Insight Bowl 2011: Lethal Oklahoma Aerial Attack Will Overwhelm Iowa in Tempe

The Iowa Hawkeyes' defense will be completely overwhelmed on Friday night when it travels to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to take on the No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners and the nation's fourth-best passing attack.

The Sooners (9-3) were 6-0 and poised for a BCS National Championship Game appearance before slipping up at home against Texas Tech and having the wheels fall off at Baylor and Oklahoma State later in the year, allowing more than 40 points in each loss.

Meanwhile, Iowa (7-5) used an early-November win over Sugar Bowl qualifier Michigan to become bowl-eligible. The Hawkeyes have lost three out of their last five games and Friday night will likely only add to that number.

Oklahoma's talent belongs in a BCS Bowl game without question. However, their performance and execution warrants exactly what they got: a bid to play the day before New Year's Eve in the Insight Bowl against a hopeless Iowa team.

Still, Landry Jones and the Oklahoma offense are as potent as any in college football, and should be feared and respected for that reason alone.

The Sooners rank fourth in the country in passing yards and total yards in 2011, posting more than 532 yards per game on their way to scoring 40.3 points per outing (10th-best in the nation).

Oklahoma also rushes for nearly 25 yards more than Iowa per game despite having 191 more passing attempts on the season.

With that being said, it's safe to conclude that Iowa's 43rd-ranked scoring defense will struggle to slow down such a prolific attack.

Not only do the Hawkeyes have to contend with a 4,300-plus yard passer in Jones, but they must also limit two 600-yard rushers in Dominique Whaley and Roy Finch, who have combined for 12 touchdowns on the ground this season.

Sure, Oklahoma's defense, like Iowa's, doesn't rival that of Alabama or LSU, but they will be dealing with a less efficient passer in James Vandenberg, who will be leaning on wide receiver Marvin McNutt, who has caught 78 balls for 1,269 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2011.

If the Sooners can slow McNutt or make life tough for him, they will make Iowa one-dimensional and force sophomore running back Marcus Coker to beat them on the ground.

Coker has played well this season for the Hawkeyes, but a steady running game will lack the point-scoring potential necessary to keep up with an offense as fast-paced and efficient as Oklahoma's.

The Sooners will be bitter about playing in the Insight Bowl Friday night (it might as well be called the Insult Bowl). They are far and above better than Iowa and the result will reflect that.