Iowa Hawkeyes: Know your Opposition

Mascot: Hawkeyes
Coach: Kirk Ferentz (11th year at Iowa, 79-54 overall, 1-5 vs. OSU)
2008 Record: 9-4 (Defeated South Carolina in Outback Bowl , 31-10)
2009 Record: 9-1
Base Offense: "I" Formation
Base Defense: 4-3
Letterman: Returning - 49; Lost - 22
Returning Starters: Offense - 6, Defense - 8, Specialists - 2
Returning Stars: LB Pat Angerer, S Tyler Sash

Notable Alumni:

- Tom Arnold, actor from Roseanne
- Tom Brokaw, TV anchor and author
- Bret Bielema, football coach, Wisconsin
- Dallas Clark, tight end, Indianapolis Colts
- George Gallup, founder of the Gallup poll
- Don Nelson, NBA player and coach
- Ashton Kutcher, actor

Iowa Overview:

As much as the Buckeyes have felt snakebitten by injuries this season, the Hawkeyes have even more reason to complain now.

Before the season even started, their starting Runningback, Jewel Hampton, was lost for the season. Iowa moved on without him though, and found a star in redshirt freshman, Adam Robinson. They would also lose him for the season after being injured against Michigan State. Then Ricky Stanzi went down in the first half against Northwestern last week, and all those injuries finally caught up with the Hawkeyes as they lost 17-10 to Northwestern.

Their dreams of going to a National Championship were crushed after a 9-0 start.

While Stanzi's numbers aren't going to blow anyone away (2186 yards, 15 TD, 14 INT), his absence will be felt in the leadership department.

The Hawkeyes have had to come back to win a majority of their games, and Stanzi was able to make plays when the game mattered the most. His replacement is redshirt freshman James Vandenberg, who had all of three career passes before replacing Stanzi last week.

It was not pretty premiere for Vandenberg, as he went nine of 27 for 82 yards with an interception. He does have some solid weapons to throw the ball to at wideout.

The top performer on the season is Derrell Johnson-Koulianos who has 31 receptions for 553 yards and two touchdowns.

While he has the most receptions and yards, the overall best play-maker is probably Marvin McNutt (547 yards, 23.8 avg., 5 TD.) At 6-4 215 lbs., he provides a large throwing target for the Hawkeyes. 

Also watch Saturday for wideout Trey Stross (368 yards, 1 TD) and tight end Tony Moeaki (274 yards, 4 TD).  

As previously mentioned, Hawkeye Runningback has taken some serious blows with Hampton and Robinson both going down. That leaves the carries to freshman Brandon Wegher.

He has already seen a lot of time this season, and has 502 yards and six touchdowns on the season. He runs the ball pretty tough, but is very limited as a big play threat. His longest run on the season is 28 yards, and he averages 3.8 a carry.

The Hawkeyes will also run Paki O'Meara to give Wegher a rest on occasion, and he only has 15 carries on the year.

DEFENSE:

On the defensive side of the ball, Iowa is very legit. 

They are only giving up 15.9 points and 291.7 yards a game, and like the Buckeye defense, they have been very opportunistic with turnovers. A lot of that starts up front with a defensive line that has been solid all season long.

The star of the front four is junior Adrian Clayborn. He has 44 tackles on the season, but what is really impressive is his 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. The Buckeye offensive line better be as motivated as they were a week ago if they plan on slowing Clayborn down.

The line-backing core for Iowa is also very solid, led by senior Pat Angerer. He leads the team with 106 total tackles, and he also fills the stat sheet by contributing in all areas of the defense. He is surrounded by linebackers Jeremiha Hunter (80 tackles, 2.5 TFL) and AJ Edds (55 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 INT).

So yes, the Hawkeyes bring a very physical and talented front seven to Columbus. The main guy to watch in the secondary is safety Tyler Sash.

Last year as a freshman,  he had five interceptions, and he is not disappointing in his sophomore affair either. Thus far this season he has 70 tackles, six interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

Game Outlook:  

When Iowa has the ball, the pressure will be on James Vandenberg to prove that he can handle the heat from the QB. Last week, he looked timid, and seemed like an erratic passer.

He is going to need Wegher and the running game to take pressure off of him, and also to keep the Buckeye defensive line from pinning their ears back. That is a big task for Wegher, especially against a Buckeye defense which is only giving up 2.7 yards a carry.

So, look for Ferentz and staff to be creative in trying to keep the chains moving. Screen passes, reverses, and short dump-offs will probably be the name of the game for Iowa.

When Ohio State has the ball, expect the Hawkeye defense to give this game everything they have. The only real shot they have is if Iowa can slow down Pryor and force turnovers, which is possible with the talent they have on defense.

Pryor and the Ohio State offense do have some major momentum though, especially after the way they played at Penn State. It seems very unlikely that the Hawkeye defense can handle the dual threat ability of Terrelle Pryor. His legs will keep the chains moving and keep drives alive.

Not only that, but the staff will build off of its success last week against the Nittany Lions, and will continue to put Pryor in situations that allow him to succeed. The Buckeye runners may struggle against the Hawkeye front seven, but Pryor should be way too much to handle.  

Overall, the Buckeyes have a lot of things going their way. Not only is Iowa down a few guys on offense and starting a very inexperienced QB in the Horseshoe, but the Buckeyes are at home for Senior Day with the Rose Bowl in sight.

That on paper seems way too much for the Hawkeyes to overcome, but the if the Buckeyes come out overconfident this will be a good game. Tressel and the players have said all the right things in practice though, and they seem to be playing their best football at the right time. On top of that, we here at the Silver Bullet were feeling a Buckeye win even if the Hawkeyes had Stanzi and were 10-0. Prediction...

Father vs. Son Prediction Battle:

Dave: OSU 23-10
Drew: OSU 21-6