Iowa -13 for opener against NIU
- Thread starter Iafootballfan
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My guess, and that's all it is, is that KF & Co are going to be looking to get the OL figured out in terms of the running game and it might be kind of a slow and plodding Iowa offense at first. I would also expect they'll be looking to get the WR situation sorted out a bit, so probably not simply milking the TEs all day. I guess what I'm really saying is if Iowa can run the ball at all, this one should be a laugher... on the other hand, if the running game isn't coming together early in the day, it will be tighter than we think.
If it gets to 14.5 or more I bet NIU , NIU always plays hard.
Pepper, you sound like a guy who's seen a bunch of Iowa season openers. LOL! My guess would be Hawks -10, but I hope they cover and then some......
Yeah, there's certainly some historical perspective in that post.
To be fair though, I also said a lot of "Captain Obvious" stuff. But as we know, when the Hawks run the ball, the Hawks usually win. That's about all it comes down to in my opinion! And I think KF & Co will sacrifice a blow out for some film and learning opportunities.
Thanks for your input. Stranger things have happened. I'll put the mortgage on the Hawks to cover.
Without BF in the mix, I would've been comfortable predicting a tight game (with KF making a lot of teaching notes) punctuated with a last minute "that's football" loss. I don't think the sof will let that come to pass however. Iowa will cover these games going forward.
Completely agree. BF is going to step on some throats.
NIU returns a pretty solid squad. They played Boston College and San Diego State pretty close last year at the start of the season .... both opponents being high quality foes. They featured an especially tough D last year ... whereas their O was a relative work-in-progress. Their O will likely be further along in '18 than they were in '17. I don't know about their personnel losses on D ... but they'll likely remain salty there.
The NIU O has traditionally been a little bit more run-oriented ... centering around a mobile QB. While the mobility of the QB poses its own set of problems - they're not likely to generate as many mismatches in the passing game like we saw from North Texas last year. While Iowa's D still needs to prove to me that they can shut down the run ... run-oriented teams still tend to give me less trepidation than pass-oriented teams (I still see Bates breaking free from Klink).
I'd probably anticipate that we see a game that could end up being something like 27-14 in favor of Iowa ... not as pretty as we might like ... however, I think that it reflects the quality of what NIU brings to the table.
And let's not forget we have two assistant coaches on staff that were in recent years on the NIU staff. Believe we may have one GA that was a NIU guy also.
That is one thing for sure. No let up. Make the other team stop you. You know the ISU game will have some extra spice any chance he gets.
This made me smile.......KF is gonna work on his Oline in terms of the running game and also try and figure out the WR's on the passing game. Soooo, we are working on both the running game and passing game . Makes sense to me. Ok, I'm being a wise guy. Pepperman you always have good info.
Need to put the peddle to the metal and crush them like we did OSU last year.. no holds bar beat the living SH!T out of them and run up the score as much as possible and grow a pair
I really like the idea of developing the running game and wide receivers as much as possible during the non-conference, even if it means closer games, or even a September turd. Then, spring a full range of Tight End sets and new plays on Wisconsin's linebackers, and play like the conference championship is on the line. Indy was a great time the last time, even with the heartbreaking loss. I want to go back!
I absolutely agree. The coaches will still try to develop game-plans that they believe will win games ... but you're right, they're also going to be placing a premium on developing our RBs and WRs prior to the conference slate. The better those guys can play going into conference play, the better chance we have to make a legit run for Indy.
Yes, this is what I was trying to say, but I think you said it better.
Now, I do not wish to do this if it means there will be a September non-conference turd. Only 12 games and Iowa needs as many wins as possible.
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