improving versus Northwestern), they’re going to have a chance to compete for a good number of conference championships in 2020 and beyond. A team needs to win every game, but Iowa is a team Bucky must continue to consistently beat if it wants to continue claiming Big Ten West crowns.

Big Ten, big ’20s: Iowa football

Iowa football in the 2020s

Mark Hasty is one of the best people I have come to know on #CollegeFootballTwitter. It has been fascinating to be a sportswriter in the Twitter era, having conversations with fans and commentators across the country about the various sports I cover. I learn so much from the people I talk to, even though I never meet them in person. Mark rates high on the list, imparting wise, original, textured thoughts on matters from football to media to religion. He is one of a kind, and I treasure his insights.

Mark wrote a poignant, typically layered column at his current sportswriting home on Hayden Fry, the Iowa icon who died last week at age 90. Make sure you read it.

I asked Mark Hasty, an Iowa football observer of considerable esteem, to size up the program’s next decade. Here is what Mark had to say:

*

The biggest question for Iowa football next decade will be how it handles the transition we all know is coming. Kirk Ferentz is a very youthful 64 and under contract through 2026, when he will be 71. It’s unlikely but not impossible he’ll be extended, so all us Iowa fans assume we have seven more seasons of the Captain. The question is “what’s next?”

It’s generally assumed that Ferentz wants his son Brian, who is currently Iowa’s offensive coordinator, to replace him. Many Iowa fans are lukewarm to that prospect, since Iowa under Kirk Ferentz has never been known for offensive prowess. But I think Hawkeye fans should consider the possibility that the elder Ferentz has limited the tools in Iowa’s playbook.

I’ve done extensive research on coaching changes in the Big Ten and I’ve found that continuity of staff is one of the largest factors in maintaining long-term success. Iowa has been a fairly consistent seven- to nine-win football team over the last forty seasons. That is not dominance, but it’s a long history of success. “Evolution, not revolution” would be a good philosophy to follow.

Iowa fans who want more sweeping change should look one state to the west and realize that change won’t automatically turn Iowa in to a 10-win team that fights for the College Football Playoff.

— Mark Hasty

Great Wisconsin moments from the 2010s: the 2010 Iowa game

Recalling the 2010 Wisconsin-Iowa game

As we look back on Wisconsin Badgers football in the decade which is about to end, we begin our collection of retrospectives with the first year of the decade, 2010. In this season, Wisconsin beat then-No. 1 Ohio State, a game we wrote about earlier this year at Badgers Wire. Because we have already referenced the best game of the 2010 season, let’s look at the second-best moment from that campaign, the 31-30 win in Kinnick Stadium against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Keep in mind a few details about that 2010 Wisconsin season: First, the Badgers were part of a three-team tie in the standings at the end of the regular season. Second, this was the last year before the Big Ten Championship Game, which meant that tiebreaker procedures would determine which team went to the Rose, Sugar, or Capital One (now Citrus) Bowls. Wisconsin got the Granddaddy against TCU. Ohio State got the Sugar against Arkansas. Michigan State got the short end of the stick against Alabama in the Cap One.

Wisconsin needed this win in Iowa City to forge the three-way tie and head to Pasadena. Without this win, the Badgers would have had to deal with an angry Bama team in the Capital One Bowl. (That 2010 season was the only time since Nick Saban’s first season at Alabama in which the Crimson Tide lost three games.)

The other obvious point to make about this win in Iowa City is that Iowa has been noted for busting up great seasons of other Big Ten teams. The Hawkeyes ruined Minnesota’s season in 2019. They kept Ohio State out of the playoff in 2017. They prevented Michigan from winning its first Big Ten division title in 2016. They prevented Penn State from having an unbeaten regular season in 2008. The Kinnick graveyard was waiting to add Wisconsin to its collection.

The Badgers almost died, but scored a gutsy win on a fake punt deep in their own territory. Brad Nortman ran for 17 yards on fourth and four from the Wisconsin 26 in the fourth quarter, sparking the winning drive in a come-from-behind triumph.

Wisconsin players loved Bret Bielema for pulling the trigger on the play, as reported in The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa):

“That was awesome. That was one of the reasons I came here,” Wisconsin linebacker Blake Sorensen said. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. He’s not afraid. That’s a coach you love to play for.”

Bielema, typically, was pretty pleased with himself:

“We had seen that they had gone with two edge pressures and were covering down,” Bielema said. “We made the call once I saw them send out the punt return unit. Great execution, great faith.”

Iowa drove into Wisconsin territory in pursuit of a field goal, getting just inside the Badger 40, but the Hawkeyes used their final timeout and then threw a pass in bounds, short of the sticks. Wisconsin’s sure tackling and Kirk Ferentz’s poor game management caused the final seconds to expire, sealing UW’s huge win.

The decade in Wisconsin football ended with a Rose Bowl bid. It also began with one — not just because of the 2010 win over Ohio State, but the win in Kinnick Stadium as well.