Iowa vs Iowa State Week 2 2024: The Iowa State Cyclones travel to Kinnick Stadium to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. This non-conference game will be for state bragging rights. It could have playoff implications. Iowa leads the series 47-23, winning their most recent matchup last year, 20-13.
Ready to Compete – Iowa vs Iowa State
College football’s significant changes include the playoff expansion and conference realignment. Both teams are equipped to compete. According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, Iowa State leads the country in returning production. They bring back nine starters on both offense and defense. The Hawkeyes rank slightly behind, bringing back 79% of their starters from a year ago. Continuity is good. Still, Iowa’s season depends on new and previous players who did not finish the season as starters.
Iowa’s Defense
While Iowa’s defense remained dominant, something had to change on offense. Iowa’s defensive coordinator had talent. There was the Broyles Award recipient Phil Parker. His defense finished first with the fewest yards allowed. Still, the offense continued to struggle. Iowa’s offense ranked last in the Big Ten in total yardage in the last two years. They finished second to last nationally in 2021. As a result, Brian Ferentz, son of head coach Kirk, was not retained as offensive coordinator.
Experience
Brian comes with experience. He is a former Iowa offensive lineman and New England Patriots tight end coach. Still, he failed to deliver his promise that the Hawkeyes would score at least 25 points per game. As a result, the Hawkeyes brought in Tim Lester as a senior analyst. He was the former head coach at Western Michigan and was most recently with the Green Bay Packers. Lester brings extensive play-calling expertise, offensive innovation, and quarterback development. No one will determine this team more than quarterback Cade Mcnamara. While coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries, he looks to return to his Michigan best. In 2021, he led the Wolverines to the College Football Playoff. There is the Northwestern transfer Brendan Sullivan, who is now on the sidelines. So what happens if Mcnamara doesn’t return to his 2021 form? This season could be shorter than his last. Whoever plays quarterback will catch a break. Luke Lachey’s return and an experienced offensive line make their job more manageable.
Fewer Questions
For Iowa State, there are a lot fewer questions. They return redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht. He heads into his second year as the starter. All four of Cyclone’s top receivers return. This includes significant play threats from Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. The entire offensive line returns. Returning sophomore running back Abu Sama III threatens the Cyclones’ running game. They last saw this when Brece Hall and David Montgomery were in the backfield.
The Matchup
The matchup to look out for is Iowa State’s offense vs. Iowa’s defense. In “How does Iowa’s defense do it? Understanding college football’s most consistent unit,” The Athletic’s Scott Dotcherman details the discipline and patience of Iowa’s defense. Before, NFL defenses primarily shifted to two high safeties to stop Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. At that point, Phil Parker looked to limit explosive plays at Iowa.
“During 11 years, Iowa is 74-26 and allows 13.9 points per game when it gives up two or fewer plays of 25-plus yards,” Dotcherman said. “In the 41 games since 2013 when Iowa has allowed three or more explosive plays, its record is 22-19 with 23.9 points allowed. Last year, Iowa gave up just 15 plays of 25-plus yards all season, including only two on the ground.”
The loss of Cooper Dejean, Logan Lee, Joe Evans, and three-time All-American punter Tory Taylor hurts. The Hawkeyes bring back Jay Huggins, Xavier Nwankpa, and Sebastian Castro. Huggins’s first season saw him replacing former linebacker Jack Campbell. He led the country with 171 tackles and was an All-American. Castro and highly touted Xavier Nwankpa have the potential to be the first Iowa defensive backs to go in the first round since 1997. Iowa State, in contrast, had more plays of 50-plus yards than any other Power Five school.
CAPE Rating – Iowa vs Iowa State
Last year, Matt Campbell finished 19th out of 133 FBS coaches in our CAPE rating. His team performed better than our spread by an average of 5.2 points per game. The CAPE metric stands for Coaching Above Performance Expectations. Kirk Ferentz is a perennial winner. He finished 50th with his team. That beat our spread by an average of 1.08 points per game, which is impressive since his bar is set high every year. Which team will win? Find out with University Foot-Ball.
Author – Tarohn Finley
