The Cy-Hawk rivarly is upon us and kickoff is rapidly approaching. For the first time since 2018, the matchup returns to Kinnick Stadium and the Iowa Hawkeyes hosting after a brief hiatus of traveling to Iowa State and other circumstances.
The Iowa offense is looking to improve on their previous showing and in doing that have been very effective at ignoring the outside noise. They are focused on what happens internally.
The Iowa State Cyclones come into town off of an impressive offensive performance in their opener while their defense is still in the process of growing and gelling into one unit, although they have some serious talent.
The Hawkeyes can win this game with contributions from all three units and all will be called upon at some point. With the Cy-Hawk set to kick off at 3 p.m, CST this afternoon, let’s go into the weekend the right way and look at five keys to success for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Neutralize Will McDonald IV
(AP Photo/Matthew Putney)
Will McDonald, who I discussed the other day in the Iowa State defensive outlook, is a future NFL player and potential star. He is chasing Big 12 sack records and can really flip a game on its head with his pass rushing ability. He is extraordinarily talented and that is why I carefully chose the word “neutralize” rather than “stop” him. He will get his, but limiting his success will be key.
Should the Hawkeyes get their passing game on track, Spencer Petras will need more time than he got last week and priority number one in the pass protection is always having a beat on where McDonald is. The Hawkeyes would be wise to utilize double teams, tight ends chipping him, or sliding running backs over in pass protection.
Rush for 100-plus yards as an offense
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Iowa needs to get the ground game going. They are a traditional offense where the run game opens up the passing game. Being able to keep Iowa…
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